Tuesday 26th September was the official launch of Oasis founder Steve Chalke’s latest book, ‘A Manifesto for Hope’. Julie Siddiqi MBE hosted the event at Oasis Hub Waterloo.
Conversation ranged from the shortcomings of Western education, current developments in neuroscience research, the 21st century as the era of ‘mental health’, and therapeutic approaches to education. The launch also explored some of the key principles in the book including “An ounce of practice is worth a ton of theory” (Principle 1) and “Without a vision the people perish” (Principle 4). One of the key themes running throughout the book is that vision and experience are more important than strategy and theory when it comes to long-term community transformation work.
One of the longest discussions during the Q&A centred on the quote “if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu”. In many ways this summed up the message of the evening; the true and lasting transformation that our society needs will only come when local people have a seat at the political table. When local people are able to contribute to decision-making and policy formation rather than a handful of political elites.
It was an evening of great hope as we dreamed together about what could happen if we put into practice the principles that Steve outlines in the book. If you want to dream with us, buy your copy of A Manifesto for Hope here!
Thank you to Nigel Martin for the photos!