John McCarthy to speak at Teesside

Renowned journalists John McCarthy and Polly Toynbee will be guest speakers at a University of Teesside conference in July. Entitled ‘A Place to Call Home: rethinking connections between people, households, neighbourhoods, communities and cities’, the conference will be held from Monday 19 July-Tuesday 20 July.

It is hosted by the University’s Social Futures Institute. Polly Toynbee will speak on Monday 19 July. Her talk is sponsored by the Evening Gazette’s Tees Pride campaign, while John McCarthy’s talk is on Tuesday 20 July, sponsored by Northern Rock Foundation.

Dr Tony Chapman, Institute Director, said: “This conference will explore the connections between home and community, home and family, home and a sense of self identity. We will debate key issues such as homelessness and migration, the experience of home amongst children, young people and older people, and the importance of understanding the diverse nature of our culture and community.”

The Social Futures Institute brings together over 50 specialist researchers connected with the North East’s social and cultural well being and economic prosperity. Dr Tony Chapman added : “We’re committed to finding practical ways of getting people involved in neighbourhoods and communities so they can make a difference and develop a positive environment for change. The Institute provides the focal point for the University of Teesside’s commitment to the future of the Tees Valley and the North East’s social and economic regeneration.

“The conference will attract a wide range of delegates including policy makers, practitioners in all areas of community life and neighbourhood renewal, and academics from across the UK. The conference will help these diverse groups to connect ideas with practice, and help them to forge links with wider social policy agendas. It’s all about being involved with the community and making change for the better.”

The conference will include debates on key issues, papers revealing results from key research projects, and major lectures from Polly Toynbee and John McCarthy. The conference will premier a new film made by the children of asylum seekers in the Tees Valley which has been produced in collaboration with Tees Valley Arts. There will also be a photographic exhibition, showing entries from a Tees Valley secondary school competition sponsored by Regeneration Exchange. This competition asked children from schools across the Tees Valley to capture images to show why Tees Valley is home to them.

Conference fees are: £150 for the whole two-days, which includes one night’s accommodation (early booking), £180 for the whole two-days (late booking). Alternatively, fees for one day only are £80 per day (early booking) and £100 (late booking).

For more details please call 01642 342321, fax 01642 342399, e-mail socialfutures@tees.ac.uk

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