August 2008 News
Characteristics of the “IPOD” generation
Being the age that would be labelled the “IPOD” generation (18-34) often known as “Generation Y”, I was quite depressed to see that think tank Reform have defined this acronym as ‘Insecure, Pressurised, Over-taxed and Debt-ridden’; my first reaction was ‘No, we’re not!’ However, on closer examination of the report (PDF 811KB) it is interesting to see that a number of key trends that are affecting the whole of the UK population seem to be impacting and manifesting themselves to a higher...
The wider ripples of more expensive groceries
The Centre on International Cooperation have produced a paper on 'Rising Food Prices – Drivers and Implications for Development' as part of the Chatham House Food Supply Project. The paper focuses on the drivers of rising food prices and the implications for international development.
Within this it also raises some very interesting questions around the process of strategic analysis and planning for the future (including scenarios) whilst responding to immediate need. It focuses on the role...
Olympic success
At the moment I quite like being British. I don’t always feel that way, but as we win ever increasing number of medals at the Olympics, it seems to be having an impact on my feelings towards the country I live in. Don’t worry; this is not about to be a monologue on how wonderful it is to live on this small island. But it got me thinking, if it affects me in this way, who else might it be affecting, and what effect might this have on the country, and the VCS within it?
Recent trends have...
Ethical consumerism and the economy – a bending trend
“A trend is a trend is a trend, until it bends”
Ged Davis from Shell famously said. His comment encapsulates one of the difficulties of strategic analysis, which is the way in which individual drivers relate to each other. A trend can seem to be progressing in a fairly predictable fashion, until a shock or a counter-trend knocks it off course. This is usually what is behind those predictions that were so famously wrong.
I was reminded of this today as I updated our driver on ethical...
The Sub-National Review
Ippr have recently published a discussion paper on the Sub-National Review (SNR). Useful as both a summary and a prompt for further thought and action, the paper outlines the objectives of the SNR, and outlines positive and negative aspects of the decentralisation policy.
The SNR follows a global trend towards decentralisation, and a national move towards regionalisation. It was originally published in July 2007, but has been under consultation and review since, and is currently being...
An invitation to help local government prepare for tomorrow today
Local services to the public in the 21st century
The LGA and the Government Horizon Scanning Centre have started a wiki inviting contributions on how local services can meet the needs of the public in the 21st century. Keep an eye on this as it promises to be a rich resource, pulling together knowledge and ideas from those involved in both futures work and local and public services.
Their hopes for this website may well look familiar with those of you who use the NCVO Third Sector Foresight...
Strategic planning courses
CES National performance programme strategic planning courses
6/7 October Birmingham
6/7 November York
25/26 November Cambridge
For an organisation an important element of analysing and being fit for the future is strategic planning. It is the 'now what' step of responding to environmental change. The Charities Evaluation Service are running courses on strategic planning, for development workers in infrastructure organisations. Read the thoughts of one of our Foresight Officers, Caroline, who...
Collaborative Working Conference 2008
Achieving together
Date: 22 October 2008, 10:00 - 16:00
Venue: Hamilton House, London
This conference looks at the strengths of collaborative working as well as what this means in reality. How can your organisation work effectively with others? Speakers such as Dr Siv Vangen, Senior Lecturer in Management from the Open University could shed light on this issue for you. Of particular interest for Foresight network members may be the session on Web 2.0 technologies as tools to build...
NCVO/GMCVO Autumn Conference 2008
An independent and thriving voluntary and community sector
Date: 7 November 2008, 10:15 - 18:30
Venue: Midland Hotel, Manchester
This is the first national NCVO/GMCVO Autumn Conference and it will be a celebration of the strengths and roles of the Voluntary and Community Sector in society. It offers a wide range of interesting workshops where you will be able to contribute your views, hear from others and network as well as the chance to hear sector experts speak.
A taster of the workshops:
- On ...
NCVO and OnBoard Trustee Conference
Date: Monday 6 October 2008
Time: 09.30 to 17.00
Venue:The Brewery London
If you sit on or work with voluntary sector boards being aware of future trends which might impact on your organisation is essential. However, there are many other aspects of such a role. The NCVO and OnBoard Trustee Conference will be exploring a variety of approaches to improving board effectiveness. It will provide delegates with a broad overview of the key issues affecting boards, and look at fresh strategies and...
