Great Food. Big Questions. Deep Conversations.
Next Café:
Thurs, 29 Oct, 6-8pm
The spaces between us:
encouraging encounters and conversations with neighbours and strangers
Free, with food from Layla’s Kitchen and a wine reception
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About our
topic
& speaker
Professor Helen Jarvis
Newcastle University
Helen Jarvis asks us a series of questions concerning the social connections that are vital to individual and collective wellbeing:
How can we shape the character of our public space and life to encourage people to have direct encounters and conversations with neighbours and strangers?
How do groups of determined citizens play an active role in connecting people at a time of deep fragmentation and social isolation in our culture, politics and daily lives?
How can we create a sense of community in public space, to invite and include people who feel unheard, unseen and disconnected from one another?
Professor Emerita Helen Jarvis,
Newcastle University
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
William Leech Research Fellow, 2026-2027
From the conclusion of her PhD research in 1997, Helen Jarvis’ research and writing spanning three decades has inhabited the interior world of small groups of determined citizens. Her work continues to draw attention to issues of social connection, community cohesion, collaborative housing, placemaking and ‘just’ social and ecological transitions. Her 2001 book about the ‘secret life’ of cities shed light on the intangible ‘glue’ binding people together in relationships of trust and mutual aid. Much of this work relates to voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise groups.
Drawing conclusions from her current William Leech funded Research Fellowship, she challenges us all to talk to each other more and embraces two key functions of social connection exemplified by the Big Questions Café: shared food and purposeful conversation.
What is a Big Questions Café?
It’s a friendly, fun gathering where we first share a meal and get to know others around our table. Then, just after we get pudding, we hear a 15-20 minute presentation addressing one of the big questions facing our lives and community. We’re then invited to discuss a series of questions arising from the presentation around our tables, digging deeper. There’s opportunities to engage with the speaker as well.
We start with a wine reception, and our food will be a vegan meal from local Layla’s Kitchen! It’s free, but we gratefully accept donations. Please RSVP on this site so we can best meet dietary needs!
Where:
Jesmond United Reformed Church,
NE2 3AE
Who is sponsoring this and why?
The Café is sponsored by Jesmond United Reformed Church, with the Friends of Jesmond Library. Over the past year, we’ve engaged in community listening exercises and a ‘Futures Literacy’ session. What we heard was the need for improved community cohesion. We always think it’s best to have discussions around a table filled with good food, so we thought these ‘Big Questions Cafés’ might be a way to bring us all together. These cafés are offered up with no other expectation than for people to show up, share in a great meal together, and engage in discussion over big questions that help us identify what we can do together. There’s no charge as we see this as a ministry, but donations are gratefully accepted—just click the donations link when registering are contribute when you arrive.