To celebrate the launch of the 2018/19 Student Design Awards, Cat Drew, director at Uscreates, calls on service designers to question systemic issues of power and culture.

Uscreates is a service design agency specialising in health and wellbeing where Cat leads work for local and national government around citizen-led innovation and place-based change.

This event was recorded live at The RSA on Tuesday 25th September 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/09/design-into-the-ether

Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency will speak about the damaging consequences of climate change and the need for urgent action to protect and improve the environment.

Extreme weather, increasing temperatures and sea level rise are all now a scientifically proven reality. Climate change is simply the biggest issue there is, and we should be alarmed. But there is still time to do something about it if we act fast.

This event was recorded live at The RSA on Monday 24th September 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/09/climate-change-too-true-to-be-good

Journalist and author Ian Kearns warns of the dangers faced by a European Union on the brink of collapse – and issues a call to action to defend peace and progress in Europe.

The momentous Brexit vote has thrown the future of the EU into doubt, and the rise of terrorism, the refugee crisis, growing Euroscepticism, and threats from both East and West have cast a shadow over Europe. Warnings over these issues have often been labelled as scaremongering; however, what if the real threat to Europe comes not from those warning of the danger that lies ahead, but from those who insist the danger has passed?

This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 20th September 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/09/can-the-eu-survive-in-the-age-of-trump

Afua Hirsch and Matthew Taylor discuss Britain's current identity crisis at Wilderness Festival.

Britain is a nation experiencing an identity crisis – populist movements attempt to draw us back to a nostalgic vision of homogenous, white Britain, whilst demographic changes see our cities more diverse and multi-dimensional than ever. How do we tackle issues like racism, identity and belonging against this backdrop, and are so-called ‘colour-blind’ liberals part of the problem? Barrister, broadcaster and author of the bestselling book ‘Brit(ish)’, Afua Hirsch delivers a rousing call-to-action for 21st century Britain.

This event was recorded live at Wilderness Festival on Sunday 5th August 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/08/rsa-presents-on-belonging-and-britishness

Academic and writer Danny Dorling argues that Britain has finally reached peak inequality, and immediate action is needed to defuse Britain’s ticking time bomb.

The chasm between rich and poor has had dire implications for our health, housing, education, demography, and politics. Today more than 99% are losing out. So how do we become more equal this time? And without a full-blown civil war?

This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 19th July 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/07/has-the-uk-reached-peak-inequality

Political insider Tom Baldwin shares worrying insights from behind the curtain of power, and warns that we are in danger of pressing ‘delete’ on liberal democracy altogether.

Having interviewed everyone from Tony Blair to Michael Gove, top journalists to Russian bloggers, and tech giant execs to online activists, Tom describes a vicious battle for control of the news agenda, at the expense of public trust and the value of truth. He visits the RSA to show how technological change has hollowed out space for virulent new populist alternatives, including the so-called ‘alt-right’ and ‘alt-left’. And he warns that not only extremists, but also the progressive centre, may now decide to press ‘delete’ on liberal democracy altogether.

This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 12th July 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/07/how-politics-and-the-media-crashed-our-democracy

NB: At 28 mins 40 secs Tom Baldwin refers to a survey that revealed popular misunderstandings of UK population figures. The 5% statistic quoted refers to the percentage Muslim population of the UK. The survey can be found here:

The latest ONS UK population figures can be found here:

As the RSA launches its new Future Work Centre, an expert panel considers how we can harness new technologies to create a better world of work.

Will technologies like AI and robotics exacerbate economic inequality, deepen geographic divisions and entrench discrimination in the workplace? Or can they be wielded to create a better world of work – one that is more humane, productive and purposeful? And, to the extent that automation does occur, what measures can be taken to mitigate its risks and harness its opportunities?

This event was recorded live at The RSA on Tuesday 10th July 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/07/good-work-in-the-new-machine-age

Political failure is a failure of the imagination. Journalist and author George Monbiot joins us to tell the new political story we’ve been missing.

A toxic ideology rules the world – of extreme competition and individualism. It misrepresents human nature, destroying hope and common purpose. Only a positive vision can replace it, a new story that re-engages people in politics and lights a path to a better world.

This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 5th July 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/07/a-new-politics-for-an-age-of-crisis

In his annual RSA Chief Executive’s Lecture Matthew Taylor makes a case for radical reform of our political and policymaking systems in the face of a growing crisis of liberal democracy.

This event was recorded live at The RSA on Monday 2nd July 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/07/what-democracy-needs-now

Clive Grinyer, past RSA Student Design Awards winner and RSA Design Advisor delivers the keynote address at the 2018 SDA winners ceremony.

The RSA Student Design Awards challenge emerging designers to tackle pressing social, environmental and economic issues through design thinking. Our goal is to empower a generation of savvy, employable designers who understand the potential of design to benefit society, and we do this by running an annual Awards programme that challenges students and recent graduates to think differently about design, through tackling briefs focused on real-world problems.

This event was recorded live at The RSA on Wednesday 27th June. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/06/designing-our-futures-the-2018-rsa-student-design-awards