Just Talk: 24th-26th July

Speakers and Workshops

Our keynote speaker, booked some months ago, is Andy Burnham (currently Mayor of Greater Manchester). However, as of this present moment in time, we are unsure as to whether he will be able to come (who knows, he may be making a bid to be Prime Minister by then!).

Sir John Battle (former Member of Parliament for Leeds West) will be holding an Ecumenical Conversation on Engaging with Community Groups.

Billy Vaughan, Public Affairs Officer for the Quakers, will be speaking about the right to protest and how that relates to a different part of dialogue, freedom of speech.

We have some fantastic workshops lined up based around the theme of dialogue and communication:

1. The Information–Misinformation–Disinformation Triangle (Brian O’Toole)

Young people are growing up in a world where information is shaped by social media, fast-moving news cycles, algorithms, and increasingly by artificial intelligence.

Brian O’Toole will be leading an in-person NJPN workshop, which creates a supportive space for participants to explore how information, misinformation, and disinformation spreads online, and how these forces influence people’s understanding of truth. Participants will discuss real world examples, question digital content, and examine the role of algorithms and AI in shaping what we see and share online — including who may be exploiting social media and for what purposes. Through open conversation and guided reflection, the session aims to strengthen critical thinking, digital awareness, and a shared sense of responsibility as we navigate today’s complex and rapidly changing information landscape.

2. Resilience and Dialogue in Conflict Zones (Azad Hasan)

Azad Hasan is currently Project Coordinator at the Justice and Peace Refugee Project in Newcastle. He is also a PhD candidate at Durham University, School of Government and International Affairs. His research focuses on rebel governance, civilian agency, and everyday life in violent conflict.

Prior to his doctoral studies, Azad worked in humanitarian roles within refugee camps and as a freelance journalist in conflict-affected regions. His scholarly and professional interests centre on how civilians navigate protracted conflicts and demonstrate resilience in their everyday lives. Drawing on his fieldwork, in this workshop Azad will share some of his experience with us with particular focus on authentic dialogue in everyday life.

3. Deaf Awareness: The beauty of God’s Word in Sign Language (Joselyn Taylor and Peter McDonagh)

Joselyn Taylor and Peter McDonagh of the Catholic Deaf Association https://catholicdeaf.org.uk/ will give training in Deaf awareness and on communication strategies to improve access to church community especially for those for whom BSL is their first and /or preferred language.

This workshop will be an interactive dialogue. It will be practical, with a presentation. There will be opportunity for questions and answers, lip reading exercises and the opportunity to learn some basic sign language.

4. Having difficult conversations (Fay Pretty)

PeaceJam UK https://peacejam.org.uk/ presents an interactive workshop which will explore how can we can engage young people (and adults) in difficult conversations about the local and global issues that they witness and want to address but very often don’t know how. Including topics such as diversity, tolerance, social justice, conflict, and non-violence.

We will use Lego as communication tool and share our experience working in schools across the UK, providing practical tips to take away; as well as sharing PeaceJam’s education programmes and teacher-friendly resources
which draw on the lives of the Nobel Peace Laureates as positive role models for our children and teenagers.

5. From access to action: poverty and participation (Liam Purcell)

Our churches are at the forefront of social action to respond to the growing scandal of poverty in the UK. But too often, churches treat people in poverty as passive recipients of charity. If we respect the dignity and agency of every person, and stand alongside people in solidarity, we can do much more to tackle the injustices that are at the root of poverty.

Hear about ‘Sharing Power to Shape Mission’ – a Church Action on Poverty programme which enabled dialogue and relationships between church leaders and church members who have direct experience of poverty. We’ll share skills and approaches that can help church projects to ensure everyone is heard and has a chance to take part.

The workshop will be led by Liam Purcell, Chief Executive of Church Action on Poverty
(www.church-poverty.org.uk).

6. Language and Racism (Margaret -Ann Fisken)

This workshop examines the role language plays in naming, normalising, and challenging racism.

Together we will explore common terms, phrases, and narratives—both secular and church-based—and how they can unintentionally reinforce racial injustice.

Grounded in a Christian commitment to truth and love of neighbour, the session will offer practical tools for speaking about race with greater clarity, humility, and faithfulness.

7. Interfaith dialogue – for justice and peace (Barbara Butler)

This workshop will present interfaith dialogue as a necessary contribution towards the creation of understanding and peace between people of the world faiths in the UK and around the world.

It will enable participants to explore how to engage with people of other faiths and beliefs, to listen to other world views than their own and to share. There will be examples of good practice and a power point presentation.

8. Forces Watch (Emma Sangster)

With the international tensions and conflict of recent years, demands for more ‘hard power’, higher levels of military spending and preparation for war against Russia have gained prominence.

The government’s 2025 Strategic Defence Review laid plans for the defence industry to become an ‘engine for growth’ and for the ‘whole of society’ to be mobilised. This workshop will look at political and media narratives around ‘defence’ and the role they play in normalising military approaches to conflict and discuss how we can continue to foster cooperative approaches and a wider understanding of common security.

It will be led by Emma Sangster from ForcesWatch which investigates and raises awareness about militarism in the UK, with a focus on civil society and young people.

9, Dialogue, AI, and the Future of Advocacy (Andrea Speranza – CAFOD)

Pope Francis has warned of the risk of becoming “rich in technology and poor in humanity” if we lose the
“wisdom of the heart.”

This session will explore the Church’s teaching on AI and how, in a world marked by the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence, human dialogue can become a radical act for social change.

We will also discuss how, in a time of growing political tension, as people of faith, we can bridge the gap between “we” and “them,” ensuring that our message for social justice remains not only loud and clear, but above all,
genuinely human.

10. A time to talk with our head, heart and hands: An OutoftheBox story (Helen Bell)

The workshop will be experiential and interactive. It will share a story on sand using simple materials from the box and natural materials.

The group will be invited to participate in the story and to seek wisdom from their own stories, the collective wisdom of the group, and to be open to new wisdom from that which lies beyond. The process is “light yet deep” as participants are encouraged to be playful and curious, whilst open to discovering new insights and “aha moments,” both for themselves and for their contexts.