Wilberforce Conference 2019

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” - Albert Einstein Much of the world’s media focus on the huge challenges we face today, from issues of inequality, to the political tensions caused by the shifts in global power, to the threats of technology, to mental health issues in many parts of the world. However, overcoming these challenges presents many opportunities, such as the potential to bring millions of individuals out of poverty, utilise new technologies to benefit all our lives, and improve our societal wellbeing. Discussing these challenges and their possible solutions is critical to fulfilling the potential of current changes, and our conference seeks to play a part in that discussion. Join us as we delve into the challenges we face and explore how we can all contribute to overcoming them. Learn from speakers at the forefront of Academia and Business and enjoy the chance to share your own ideas during our interactive panel discussions. After the panels, enjoy a debate in the Cambridge Union debate chamber, which has previously hosted the likes of Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, and more recently, Bernie Sanders, on the motion “The challenges discussed today can, and will, be overcome within our lifetimes”. Together we can change our thinking, and change the future. On "Minds Matter", we have Keith Leslie, our esteemed keynote speaker, Dr Abdul Raoof, the Chair of the Eastern Division of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and Vikie Shanks, who is known for her TED Talk "Why my autistic children don't need a "cure"". On "Shifting Global Power", we have Benedict Rogers, founder and Chair of Hong Kong Watch and deputy chair of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, Michael Cox, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at LSE, and Kerry Brown, Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at KCL. On "Digital Disruption", we have Calum Chace, author of "The Economic Singularity" and "Surviving AI", Sue Daley, head of Cloud, Data, Analytics and AI at TechUK, and Juliette Powell, a media entrepreneur, a community catalyst and the author of 33 Million People in the Room. Last but most certainly not least, for our "Poverty and Progress" panel, we have Lord Bird, Founder of the Big Issue, Danny Dorling, author of "Inequality and the 1%", and Barry Griffiths, Communities officer at Jimmy's Cambridge. If you have any questions or queries, feel free to contact us at [email protected].