RSA Events

We see colour everywhere we look. From the bright green of a soda can, the deep red of Valentine’s roses, to the green and black of power tools. But have you ever stopped to think why we associate certain colours with certain feelings, objects and flavours? We know that girls’ toys are often pink and boys’ are often blue, but why these colours? What is the social impact of these colour choices and who is making these choices for us?  At the RSA, internationally renowned graphic designer Riccardo Falcinelli dives deep into the story of colour and how it has shaped the modern gaze, from the industrial revolution to the internet age.#RSAcolourBecome an RSA Events sponsor: https://utm.guru/udI9xDonate to The RSA: https://utm.guru/udNNBFollow RSA Events on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rsa_events/Follow the RSA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSAEventsLike RSA Events on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsaeventsofficialJoin our Fellowship: https://www.thersa.org/fellowship/join 

On 26 March 2020, a new law appeared that confined us to our homes. Passed under a state of emergency that was meant to be short but lasted 763 days, this law was one of over 100 lockdown laws that were never debated in parliament. Though certainly justified by the rapid spread of Covid-19, these laws increasingly confused the public and restricted our freedoms more than ever before.New laws like the Public Order Bill are bringing in limitations to free speech and our right to protest. Just like laws made during the state of emergency, this Bill has been criticised as a threat to our freedoms, human rights and democracy.Here at the RSA, one of the UK’s leading human rights barristers, Adam Wagner, will reflect on these laws and their impact on our human rights. Adam will explore how these laws are passed in parliament, understood by the public, enforced by the police, and why we should never take our rights for granted.#RSAfreedomsBecome an RSA Events sponsor: https://utm.guru/udI9xDonate to The RSA: https://utm.guru/udNNBFollow RSA Events on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rsa_events/Follow the RSA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSAEventsLike RSA Events on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsaeventsofficialJoin our Fellowship: https://www.thersa.org/fellowship/join

From Roe v Wade and Black Lives Matter to gun control and immigration, US politics in 2022 looks as partisan as ever, with debates framed in moralistic terms and parties focusing on mobilising the faithful rather than wooing the sceptical. People increasingly write one another off instead of seeking to win one another over. In this age of continued polarisation, democracy looks close to breaking point.But while it’s easy to fall into despair, there are grounds for hope, if we look close enough. Across America, there are those working round the clock to heal wounds, bridge divisions, change minds and create new political possibilities. Best-selling author Anand Giridharadas takes us to the frontline of this new battle, introducing us to the activists, politicians, educators and citizens striving to build more inclusive movements, and answer the urgent question: how can democracy be saved, and who is going to save it?#RSApersuadersBecome an RSA Events sponsor: https://utm.guru/udI9xDonate to The RSA: https://utm.guru/udNNBFollow RSA Events on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rsa_events/Follow the RSA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSAEventsLike RSA Events on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsaeventsofficialJoin our Fellowship: https://www.thersa.org/fellowship/join

Raj Chetty, professor of public economics at Harvard University will share the findings from research analysis of Meta data on the relationship between the social connections of individuals and economic mobility in the US. Research led by Harvard’s Opportunity Insights used large-scale privacy-protected social network datasets to study social capital in neighbourhoods, schools and colleges.Professor Chetty is joined by Lucy Makinson, head of policy at the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) to explore the findings in more detail.What are the key implications in this US data for other countries and regions? How can these findings be further developed, and policy recommendations suggested to help improve social connectivity and economic mobility? What interventions could be made to enable these actions – and do they extend to the services themselves?The UK leg of this work is being taken forward by a coalition of partners including the RSA, BIT and Neighbourly Lab.#RSAconnectBecome an RSA Events sponsor: https://utm.guru/udI9xDonate to The RSA: https://utm.guru/udNNBFollow RSA Events on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rsa_events/Follow the RSA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSAEventsLike RSA Events on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsaeventsofficialJoin our Fellowship: https://www.thersa.org/fellowship/join

Our capacity to survive, adapt and flourish relies on designing a future that is concurrently sustainable and resilient. Whereas sustainability is accepted as a key tenet of good design, resilient design is still in its infancy seeking greater understanding and definition.Dame Jo da Silva RDI has earned global recognition as an engineer who has applied her knowledge and design expertise to improve safety, promote inclusivity, and enhance resilience of communities, cities, and infrastructure globally. Her talk will focus on her personal journey and growing understanding of what resilience means in practice based on her experiences working with vulnerable communities, ‘building back better’ following crises and exploring what makes cities resilient.Prior to the Address, 5 new Royal Designers for Industry (RDI) and 4 new Honorary Royal Designers for Industry will be welcomed to the Faculty.The title ‘Royal Designer for Industry’ is awarded annually by the RSA to designers of all disciplines who have achieved sustained design excellence, work of aesthetic value and significant benefit to society.The RDI is the highest accolade for designers in the UK. Only 200 designers can hold the title. Non-UK designers may become honorary Royal Designers.The ‘Royal Designers’ are responsible for designing the world around us, enriching our cultural heritage, driving innovation, inspiring creativity in others and improving our quality of life.  #RSARDIBecome an RSA Events sponsor: https://utm.guru/udI9xDonate to The RSA: https://utm.guru/udNNBFollow RSA Events on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rsa_events/Follow the RSA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSAEventsLike RSA Events on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsaeventsofficialJoin our Fellowship: https://www.thersa.org/fellowship/join 

The Grenfell Tower disaster was the worst residential fire in Britain since World War II and it didn’t have to happen. The fire climbed up cladding as flammable as solid petrol. Fire doors failed to self-close. There was no alarm to warn sleeping residents and no evacuation plan. As smoke seeped into their homes, all were told to ‘stay put’ and 72 people would lose their lives.Five years on, many of the resulting public inquiry’s recommendations remain unmet. Many high-rise buildings have yet to have the same dangerous cladding removed. Peter Apps is deputy editor of Inside Housing and the only journalist to have followed the story of Grenfell from the start. At the RSA, he looks at how such a disaster could take place in the wealthiest borough in the wealthiest city in one of the wealthiest countries in the world and asks: what needs to be done to prevent a tragedy like Grenfell from ever happening again?#RSAhousingBecome an RSA Events sponsor: https://utm.guru/udI9xDonate to The RSA: https://utm.guru/udNNBFollow RSA Events on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rsa_events/Follow the RSA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSAEventsLike RSA Events on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsaeventsofficialJoin our Fellowship: https://www.thersa.org/fellowship/join

Black African communities have had a seismic impact across British culture, sports, politics, and more. Immigration from countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Zimbabwe has created many vibrant communities across Britain, especially in London. Across food, faith, and culture, the nation's capital has become a melting pot of ideas of what it is to be Black, African, and British. What can the eclectic nature of African London teach us about ties that bind immigrant communities together and to their home countries? How are these communities shaped by ongoing racial discrimination between White and Black communities and between Black Africans and Afro-Caribbeans?  At the RSA, writer, editor and restaurant critic, Jimi Famurewa shares stories of time spent immersed in the culture, tradition, food, and politics of Black African London and explores what this can teach us about the nature of modern London, modern Britain, and modern diaspora life.#RSAjourneysBecome an RSA Events sponsor: https://utm.guru/udI9xDonate to The RSA: https://utm.guru/udNNBFollow RSA Events on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rsa_events/Follow the RSA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSAEventsLike RSA Events on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsaeventsofficialJoin our Fellowship: https://www.thersa.org/fellowship/join 

Small change can have a big impact on our lives. Through knock-on effects and cumulative action, little shifts have the potential for great harm and great good. And when it is easy to feel overwhelmed at the scale of change needed to solve big, structural problems, we need to recognise the value of practical change we can enact on a daily basis.In recent times, the twin plagues of Covid-19 and anti-Black police violence have caused Ruha Benjamin to rethink the importance of these every day, individual actions across our lives and societies - from the impact of the chronic stress of racism and inequities in our health care system to the power of community organisers who are fostering mutual aid and collective healing.Here at the RSA, Ruha Benjamin will demonstrate the impact of these micro-changes, drawing on her personal experience and professional research on race, technology, and justice. Alongside the chair of the discussion, Mandu Reid, leader of the Women’s Equality Party, Ruha will offer an inspiring and practical vision of how seemingly minor decisions and habits can spread virally and have exponentially positive effects.#RSAviraljusticeBecome an RSA Events sponsor: https://utm.guru/udI9xDonate to The RSA: https://utm.guru/udNNBFollow RSA Events on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rsa_events/Follow the RSA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSAEventsLike RSA Events on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsaeventsofficialJoin our Fellowship: https://www.thersa.org/fellowship/join 

When the economist Ha-Joon Chang arrived in Britain in the eighties, he was struck by how bland and homogeneous the British diet was. But it wasn’t just the food – in mainstream economic thinking too, there seemed to only be one item on the menu – the Neoclassical tradition.  Whilst our diet has expanded and diversified since then, our economic preference has remained stubbornly singular. Chang argues that just as a nourishing and appetising diet needs a variety of flavours and nutrients, our economics also needs to borrow from different traditions and ways of thinking in order to produce the best results for the greatest number of people.   Discover more about how economics affects every dimension of our lives - check out Ha-Joon Chang's RSA Animate here.#RSAeconomicsBecome an RSA Events sponsor: https://utm.guru/udI9xDonate to The RSA: https://utm.guru/udNNBFollow RSA Events on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rsa_events/Follow the RSA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSAEventsLike RSA Events on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsaeventsofficialJoin our Fellowship: https://www.thersa.org/fellowship/join 

Is there scope for the introduction of a universal basic income as a transformative public health intervention?As part of an academic partnership, funded by Wellcome, the RSA is exploring the potential for a UBI, how it could work in practice and what its impacts might be. The research brings together new analysis which shows that even a fiscally neutral UBI could have a significant effect in reducing poverty and insecurity and bring health benefits to those benefiting from the scheme. Speakers to include report authors Matthew Johnson, Northumbria University and Hannah Webster, RSA; and guest speakers Ruth Lister CBEand Professor Guy Standing.The event marks the launch of a new RSA report exploring the health and wellbeing impacts of a universal basic income.Read our interim report on a UBI and mental health#RSAUBIBecome an RSA Events sponsor: https://utm.guru/udI9xDonate to The RSA: https://utm.guru/udNNBFollow RSA Events on Instagram: https://instagram.com/rsa_events/Follow the RSA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSAEventsLike RSA Events on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rsaeventsofficialJoin our Fellowship: https://www.thersa.org/fellowship/join