"I've so much liked our discussions, and the safety to just say what we think. And have a bit of a laugh at the absurdness of life. When we are talking, I feel really alive"

Thinker community sessions bring people together on a regular basis to explore important and meaningful questions, work on thinking skills, and meet new people. Community sessions ran on a weekly basis during 2023 and, for 2024, we are delighted to be launching a series of five free 1hr 'Open Minds' discussion sessions at the following venues: Allerton Library (Mondays from 8th Jan 10:15-11:15); Sefton Park Library (Thursdays from Jan 11th 11-12); Spellow Hub (Saturdays from Jan 13th 10-11); and the Kindfulness Coffee Club (Mondays from Jan 29th 1.30-2.30). More info on the poster below and visit the Events Booking page to secure a place! More community sessions will be run throughout 2024 so watch this space...

The Purpose of Thinker Community Groups

Opportunities to engage in collaborative thinking about 'big' questions in our society are limited. It is sometimes argued that our ability to contemplate such questions is part of what it means to be human and marks us out from other creatures; and so, on an individual level, collaborative thinking can satisfy that natural impulse. Perhaps more importantly, our beliefs, values, and actions are, to a large extent a product of our thinking. There is good reason to suppose that these three aspects of our lives can be improved through better thinking.

Our community group sessions are premised on the idea that we are all learning, and that we can develop our ability to think well. In a similar way to how one might attend a gym or play a recreational sport for physical improvement, Thinker sessions can be viewed as a gymnasium for the mind – where we can exercise and improve thinking and benefit from the outcomes.

One important outcome of improved thinking is an increased ownership and control over how we think, what we think, and what we decide to do. History’s great thinkers have emphasised the transformative potential of good thinking, both for the individual and for society – empowerment through being in control of one’s own mind, rather than being unduly influenced by the minds of others.

Impact

The impact of Open Minds sessions has been assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Most recently, Cobalt Housing completed an impact assessment of the series of ten Open Minds sessions run at their HQ for tenants and local residents, using the HACT Social Value Tool:

"Total Social Value Generated: £18,883. Total Social Return on Investment: £1: £13.11 (this means that for every £1 invested into the project, we had a social return of £13.11)."

Rona Heron, Community Hub Lead, commented: 

"I do feel that the 'Open Minds' sessions have been great for Cobalt's tenants and customers. As part of our Corporate Plan we want to ensure we are looking after our communities and helping them to thrive as one of our main objectives. 

As part of our new Community Hub vision we will be focusing on delivering activities and courses that will improve participants mental health and wellbeing by also improving social isolation.

It is important that our tenants have a voice in Cobalt's future and by delivering 'Open Minds' I feel it has helped those who attended to become more confident when making choices or having an opinion. They are thinking differently and appreciating their own self worth. Some of the participants would never have been vocal in front of other people so to hear them engage in a conversation in that environment has been inspiring.

Thanks for making a difference the 'Thinker Hub'."

Sarah Davidson, Mental Health First Aider at The Kindfulness Coffee Club in Bootle, reported:

"Glenn's Open Mind sessions that he delivered at The Kindfulness Coffee Club over our drop in were a great success. He was able to give people the opportunity to develop their thinking and discussion skills, in a way that gave them confidence and freedom to express themselves. The scenarios that he gave them to discuss encouraged participants to articulate their ideas and to verbalise them in a collaborative way. This promoted healthy discussions and although many of them had opposing thoughts and opinions they were very respectful of each other. This improves self-esteem and their problem-solving abilities as it encouraged them to look at things from a different perspective that they might not have otherwise thought about. Many of our participants are socially isolated and the group discussions promoted a sense of community and belonging. The discussions gave them a greater sense of empathy and compassion as they thought about their own experiences and those of others.  The topics discussed often continued throughout the week and their enthusiasm was great to see."

The Format of Thinker Community Sessions

Thinker sessions usually involve the following format:

1. Introduction of something to think about (a stimulus) – this can be a short story, section of text, newspaper article, video clip, poem, object, piece of art etc.

2. Introduction of a key question to think about, based on the stimulus.

3. Thinking/writing time to reflect upon the question and develop an answer and supporting reason(s)

4. Paired/small group sharing of answers/reasons and challenge/testing of responses

5. Whole group discussion

6. Final reflections

This format is subject to alteration, depending upon the considered judgement of our group as a whole and we can review this on an ongoing basis. Familiarity with the process and the rationale behind each element will hopefully develop through experience of participation.

If the size of the group warrants it, there are two rules that tend to be helpful in achieving a productive and rewarding experience – only one person speaks at a time and, if you would like to contribute, signal to the person facilitating (or chairing) the discussion, who will keep a note of the order of contributors. This ensures that communication is effective, and there is a format that gives fairness to all contributing members. 

Aside from all of this, a key aim is to develop a community of people, coming together regularly to explore ideas, meet new people, engage with one another in good spirits, and enjoy themselves!

If you would like to attend a session, you can just turn up, but it is always useful for a quick e-mail to be received, so we can gauge numbers involved. info@thethinkerhub.com