Engage has been affected like everyone by the impact of Covid-19 and we have been having conversations with various people around the city and the country about what comes next and where our cities will be as we emerge from the lockdown. We have linked with concerned citizens and residents in Leeds to put together a digital series to listen to voices from both cities about what would inspire them post-Covid.
Our two cities have long been joined together by the famous Leeds-Liverpool Canal (in fact, Leeds Street, in Liverpool, is where our end of the canal terminated). These two events help to bring us together as we allow ourselves to dream and imagine new futures for our cities.
The title for the series came from people in Leeds who have previously worked with the question of ‘what would it take for a city to delight you?’ We immediately loved the idea and the way it allows you to imagine a very different place from the one many people are always complaining about! What if we could learn from what we’ve experienced during lockdown and use that knowledge to create a better city than the one we inhabited going into lockdown.
This is not an event run by experts for experts but is the start of a conversation from the ground up hearing from voices, in the case of Liverpool, only of women. One of the delights of this terrible time has been noticing how many of the countries that seem to have navigated this unforeseen time in humanity’s history best were those run by women. Next Saturday you will hear from Erika Rushton, Jo Harrop, Clare Devaney and Michelle Charters each of whom has an experience to share that will enlighten and inspire us.
And the Saturday after (Saturday 27th June) we’ll be dailing in to a call organised by our friends in Leeds, Playful Anywhere, with their own selection of Leeds speakers:
Above all we want to involve YOU in this project. What a delight it would be if after listening to the various experiences of engaged citizens in both cities you too wanted to make a difference where you lived and felt somehow empowered to become active so that what you would love to see happen in your street, neighbourhood and city happened because you decided to get involved with others and participate in making the changes that deliver a more delightful city for everyone.
The event details are as follows:
- LIVERPOOL7–8pm Saturday 20th June
- LEEDS7–8pm Saturday 27th June
Register for free on Eventbrite
Once you register, you’ll be sent a link to access each event in the series, via Zoom Webinars. We’ve had lots of positive feedback about Zoom in our Neighbourhood Dinner Table series, and Zoom Webinars are even easier – no audio or video setup, just click and link, and you’re in.
We can’t wait to see you there.
In the meantime, follow the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, with the hashtag #thedelightfulcity.
