Five Stepping Stones to a Fairer Future
There’s a rare chance for Bristol’s citizens to influence the shape of their world on Thursday 10th February. A free workshop at the Colston Hall lets you share your experience and feed your ideas into 5 “policy asks” being presented to central government. Could this be the Big Society in action?
A World in Waiting asks the question: What courageous changes must we make to forge a Fairer Future? It brings together a diversity of people: ordinary Bristolians, policy makers from both Brussels and the UK, organisations working with the disadvantaged and, crucially, those who have direct experience of poverty and exclusion. The structure of the day, using an Open Space approach, means that everyone has the same standing. There is no panel of experts answering points or fending them off. The people are the experts – expert in their own experience and expert in their vision for the future.

The day will review the achievements of the European Year for Combating Poverty & Social Exclusion, and it will look at the Bristol Partnership’s 20:20 Vision and how we can make Bristol one of the top 20 cities in Europe. But what will fuel the day will be the energy and ideas of the 1000+ people attending. It is a genuinely democratic forum for debating and formulating policies for our future. And it is a lot more than just a talking shop. Julien Van Geertsom, Chair of the Federal Public Service for Social Integration, is coming from Brussels, and a team from the Department for Work & Pensions will be taking part. And we have been asked to produce 5 “policy asks” from the day’s deliberations to present to central government.

General Elections come round once every 4 or 5 years – and often the choices seem limited. A World in Waiting gives you the chance to focus on policy rather than personality; and to create the agenda yourself rather than just putting a cross by your least worst choice. If you think our world is too important to be left only to politicians, then this day is for you. Politicians need us. They need contact with the real world – and they need to hear the impact of their policies. If you want a fairer world, come to the Colston Hall on February 10th and share your experience and your ideas. It’s free, it’s exciting, and it’s important!

Tickets cost nothing – but must be booked from the Colston Hall’s box office on 0117 922 3686. You can either buy lunch there or bring your own. A World in Waiting is 10am–5pm on Thursday 10th February – and it is followed from 5–7pm by A World Beyond, a feast of free performance in the foyer and bars of the Colston Hall. So book your ticket now! Citizens have fought for hundreds of years for a say in how they are governed. You only need pick up the phone!