Innovation Symposium

The magic that you know as the IS experience has happened once again…and you should take much of the credit for that.  Because of the foundations you built–with our friends in England and with the 2010 participants–we were once again welcomed enthusiastically and with much love.  This year’s group got the royal treatment from the Ratcliffs (lunch in the oldest pub in the City of London), from Mark Paterson (two extra hours of his time plus a chat over dinner at the Pier House in Charlestown), from Brendan/Lorraine/Elsie at the Gulls (many of this year’s group now own Royal Navy gear), from Kevin Browning at Alexander Fleming’s (extra time and a tour on his day off), from our friends at Harlaxton (the super-secret tunnel-and-bell-tower tour with Ziggy, a fun service activity planting flowers for a wedding courtesy of Cynthia Marke, gardener Andrew Potter, and Dr. Kingsley’s staff, and a send-off by Doug, Lawrence, Cynthia, Tony, Lesley, Clive, and members of the UE faculty…who wish you were all their students), from Karin the only coach driver we’ve ever had in Cornwall (a CD, a piskie charm, and calendar of Cornwall, along with a fabulous new middle-of-nowhere pub for lunch and the scenic animal tour of Bodmin Moor, plus her calm reassurances that she didn’t mind a bit when we held her over three hours beyond her scheduled time despite a treacherous fog rolling into all of southwestern England), and from dear darling wonderful Kathleen (more kindnesses than can be listed, but a fabulous boat trip to Greenwich and our mandatory dinner at Sally Clarke’s are included).

Because of you, we had new friends lined up everywhere, including the most generous Walter Gill, Clerk of the Worshipful Company of Carmen (another of the Ratcliffs’ charities), and Jeff Sloan, innovator deluxe and a friend of Kathleen’s who created Startup Nation.  The staff at Harlaxton had signed up months ago to do our coach driving to Lincoln and Isaac Newton’s; Ziggy already had the tour on request as well.  Doug and Lawrence were delighted to meet us at the station, and Margaret was pleased to give our Manor tour once again (she loves saying “ko-KO-mo”).  In Cornwall, Brendan took time off work to be with us at the Gulls, and Lorraine and Elsie once again gave us run of the house so that we could have a pizza party and class.  Even the staff at Caffe Concerto welcomed us like old friends. 

You did that.  You made that happen because of who you are and how you treated those who offered you  gifts, insights, and lessons.  You made that happen because you let those people know how much you value their efforts and kindnesses.  You made that happen because you were (and are) decent people who acted with respect and appreciation.  You made me proud, and you have encouraged me to continue this program.  Every time I get a little tired, I remember the long-term importance of what we are doing and how it carries on well past the three weeks we share in England.  Thank you for the valuable gifts you gave to IS 2010.  It may take them a little while to understand completely, but they’ll get it.   Well done, you.

Tags: Uncategorized by kstouse
No Comments »

Jamie Oliver has made a positive impact on both England and America. As we came upon his restaurant, we soon found out why he has succeeded. The restaurant is based on the idea of teaching people that need a chance in life how to cook, and now for the first time ever how to serve.

The restaurant 15 is situated in a less glamorous part of London. This was done to entice more business to the neighborhood. I expected the restaurant to be located in a ritzier location in London. We sat down to breakfast, and I soon found out just how effective this plan was.

 Bacon in England is thicker than American bacon. I find it tastes good, but I did not expect to experience bacon quite like the bacon some of us had for breakfast. The bacon was grilled. I have not thought to grill bacon, but I am sure I will want to try it when I get back to the states.

Jamie Oliver not only put his social skills to use but his talent for cooking as well. This combination attracts people to this less attractive side of London, and satisfies their craving. I was very impressed that Jamie Oliver is able to have this program running in England while he is revolutionizing children’s school food in America. Of course, he is able to do this because he has structured these programs so well.

Tags: Uncategorized by kstouse
No Comments »

Saturday the 29th of May we all had a free day to do most whatever we wanted to do. I sort of talked the group into going to the city of York. York is about a hour north of the city of Grantham by way of train. All of us set out to investigate this city that it is rich in history. The whether was cool and rainy which dampened our moods a little. We arrived at York and divided up into smaller groups so we could have a little more mobility.
The site that catches one’s eye at first is the beautiful York Minster. It is a beautiful structure that towers over the whole city. There are so many sites to see at York that a person could stay here for several days and not see the same thing twice. Other sites to see are the castle ruins, Richard the third museum, the York dungeon, the Shambles that is a exhibit from the medieval period,and the wall that once protected the city is still standing in most places. One last thing I forgot to mention about York is the shops. If one is a shopper you will be completely satisfied when leaving York.
I would like to go back to York someday when I could send a little more time there. I would highly recommend this if anyone ever has the chance to visit this location. Before going do a little homework on what is available to see. After leaving we traveled back to Harlexton and reflected on the day. I know that fatigue is starting to sit in on the group, but York was a positive experience.

Tags: 2010 by greglandrum
No Comments »

While in Cornwall, we went to the Eden Project which is this amazingly beautiful place full of plant life from different regions of the world, housed in bio-domes. The story behind the Eden Project was most interesting. The land sought out and eventually used for the project was a desecrate clay mining pit and was looked at by almost everyone as a waste land. Tim Smit had a vision and would not be discouraged. He would turn this waste land into a beautiful expression of art. Though getting support and funding was seemingly impossible, he found a way to overcome and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Tim had faith in his project and sometimes through the development stages took the road travelled; but he persevered and saw his project through to fruition. Much can be learned from the story of the Eden Project, especially now that we are beginning to develop our project ideas and proposals. Sometimes a good idea can be hard to convey, but after implementation it is impossible to ignore.

Tags: 2010 by bdavis
No Comments »