As part of supporting the annual Stephen Lawrence Day (22nd April) The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and the Staff College will be jointly hosting a free to attend session.
Hearing five personal reflections on the importance of Stephen’s continuing legacy in supporting a fairer and a more inclusive society:
Our five panellists are:
- Dr Keith Jarrett, Poet and University Lecturer, developed Ministry of Stories’ speech writing programme, Speak Up.
- Ian Burbidge Head of Innovation and Change at the RSA.
- Chris Murray CEO Young Brent Foundation.
- Rosemary Campbell-Stephens MBE Co-BALI creator, author, speaker and trainer
- Meera Spillett, former Director of Children’s Services, Co-BALI creator, author, speaker.
DR KEITH JARRETT, POET, FICTION WRITER, PLAYWRIGHT AND EDUCATOR
Dr Keith Jarrett is a poet, fiction writer, playwright, and educator. He is the author of the poetry collection Selah (Burning Eye Books, 2017), the play Safest Spot in Town (2017), as well as the poetry pamphlet I Speak Home (Eyewear, 2015).
He has been commissioned by the Royal Festival Hall, the British Museum, and Heritage England. Keith holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of London, exploring Caribbean Pentecostal culture in London. He developed Ministry of Stories’ speech writing programme, Speak Up. He runs poetry workshops and has performed at and coordinated poetry festivals in English and Spanish in the UK and abroad. Jarrett is a former UK Poetry Slam Champion and won Rio de Janeiro’s Literary Festival of the Urban Periphery (FLUPP) in 2014. His poetry show, Identity Mix-Up (2013), premiered and received 5 stars at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. His play, Safest Spot in Town, was aired on BBC Four, and performed at the Old Vic in 2017. He is a regular contributor to BBC Radio. He lives and works in London
IAN BURBIDGE, HEAD OF INNOVATION AND CHANGE AT THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS
Ian Burbidge leads the design, development, and application of the RSA’s approach to change, blending theory and practice from a range of disciplines to offer ways to address the challenges of our time. His research explores social change, the adoption and spread of ideas and practice and systems change across a range of settings. Ian leads projects that help clients and funders understand and address critical challenges within their organisation, community or field.
Ian is an experienced strategy and systems change practitioner with over fifteen years’ experience working across local public services. In Local Government his work was at the intersection of policy, partnership and participation including responsibility for corporate strategy, performance management and investment in the third sector. Ian has led multi-agency work across a range of areas including health and social care, education, housing, criminal justice and community development.
Ian holds a degree in Geography and a Masters in Behavioural Science from the London School of Economics.
CHRIS MURRAY, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT YOUNG BRENT FOUNDATION.
Chris Murray is CEO of the Young Brent Foundation. The Foundation aims to create an evidence based, needs led community partnership model that unites a diverse voluntary youth sector, and creates a strong united voice, equipping members with the training, resources and financial support they need to increase overall capacity and develop a more sustainable future to benefit young people.
After 30 years of successful evolution in the field of children and young people, from senior leadership within a local authority environment through to the voluntary and charitable sector, Chris brings a wealth of experiences.
ROSEMARY CAMPBELL-STEPHENS MBE, ASSOCIATE, THE STAFF COLLEGE
Rosemary Campbell-Stephens MBE is a veteran educator who received her professional training in England, but her breadth of experience is international. Rosemary is a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Education, University College London.
Her ground-breaking leadership work as part of the London Challenge 2003-2011 was in developing a leadership preparation programme focussed on increasing the numbers of Black and Asian educators in London Schools. Investing in Diversity became the catalyst for subsequent leadership programmes in the schools’ sector across the UK, that sought to move beyond the mere representation of Black educators in senior leadership positions within a systemically racist system.
In 2009, Investing in Diversity drew international attention, when a sister programme Leading for Equity was launched at the OISE, University of Toronto, Canada.
The Black and Asian Leadership Initiative (BALI), provided an opportunity since 2010 for Rosemary to work with Meera Spillett and Patrick Scott in designing a programme for Black, African and Asian aspirant leaders of Children’s Services across the UK. Rosemary frames her work through a critical race lens and describes herself as an anti-racist, paradigm shifter. While actively retired in the Caribbean she spends some days writing and others designing leadership programmes that blend western models with global paradigms. Rosemary provides bespoke training and coaching internationally and is a sought after keynote speaker in her areas of expertise and passion, namely developing anti-racist decolonising practice, in pursuit of equity and social justice in educational leadership.
Her book entitled Educational Leadership and the Global Majority: Decolonising Narratives will be published in November 2021. In 2016 Rosemary was awarded an MBE for thirty-five years’ service to education in the United Kingdom. She was honoured to accept the award for recognition by her peers of activism. As a junior elder, she embraces the label disruptor.