This June we have a range of member events on offer, including our annual conference and a complementary in-person Connect and Learn event at Redhills in Durham.
Continuing our support for the National Year of Reading, we’re hosting two more Story Club events - first was earlier this week - an informal Plan and Chat session, where members discussed what they are reading for the next Story Club, and made recommendations. This will be followed by our fourth Story Club of 2026 which is on the theme of Migration. WEA tutor James Clarke will be introducing the topic, reading a poem or two for inspiration, and outlining some interesting questions that we can consider in the breakout rooms. The session is taking place shortly after Refugee week and Windrush Day, so very topical, and you can check out the member book recommendations we've received so far.
In June we are also bringing back WEA tutor Ione Harris for another Creativity for Wellbeing session, this time inspired by the Summer Equinox. No experience needed, come along and get creative!
Plus, don't miss WEA CEO and General Secretary Simon Parkinson talking to Anwar Akhtar of Samosa Media.
June events and their booking links:
Tuesday 9th June 6pm-8:30pm: WEA Conference 2026
Thursday 18th June 9:30am - 5:30pm: Connect and Learn 2026 - book tickets for our in person event in Durham
Thursday 18th June - Livestreaming our Connect and Learn Keynote speakers - link will be shared by email
Tuesday 23rd June 1:30pm-2:30pm Creativity for Wellbeing: Poetry Workshop
Thursday 25th June 5pm-6pm: Member event: Fireside chat: Simon Parkinson and Anwar Akhtar
Tuesday 30th June - 5pm-6:30pm: Story Club: Migration
Looking back at our member events in May
We held six member events in May - did you join us for any? We’d love to hear what you thought. You can always share your feedback with us in the Zoom Chat during each session or by emailing [email protected].
Here's what you might have missed.
Lifelong Learning Labs
Katie Shaw (Head of Charitable Purpose, WEA) and Chris Butcher (Senior Public Policy Manager, WEA) gave members an overview of our Lifelong Learning Campaign, explaining why it matters and how to get involved.
'This is such an important conversation you are facilitating here.'
Mass Observation Diary Day workshop
For the second year running, we offered a workshop on Mass Observation Diary Day. What is the Mass Observation archive and why should you get involved? We showcased examples of past diaries for inspiration and talked about what to include.
'I have already written stuff as I watched and listened. Good fun and therapeutic. All of our lives are important.'
Men's Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Dr Susie Bennett from the University of Glasgow joined us as a special guest to talk about her research into the topic of male suicide. This was a very moving, and at times difficult, session that explored some of the factors that lead to the disproportionately high rates of suicide in men compared to women.
'Your honesty as a professional is refreshing. This lecture has really helped me as a mother of three sons. Thank you'
A Million Acts of Hope workshop
Scheduled to tie in with the national 'A Million Acts of Hope' initiative, this session looked at the background to the campaign and shared how people could get involved. Can small acts make a big difference? Definitely! We celebrated activities taking place in communities up and down the country and shared our own acts of hope.
'Been a WEA Voluntary member since 1994. Best decision I ever made. Still here enjoying this incredible nearly 125 year old organisation… Inspirational as always'
The Centenary of the General Strike
Dr Dan Edmonds from Royal Holloway, University of London, joined us as a special guest to talk about the General Strike of 1926. In this fascinating talk, we learned more about the background to the strike, whether it was considered an effective campaign, and we also learned about three different individuals and how they were involved in the strike.
'An excellent and extremely informative talk - really well delivered and illustrated. Many thanks.'
Story Club: Solidarity
WEA tutor Joey Simons led our third Story Club of 2026. This time the topic was Solidarity and we'd received a wide range of story suggestions from members in advance. Joey read several poems, including an excerpt from a poem by Bertold Brecht and a poem by Vikram Seth. We then joined breakout rooms to consider questions such as ‘How do small acts (care, listening, presence) compare to large acts (protest, sacrifice, resistance)?’ which led to some excellent debate.
'Thank you hosting the story club…I enjoyed it very much.'
How to join our member events
Sign up via Zoom and you’ll be sent an invitation with a joining link. You don’t need to install any software – you can join from your browser, but there is also the option to use the dedicated Zoom app if you prefer.
Once you join, you can choose whether to have your camera on or off. All members are muted, but you can ask questions or make comments in the chat. Join and leave any time during the session, so why not choose a topic that you like the sound of and drop in to see what you think.
We know that the regular Thursday slot doesn’t suit everyone, so we are varying the times and days of the week from time to time. If you would like to send us feedback on the programme or the scheduling we’d love to hear from you – suggestions always welcome!
