School of Health & Wellbeing

In her latest update, SHW community engagement coordinator Susan Grant reflects on how to create a meaningful gathering after our Art of Gathering workshop and invites the Byres Hub Community Day 2024: Transforming Glasgow's Health

The Art of Gathering Workshop with The Pears Foundation

Friday 26th April 10am – 12noon, Clarice Pears

Powerful gatherings don’t happen by magic; they require thoughtful preparation: what is the purpose of the gathering, who should be invited, and what kind of structures (in time and space) will create the kind of atmosphere you want?"

On Friday 26th April, The Engagement Coordinators network and Byres Hub were delighted to welcome Shoshana Boyd Gelfand from The Pears Foundation to deliver ‘The Art of Gathering’ workshop to university staff involved in planning, organizing and delivering of engagement events (or gatherings) with public audiences. Shoshana took the group through some insights of Priya Parker and her framework for creating meaningful gatherings including: identifying the purpose of the gathering, preparing the participants for the experience, crafting a powerful opening moment and closing the gathering well. 

Susan closed this particular gathering with an active evaluation method that we use within Byres Hub both to capture feedback but also to offer another tool that participants might take away from the session. 

This was the first development opportunity as part of the UofG Public Engagement Coordinators refreshed group since our Away Day in February.  To build on this, Zara Gladman invited attendees to join the network so that we can have more discussions and skill-sharing about gatherings and everything else related to engagement and involvement.

 

BRAIN: Something I have learnt from being part of this event

HEART: Something important I have felt or experienced from being part of this event

BIN: Anything that I thought wasn’t so good about the event

BAG: Something useful I will take away with me from this event

If you are passing Byres Hub, please do add your thoughts on makes a meaningful gathering on our Doodle Wall.

Shoshana then had a tour of Clarice Pears and met some of our staff from our various research groups and some of the community groups in Byres Hub that day before catching her train back to London.

Thank you to The Pears Foundation and UofG Development and Alumni for this wonderful connection.

Shoshana said of her visit:

It was such a joy to see the building and the hub humming away with two-legged, four-legged and Purrble visitors”

If you haven’t met one of our Mental Health and Wellbeing Team’s Purrble’s yet, do come along to our community day…

Byres Hub Community Day 2024: Transforming Glasgow’s Health

Bookings Opened on 30th April when this year's Glasgow Science Festival's 'Glasgow is Transforming' programme was launched.

Journey through our escape room style fun challenges using your talents or some new skills you will learn along the way to ‘Transform Glasgow’s Health’ in less than one hour! Staff and students from the School of Health and Wellbeing and volunteers from some of our Hub groups such as Sight Scotland, BSL Cafe's, Weekday WOW Factor, Differabled and Scribble Creative Writing Group and community partners, Scottish Ambulance Service, Halo Arts and The Ideas Club will be on hand to share their knowledge and maybe even some clues! Then design headlines you want to see about Glasgow's Health in ten years from now.

Before or after taking part in the Transform Glasgow's Health challenge, please visit the Hub to view our exhibitions, the Scottish Learning Disability Observatory's 'This is Me', 'Drumming up Change' and 'Research for Everyone' exhibitions, The Healthy Working Lives Group's display tower exhibition, Human Georgraphy's 'Art in the Box' exhibition where you can have go at producing some art yourself, Maryhill Intergration Network's 'Monument for the Present' exhibition, our School's 'Glasgow's Health' exhibition, music, and free refreshments.

Come along yourself or with friends or family. The first hour of opening (11am - 12noon) will be a more sensory friendly, quiet hour and a wellbeing room will be available throughout the afternoon. Other public facilities in our Clarice Pears Building include a Changing Places toilet, accessible toilet, faith room and baby changing facilities. Everyone is welcome in Byres Community Hub.

We are proud to be bringing you this event as part of three of our City's largest festivals: Glasgow Science Festival, WestFest Cultural and Community Festival and Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Art. Thank you to The Ideas Club and The School of Health and Wellbeing for supporting our community day.

 

Date: Saturday 8th June

Time: 11:00 - 15:00

Venue: Byres Community Hub, Clarice Pears Building, School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, G12 8TB

 

View the promotional video for our Community Day! And book spaces on our Escape Rooms challenge.

Explorathon 2024 Call

The call for ideas for Explorathon, Europe’s biggest festival of research, is now open to researchers and research students across the University.

Explorathon is a Scotland-wide festival that celebrates the research happening in our universities through a lively programme of free public events. It is supported by the UKRI Guarantee Fund.

The University of Glasgow has been a key part of Explorathon since 2014. In 2024, we are joining forces with the University of Strathclyde, University of Aberdeen, University of Dundee and University of the Highlands and Islands to bring free events to thousands of people across Scotland this September.

We're looking for activities to be a part of Explorathon 2024. These should be suitable for a casual, drop-in event that will be attended by a non-academic, public audience comprising families, children and adults.

Explorathon is open to all disciplines (arts, humanities, science, social sciences, engineering) and career stages from PGRs to Professors.

This year,  Explorathon in Glasgow will take place in two locations:

• On campus at the Advanced Research Centre (ARC) on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 September from 12-3pm, coinciding with the Doors Open Day festival
• Off campus in a community space in Castlemilk on Friday 27 September from 2.30-5.30pm (provisional time), coinciding with the September weekend school holiday. Travel support to Castlemilk will be provided.

This is a great way to expand the accessibility of your research, develop engagement skills and have fun along the way. Support will be provided to guide your participation; you’ll also have the opportunity to meet researchers from across Europe through our online training programme.

New to Explorathon? Want to find out more? Join our 30-minute online information session (click date to register):

• Wednesday 8 May, 11:00-11:30

 

Still have a question? Contact SHW Community Engagement Coordinator, Susan Grant susan.g.grant@glasgow.ac.uk or Explorathon lead Zara Gladman: zara.gladman@glasgow.ac.uk

Submit your idea using the proposals form. The deadline for proposals is Friday 31 May 2024.

Chronicles of St Mungo’s Square

Please enjoy the third instalment of The Chronicles of St Mungo’s Square by Aileen Paterson of The Scribble Creative Writers.

Contact

E: byreshub@glasgow.ac.uk 
X: UofGByresHub
W: www.gla.ac.uk/byrescommunityhub 

Susan Grant 
SHW Community Engagement Coordinator
Susan.G.Grant@glasgow.ac.uk 

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First published: 2 May 2024