NET update: April 2022

Here’s our update for April…

We’re still feeling the buzz from our first Leading, together event on 23 March after being a room with 15 other people — the collaboration curious, cautious and champions — for the first time in a long while. After a few giddy moments being reminded of what makes up an in-person event — biscuits, badges (though these were nearly forgotten! *gasp*), massive templates, sharpies, people (most of all) — we did some great work. You can read more about what we got up to in our write up Leading Together: Growing and developing collaborative leadership practice (March 2022). If this sparks your interest, you have another opportunity to take part in June (bookings are now open). This event will now be in person rather than online.

From the event, we’ve welcomed new people to North East Together, who you’ll meet if you come along to the NET Connect event on 12 May. And met a couple of new people from Newcastle University interested in our work and passionate about collaboration and social change.

Following the event, we’ll be working on version 2 of the collaboration toolkit incorporating the collective wisdom shared by event participants in March. (You can read about how we got to version 1 in Work in progress: NET collaboration toolkit to grow our collaborative leadership practice). The toolkit includes our emerging North East Together collaboration framework, building on Dr Jo James’ thinking and working after the Collaboration Action Fund projects.

Our planning for June and July’s NET x Human Learning Systems pop up event series continues and we’re in the middle of inviting speakers to tell their stories of radical change. We’ll announce more speakers as soon as can.

Want to host your own pop up event?

If you’re feeling inspired by the NET x Human Learning Systems pop ups, don’t forget the NET team can collaborate with you to host your own. Talk with Robert, Marie or Stephanie if you’d like to do this.

Our upcoming events

NET Connect: bringing together North East Together members and network friends to connect, grow and nurture our relationships

• NET Connect: Knowing me, knowing you and aha moments!, 12 May, 16:00–17:15, online
• NET Connect: [we’re still waiting on a ABBA-themed title from Marie], 14 September, 16:00–17:15, online

These are regular short online gatherings for NET members and networks friends to meet, talk and share for mutual support and to build community. We’ll use guided networking to help us have a great conversation together…welcoming new members and reconnecting with existing members. If you came to the NET event in November, NET Connect will more like that — no speakers, talking with each other, making connections, all the other good stuff we get from networks.

Leading, together: Growing and developing collaborative leadership practice, 22 June, 09:30–16:30, Newcastle University

A one-day event for North East Together members and others to grow and develop collaborative leadership practice in the north east. Together we’ll build on and explore what we (NET members) have created in whole network events, learn from others, and create new tools and understanding. We’ll be looking to move from theory to practice together, and each leave with an understanding of our collaborative leadership strengths and a plan for what we need to develop and how we might do this. This build on the event in March and is a second chance to take part in the event.

Each place costs £125, with a small number of supported places at £65 supported by Yes We Can for small VCSE organisations and those working independently for social change with no training budget (with more supported places to be announced as soon as we can).

Go straight to the booking form or read more first.

NET pop up: NET x Human Learning Systems, June and July

Our three event series about Human Learning Systems with Dr Toby Lowe (Centre for Public Impact), Becky Elton (Changing Lives) and other brilliant speakers are now open for bookings.

• Event 1: An introduction to Human Learning Systems and short stories from those who are working this way, 7 June, 15:00–17:00, online
• Event 2: Deeper exploration and rummaging — hearing detailed case studies organisations to learn what they did and how, ask questions, get in to the detail, 21 June, 15:00–17:00, online
• Event 3: Having a go — moving from theory to practice with a new learning cycles toolkit, 5 July, 13:00 for 13:30–17:30, in person (venue TBC)

Human Learning Systems (HLS) is a radically new way of doing public management: the task of resourcing and organising public service. These events will be for those of us feeling frustrated with how things with public service (in its broadest sense) work, and looking to do things differently. It will give you time and inspiration to rethink how we work.

The Human Learning Systems learning cycles toolkit will give you more on learning cycles and how to use them in your team and organisation. The first version of the toolkit will be ready soon so we’ll share more about it in the run up to the event. In the meantime, there’s more on learning cycles in the free e-book Human Learning Systems: Public service for the real world.

Scholarships for Masters programmes, Newcastle University

Newcastle University has executive education scholarships for three Masters programmes starting in September 2022. The deadline for all applications is 3 July, and all looking to support under-represented groups and increase diversity.

• Diversity in coaching scholarship for Coaching and mentoring MSc — 4 x half fee award of £6,300
• Sustainable impact scholarship (Executive MBA) — 4 x progression scholarships of £7,200 and 2 x full scholarships of £25,200
• Diversity in leadership scholarships (Strategic leadership MSc) — 3 x two thirds fee award of £12,000

And what else?

…are we reading and noticing

We’ve been reading some interesting things about collaboration, relationships and different ways of work: communities as an investment for emergent collaborations in the future, more about self-management from Lisa Gill, and we stumbled across what Do Lectures think are good rules for teams. What do you think?

…is going on?

Of course, there’s more going on than North East Together events, and think these are worth making time for…

• North East VCSE Policy Forum hosted by VONNE on 28 April. The forum is gather VCSE views and voices to give a unified VCSE sector response to policy makers at a local, regional and national level either by scrutinising and responding to emerging policies and legislation or by pro-actively engaging in the development of regional policies or strategies. April’s forum is about the region’s public transport.
• Virgin Money Foundation masterclasses with GLT Partners have two more x 90 minute events organised for 2022: Future funding (8 June) and Social impact: Human Learning Systems (13 June)
• Leader and manager as coach, a one-day training programme all about coaching, 26 May, hosted by Yes We Can. You’ll also join the Leaders and managers as coaches together network and community of practice

That’s all for now…we’re looking forward to seeing you soon at NET Connect, NET x HLS pop up event series or June’s Leading Together.

Stephanie

For the NET team Cisse Tsang, Dr Jo James, Marie Foalle, Robert Laycock, Stephanie Cole