Critically Chatting meetings : Notices, Papers and Summaries

On this page you will find information pertaining to the actual Critically Chatting gatherings we manage to organise. These will include  calling notices, summaries and the actual papers presented, where this is possible.

WE WON'T ROLL OVER! THE NATIONAL COALITION FOR INDEPENDENT ACTION and THE CRITICALLY CHATTING COLLECTIVE present WE WON'T ROLL OVER: CREATING ALLIANCES OF RESISTANCE A Workshop of Discussion and Action The Falkender room, Commonwealth Hall, 19-26 Cartwright Gardens, London On Friday, November 7, 2008 from 10.30 a.m - 4.30 p.m. Since the late 70's the capitalist Neo-Liberal project of de-regulation, privatisation, out-sourcing and targetting has come to dominate seemingly all our lives. For its supporters the Market is everything, the lifeblood of existence. Thus even Youth Work has been forced to bow to its commands, whilst the cherished independence of the Voluntary Sector has been deeply undermined. And yet, as we are in the midst of planning this event, Neo-Liberalism is in crisis. Such is the mess that its disciples cry out for salvation from the State.  Even nationalisation is no longer a dirty word. Against this background of anxiety and contradiction this is an opportune moment to reflect on the impact of neo-liberal ideas on the Welfare State and the Voluntary Sector, using Youth Work as a case study. Critically too the present crisis opens up the possibility of challenging the taken-for-granted dominance of market and employer-led agendas. This is a moment to seize back the initiative. Programme 10.30-11.00 Arrivals and Coffee/Tea 11.00-11.15 Introductions 11.15-11.40 'Neo-Liberal Welfare: The Changing Face of Youth Work'- some reflections and pointers from Bernard Davies, author of 'The History of the Youth Service in England' followed by: 11.40-1.00 Animated discussion 1.00-1.45 Lunch 1.45-2.15 'How Typical is Youth Work? What's happening elsewhere?' - a response from Andy Benson of the National Coalition followed by: 2.15-3.30 Further animated debate 3.30-4.30 'Where do we go from here?' - taking action or putting our money where our mouths are! For more information, to confirm you're coming etc., contact either Tony Taylor at tonymtaylor@gmail.com or Malcolm Ball on 07957198308.

Certainly Better Late than Never : On the Road Again 'Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more' or add your own rhetorical call to arms. Whatever we're in the midst of organising in tandem with the National Coalition for Independent Action a gathering in London on Friday, November 7. It will be an event not to be missed and the metropolis is already agog with interest. At this moment the morning session, 'The Future of Youth Work' will be led by Bernard Davies, drawing for stimulus upon the third volume of his History of Youth Service, 'The New Labour Years'. In the afternoon we will debate the significance of the much talked about notion of 'civil society'. Is it a radical way forward, breaking the bonds of traditional ways of 'doing politics'? A few days later, on the eve of the Federation of Detached Youth work conference, Wednesday, November 12, we will be reprising 'The Future of Youth Work' discussion at a fringe meeting in Wigan.  More information will be available as soon as possible.

Apologies: A Conspicuous Silence and A Significant Question Keen observers of goings on within this site will have noticed that we haven't reported on our November CC gatherings.  In addition we haven't advertised until now a next round of meetings.  Now we're not going to hide that this is of some significance.  Nor can we shroud the fact that I misplaced my notes of the two meetings and can't locate them for the life of me.  For the record, the turnout in London was disappointing (due in particular to illness and work pressures).  At the last minute we had to cancel the venue, but then tilled new ground by critically chatting on the move with the occasional stop for petit-bourgeois refreshment.  Whilst the Wigan meeting saw 10 people, including new faces, follow a more conventional path.  In both cases the discussion, which pursued more or less the themes of Diversity and Cohesion (see the comments on the Blog page re Kalbir Shukra's article criticising the government's Community Cohesion strategy) continued to be stimulating.  However, questions were asked about where the Critically Chatting initiative is up to? - especially so in the knowledge that more than a few supporters are enduring quite a lot of hassle at work. Our provisional conclusions are as follows: 1.  The web site is going reasonably well.  Whilst being suitably cautious about statistics, the information from our host is that over 1500 'unique' visitors have looked at our offerings.  We should persevere. 2.  The local meetings have always been positive for those attending, but it is difficult for workers to free themselves up for these occasions.  Nevertheless we should persevere, knowing that sometimes only a handful of people will be able to get there.  Indeed we should encourage supporters to organise together at this level, even if it means only two or three gathering together 'in our name'! It's still worth it! 3.  With all this in mind, we discussed at length the case for holding an Annual Critically Chatting gathering as a focus for encouraging debate, participation and solidarity.  By and large, on the ideal level, we fancy the proposal, but practically it is a difficult one to sort out.  When?  Where?  The consensus is that a winter date opens up the best possibility of a low-cost venue.  In particular we want the gathering to be as cheap as possible, being conscious of how expensive conferences are today.  However, we recognise too that two important annual events take place at the beginning and end of the winter, namely those organised by Youth & Policy, and the Federation of Detached Youth Workers.  With all this in mind, we would welcome comment and suggestions regarding this suggestion of an Annual weekend occasion. As for now, there will be a Critically Chatting meeting on Thursday, 6th March at 8.00pm in Wigan, at the usual venue, the Bowling Green pub.  Tony Taylor will open the debate by replaying the contribution he will have made a few days earlier at Youth & Policy's 'Taking Youth Work Seriously' conference.  He will explore the flawed contribution of Social Psychology to Youth Work, but will focus in particular on the recent publicity given to Positive Youth Development and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (see the Blog page for more explanation). And last minute good news another gathering around the same theme will be organised for  Tuesday, 4th March in the Derby Tup, next door to the Peter Webster Centre, Sheffield Road,  in Chesterfield, Derbyshire  For more information re Chesterfield, contact Steve at SteveMon@aol.com , re Wigan, ring Megan on 01942 708694 or e-mail Tony at tonymtaylor@gmail.com (up to February 29th).

YOU CAN'T WAIT : THE NEXT CRITICALLY CHATTING GATHERINGS Advance notice that we will be organising the fifth series of CC meetings in London on Wednesday, October 31 and thence, on Tuesday, November 6 in the North-West.  At this moment we will be discussing the contradictions of the National Youth Work Week theme, 'All Different, All Equal', alongside the question 'Is a Radical Youth Work Practice Possible?' and/or exploring the issue of 'The Cult of the Celebrity, Individualism and Young People'.  Mind-boggling, if you ask me! And, we're still open to other contribution, such as ' Gordon Brown,  stuff your wage restraint up the sphincter of your favoured entrepreneurial Chief Executive!' As usual we're the epitome of sophisticated social and political analysis.  And, now we have to engage with the implications of Bottler Brown's  conference speech pledge to release millions for youth centres and to involve young people in decision-making, not to mention national youth community service!?  Certainly plenty to be getting  our critical teeth into!! Hope to be chatting with you soon. CRITICALLY CHATTING 5 :  'ALL DIFFERENT, ALL EQUAL, BUT BETTER BE BRITISH' The London gathering will be held on Wednesday, October 31 [from 11 am - 4 pm] at the Cartwright Hall, 16-19 Cartwright Gardens, WC1 9E, conveniently close both to Euston and Kings Cross. The North-West gathering will be held on Tuesday, November 6 [from 7.30-10.30 pm], in Wigan at the Bowling Green Hotel, Wigan Lane, conveniently close to the town centre, but with easy parking. Further details from Malcolm Ball [re London] at malcolm.ball@lewisham.gov.uk or on 07957198308 and Megan Astley [re Wigan] at meganbobastley@btinternet.com or 01942708694, together with Tony Taylor at tonymtaylor@gmail.com [up to October 30]. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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