Aberystwyth University Dialogue Centre hosted a ‘FlourishCafé’ in the Bandstand on the Aberystwyth Prom. We brought together a cross-section of creative industry entrepreneurs, decision-makers, institutions, and local organizations to discuss how we can better support each other and to develop strategies to create greater prosperity for creative industries in the Aberystwyth area.

Aims of the event

With a diverse range of attendees, from creative practitioners, entrepreneurs, decision-makers, academics, activists, and importantly, interested members of the local community in and around Aberystwyth, our core aim was to provide a creative space in order to:

-Increase awareness of what a flourishing community in Aberystwyth looks and feels like.

-To act as a catalyst for coherent and ethical approaches for creative businesses in face of multiple crises and pressures from the cost-of-living crisis and other political pressures, such as NET ZERO targets etc.

-To generate ideas for future funding bids, policy work, and collaborations.

-To generate ideas for effective collaboration with councillors and other stakeholders on issues that matter in the Aberystwyth area and surrounds.

What happenned?

We had two fabulous guest speakers. Jacob Ellis (Lead Change Maker: Public Affairs and International, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales) & Julian Shelley (local entrepreneur & star of Four in a Bed).

We worked through a series of discussion rounds. Based on adapted World Café methods, and incorporating elements of Group Flow, our FlourishCafé event provided a nourishing space where people could gather to share ideas, connect diverse perspectives, explore meaningful questions that matter.

Aberystwyth Dialogue Centre will be taking the insights from this event forward to help develop a meaningful strategy for the area to help nurture creative and flourishing communities in Aberystwyth & Surrounds.