Juggling the multiple demands of managing Oxford House can be taxing! Much has happened in the last three months, as I have been reporting on my personal Linkedin page. Remembering to transfer that ‘news’ to the OH website has not always been easy! Anyway, here goes to bring you up to speed, with a few bullet points of OH news:
- It has been a privilege in recent weeks to welcome Hon. John Anderson as a Senior Associate and Dr Kat Eghdamian, Paul Golf, Kevin Korgba and Glenn Tucker as new Associates. They all bring a huge amount of expertise to our work. Do look at their profiles. Other new Associates, and a full list of OH Patrons, will be published shortly.
- We extend special good wishes to our Associates Dr Mark Yet in Myanmar and Dr Juanildo Burity in Brazil. Reports from both countries are deeply concerning. These are such tough times in so many places. On Myanmar, we have begun conversations on OH facilitating a 360-degree roundtable with key parties.
- Just before lock-down, an OH team was in Tirana, Albania meeting senior officials to finalise a programme to promote golf there. Much hugely encouraging work has been done with a world-class team of golf development specialists giving their time pro tem to help promote what could have a transformative impact on Albania’s economy and international profile. The project is still ‘live’ but necessarily paused pending the easing of travel restrictions post-COVID.
- Over the last 6 months we have also been exploring ways in which OH can – as part of its commitment to ‘culture’ and the ‘common good’ – facilitate some kind of ‘apprenticeship’ programme for early career Arts professionals, whose livelihoods have been decimated by closed venues. Senior Associate Mike Pask, and Associates Tony Friend, Gareth Hancock, Prof. Mark Hijleh and OH Company Secretary Chris Nurse and I have been in close discussion with senior drama and music professionals about the project and are encouraged by progress being made. More on this soon. It could be very good.
- We are waiting to hear whether we have received funding for a joint project with an EU think-tank to prepare a report on engagement with religious and ethnic minorities in complex settings. Associates Dr Sean Oliver-Dee, Glenn Tucker and Paul Golf are helping with this.
- To many demographers and IR specialists, Africa is a central issue now and into the future. As part of OH’s engagement with Africa, Senior Associate Richard Shirreff and Associates Kevin Korgba and Jeremy Lefroy have had an introductory conversation and we are now beginning to look at potential African research and consultancy projects.
- Senior Associate Prof. Ian Linden and Associate Ben Rogers continue to be productive with blogs and articles. Do look out for their work.
- It has been very good to see more and more people reading the OH ‘Weekly Briefings’ and joining OH. There is still a long way to go and much work to be done. Themes and issues OH addresses, in relation to culture, ethics and religion in contemporary geopolitics, continue to demand much time and resources of every kind. Please be sure to sign up as a ‘member’ (various different levels are available), perhaps consider a donation, and encourage others who are concerned for the health, harmony and flourishing of our beautiful but battered world, to do the same.
Please do make contact with us through: contact@oxfordhouseresearch.com.
With warm good wishes,
Chris Hancock
Director