Ditchley Festival of Ideas
Smart and curious young professionals met at Ditchley Park for the third Festival of Ideas in July 2019.
TtU Founder and Director Nik Gowing engineered the take-off opening session. This was a NEXT GEN brainstorming on the future from the Get-Go.
It reflected a mix of enormous hope and anxieties about what is working and not working.
At Nik’s suggestion, the aim was stimulating, energetic debate and engagement. It was informal and dressed down - a departure from Ditchley’s usual norms.
The session exceeded all expectations and created a buzz of energy all day.
Nik persuaded 35 of the 150 young people people to give their views in just 55 minutes of brainstorming. He brought speakers in at a high rate of interventions, capturing the findings on a white board to create the springboard for intense, radical discussions throughout the festival.
Ditchley provided a unique opportunity for participants to engage with like-minded peers on fundamental questions about the kinds of lives that they want to lead.
The festival’s other aim is to introduce Ditchley to the likely leaders and thought leaders of tomorrow. They are curious about the world in which they live and open to new ideas and challenges to current patterns of thinking.
All photos ©SilverApplesPhotography2019
