We’re delighted to announce that Northern Soul is the Media Partner for the #ThisIsTheNorth Convention 2020 hosted by The People’s Powerhouse. Due to social distancing measures put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event will take place entirely online. 

Now, more than ever, we need to come together to discuss the rapidly changing issues faced by the North of England and the people who live here. 

About The People’s Powerhouse 

The People’s Powerhouse, founded in 2017, is a movement which exists to shape the debate around the Northern Powerhouse and to ensure that people and communities are at the heart of the Powerhouse plans. 

The movement formed in response to the lack of women participating in a Manchester conference, drawing attention to the lack of diverse opinions and experiences represented in the Northern Powerhouse plans. The People’s Powerhouse aim is to include the thoughts and opinions, as well as knowledge and expertise, from all sectors of society with a particular focus on how people are the key to meaningful development. 

#ThisIsTheNorth ConventionPeople’s Powerhouse wants to be part of a North that:

  • Is more inclusive, and where our diverse voices and strengths are represented
  • Has a good economy that works for more people
  • Genuinely includes local people in local decision-making
  • Has a focus on the value of all our places
  • Is an exemplar of collaboration, sharing and learning together

The Convention 

While this year’s #ThisIsTheNorth Convention might look a little different because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the content remains unchanged. 

Ensuring you are central to the conversations around social, economic and racial justice in the North is at the heart of People’s Powerhouse: these discussions are crucial to our well-being.

People’s Powerhouse believes that by sharing platforms with one another, collaborating in formulating a programme and continuing to work together, we will better understand the issues that affect us all and find solutions that work for more people. 

The two-day event will be entirely virtual and takes place on November 24 and 25, 2020. 

Tickets to the convention are free. All you need to do is claim your spot online, then sit back with a brew and a biscuit. 

So, what’s on? 

In the daytime programme, attendees will be joined by confirmed speakers Nazir Afzal OBE (former Chief Prosecutor and campaigner), Jamie Driscoll (Mayor of North of Tyne), Professor Donna Hall CBE (Chair of Bolton NHS Trust and The New Local Government Network), Neil McInroy (CEO, CLES), Sarah Longlands (Director IPPR North), Ed Cox (Chair Involve and Levenshulme Inspire), with many more still to be announced. At teatime there will be sessions for school-aged children and a youth takeover in the evening.

Northern Soul will also be chairing an event: is the mainstream media biased against the North? We’ll debate how well the North is represented in national media, if Northern stereotypes still abound, and the importance of regional journalism in the 21st century. Our expert panel, hosted by the Editor of Northern Soul, Helen Nugent, includes Ruth Sunderland (Business Editor of the Daily Mail), Fran Yeoman (former Assistant Editor of the i and a former journalist at The Times, now teaches journalism at Liverpool John Moores University), Bernard Ginns (Director of Branksome Partners and former Business Editor of The Yorkshire Post), and Rachel Stevenson (Freelance Journalist with 20 years’ experience working for major news organisations including the BBC and The Guardian). Click here for further details or book your free tickets here. 

The People's PowerhouseIt is important to appreciate the work being done across the North. So, if you have ideas about how better lives for all of us in the North can be achieved then this event is for you. Why not come and be part of this year’s big conversation? 

This is a great opportunity for you to raise awareness of your work, organisation, campaign or service and to genuinely connect, collaborate and create, helping to shape the kind of North we all want to live and work in.

 

For more information about People’s Powerhouse, you can find them on Twitter, Facebook and on their website.