Generosity and Curiosity in Bristol

“Can’t help pinching myself and wondering how I got so lucky to be here edge walking at the #socialagesafari”

That was one of the tweets I posted last night during the opening of the Social Age Safari.

Yesterday’s train journey to the Social Age Safari event here in Bristol was an extended time on the laptop, headphones in listening to the ambient sounds of Darkroom whilst catching up with emails and doing some thinking about a new project.

The Safari started at 18.30 with a Passport Ceremony. The team at SeaSalt Learning have put so much  effort into the creation and design of this three day immersive event. We each had our own passports with an instant polaroid photo to personalise it. After an initial talk from Julian Stodd, we then spent an hour meeting people and working our way around five zones to get stamps in our passports.

This is a unique event, a space in which to engage with people who have generous spirits and a strong sense of curiosity. Nobody was hiding by the coffee, everyone was out to find out about the people around them. In the space of an hour I had the most fascinating conversations with people I had not met before.

The evening then comprised a talk from Julian to set the scene about the Social Age, and a performance from Catherine Burke, a folk singer, and Joseph Selby, a performance poet. Both were inspiring. They opened up the heart and brought courage into the space.

And that was just the first evening…

I am about to have breakfast and embark on Day Two of this voyage with excitement and wonder.

Also published on Medium.