Hello everyone! I hope you’ve have all had a loveley week!
We were very proud recently to see the founder of Converge, Professor Nick Rowe, give his inaugural lecture celebrating Converge at York St Johns on May 12th. For those of us who didn’t make the night, I asked Nick to share a little of what he spoke about. Over to you Nick!…
“There is a tradition in all universities that when a person becomes a professor they give a lecture. My lecture was entitled, ‘Students not Service Users’ and was about the background of Converge and the principles that lie behind it. I talked about four main principles, which guide what we do in Converge:
- The Orientation: people who come to Converge are regarded as students not service users and they take courses not therapy. This is the key focus of Converge.”
2. “Opening up the University: The uniqueness of Converge lies in it being in a university – the university are the hosts of the project. Converge is about opening up the university to people who may not ordinarily have the opportunity to study here.”
3. A Community of Learners: we learn and work together. It is a community of learners and the contact and collaboration between university staff and students and adults who experience mental ill health is central to the project.”
4. “Social Value: As an organisation, we involve people in roles, activities and places that are valued by society.”
“It was wonderful to have so many people who have contributed to Converge over the years present. The choir sang beforehand and after we stayed for wine and nibbles. It was a celebration of Converge and what it has achieved and I am keen to emphasise that it would not be possible without the contributions of so many people.”
Thank you so much for sharing Nick, and for all you’ve done for Converge!
And thanks all of you for reading!
Best wishes,
Eleanor 🙂