The thing about being a Geordie is that we all believe in our hearts that the North East of England is the best place in the world. The BBC would point out that other regions are available for such acclaim, but in truth I’m sceptical.
We are particularly proud of the public service ethic of Newcastle University’s Insights North East, and its commitment to share new thinking for the region not just among academics, but with all of us, the public.
Insights North East’s fourth annual conference on 10 May at Northern Stage in Newcastle was a day of shared insights and experience from people who are contributing to a more prosperous future for the North East. Participants ranged from representatives of ‘Horden Together,’ Newcastle and Northumberland Councils, a member of the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, and many, many more who are supporting economic growth in our region, and enriching our unique culture.
The Insights North East team reflected this by commissioning poet Lizzie Lovejoy to write a poem which would encapsulate the day’s achievements. At the start each conference participant was encouraged to write on a card those words which might open or close doors; words which she wove into a poem together with reflections of the many shared conversations she had with those present. To hear her read it on stage at conference end was to be suffused with the optimism and hope which had permeated the day’s proceedings.
Never Alone When Building Our Home
by Lizzie Lovejoy
We are here at Northern Stage
to take a page
from each other’s books,
to take a look
at what could be
and then make it into reality.
Turning thinking into doing
is a goal worth pursuing.
Insights
invites
communication
which ignites
action beyond conversation,
because only when we act
can we create impact.
Direct
is the best way to connect.
Work with not for,
hold open the door
for all to move through;
for him, for her, for you.
We are here
with an appetite
for right.
Ready to make ‘maybe’ and ‘might’
into done
by listening to everyone.
Collaborate.
Co-create.
Flip the script
with partnership
Give the people agency
let them take the stage and see
a new chapter.
Use before and create an after.
We are tasked
to ask,
and there is an art to it,
a heart to it.
Empathy and understanding,
not just leaders commanding
but a power we are handing
to one another,
discover the strength in the many; not us versus other.
Awareness
of fairness.
People centered for collective
Perspective.
You can look at the stars
to find where we are
but there is more than one way to navigate
when we innovate,
appreciate
the voice of everyone,
reading the region,
looking for reasons
we can hold onto,
a tangible kind of value.
Authenticity sparks activity,
an electricity.
Brush the dust
off of trust.
The care
is there.
Make our systems community owned.
We are not alone, never alone
when building our home.
Let go of ego
and let the grass grow
tall and long,
reaching up strong.
Diversity and nutrients,
the key ingredients.
Don’t hold people back
by deciding for them what they lack.
Listen
to Citizens
and feedback,
keep track
for those of us who slip through the cracks
in overwhelm,
taking the helm
of a ship in stormy weather;
we can make it through together.
Our nation
deserves representation
that reflects us,
that respects us.
Who’s got a seat at the table?
Who decides the venue?
Who lays out the plates?
Who is on the menu?
Nana knows – and is ready to natter
because every single person matters.
Makes spaces safe
with faces
familiar to the lives and places
where new policies will be applied.
Yes, it is hard. So try. Try.
We are here and hopeful, optimistic
but still realistic.
Break out of the comparative
and live
for a tomorrow we get to make,
a future ready to take.
Keys in the ignition
of local ambition,
seeking improvement
with a movement.
We are here on stage, on screens, in chairs
to rebuild and repair.
To take new steps ahead,
to actually use what has been said
and do.
We can get trapped in bureaucracy,
but we shape democracy.
What’s coming isn’t set, there is fog, it’s unclear.
It’s up to us which way to steer.
So it is time to decide: where do we go from here?
For further inspiration please see Insights North East’s prospectus here. Thank you, Insights North East and Newcastle University; for your insights, and for including us, the communities of the North East.
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