Rochdale residents meet Lords

Joanna Vidakovic (Oldham/Rochdale HMR) Shannon Reilly, Sam Cooper, Neil Brennan (youth leader Kirkholt community church), Jack Bromfield

Residents from Kirkholt and their landlord Contour Housing Group joined policy makers and third sector organisations at the House of Lords recently to demonstrate and encourage a new way of thinking and working – through ‘philosophical enquiry.’

The event, Thinking Together in the House of Lords, was organised by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation who invited Contour Housing Group to attend because of its award winning work using ‘philosophical enquiry’.

Samuel Cooper from Contour Housing Group said: “It was a great honour to be invited to this event which was very well received by House of Lord representatives. Last year we worked with Oldham Rochdale HMR Pathfinder to set up philosophical enquiry sessions with residents in Kirkholt which is why we were asked to take part in this event.”
The House of Lords event was to show how community members can engage directly with policy makers and encourage them to look at a different way of thinking and working.

“At the event, we explained how we have used philosophical enquiry to great effect in Kirkholt,” said Sam. “It brings a 'community' of people together by taking part in discussion groups. During the discussions, open-ended questions are used to think about and reflect on key issues. By bringing together these discussion groups participants can discover new ways to listen to each other, demonstrate their reasoning, build relationships and break down barriers.”

For more information about how philosophical enquiry can help your community visit www.veryphilosophical.com or telephone 0161 875 8132.