RSA Events

What if we designed systems not for top-down control – but for human connection?

At RSA House, trust expert and artist Rachel Botsman explores how design thinking and visual storytelling can rethink leadership, power, and trust systems. We often learn something new from studying something old.

Anchored in her 2025 London Design Biennale installation Roots of Trust, the conversation returns to a long-forgotten artefact: the world’s fi...

Join the RSA, Insulate Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Institute London for a fireside chat with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, in conversation with journalist and author Gillian Tett. Their discussion will explore the cycle of impunity and harsh realities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including cultural erasure, child abduction, and the use of torture. Matviichuk will discuss her work on documen...

In a world on fire, where every system we rely on is buckling under the weight of its own contradictions, it’s time to admit that control is a dangerous illusion. But while politicians and corporations cling to algorithms for predictability, artists, writers, and musicians have always known the truth: chaos isn’t a threat – it’s a gift.

At this RSA event, Margaret Heffernan explores how our obsession with stability and ‘solutions’ –...

Join us to celebrate the opening of the UK Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai and discover the most exciting ideas and innovations shaping our future.

At a time when the world risks becoming fragmented and divided, the World Expo represents a unique opportunity to show what humanity can achieve when we come together.

The UK Pavilion at Expo 2025 will act as a vibrant hub of creativity and innovation, showcasing our nation’s unique e...

Tony Juniper and Mya-Rose Craig bring together two powerful perspectives on the interconnectedness of equity and the environment. Tony, an esteemed environmentalist and author, draws on decades of experience advocating for a balance between human needs and ecological preservation. His work demonstrates how fairness – whether in resource distribution, climate justice, or community empowerment – is essential for achieving lasting eco...

This year’s keynote speaker is world-renowned political scientist Robert D. Putnam, author of the groundbreaking work Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, which has shaped global conversations on the importance of communal ties and social capital.

Robert Putnam will be speaking to us about the vital role of social connections in combating the deepening crises of social isolation, political polarization, and...

What bold actions are needed to realise true gender equity?

This International Women’s Day, the RSA invites you to a powerful event focused on advancing women’s leadership and action for systemic change. Featuring an incredible panel of women including I. Stephanie Boyce, the trailblazing first Black and first person of colour President of the Law Society of England and Wales, journalist Sophia Smith Galer, and Women in Sport policy...

From big tech scandals to soaring executive pay gaps, public trust in major corporations is at an all-time low. Despite life-changing innovations like vaccines and digital tools, we increasingly “love the product but hate the producer”.

Renowned economist John Kay visits the RSA to deliver a bold critique of modern business. He’ll unpack how the relentless pursuit of shareholder value has gutted some of the 20th century’s most iconi...

An evening with the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, and BBC journalist Clive Myrie.

On the eve of the third anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs (2020–2024) and Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School, reflects on the war’s far-reaching consequences with renowned BBC journalist Clive Myrie.

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The provision of care for dependents young and old is one of the great challenges of the modern age.

The last 60 years have seen significant shifts in family and working lives with greater choice and autonomy bringing great gains for human freedom.

Yet many private and public challenges and dilemmas remain. The social care system faces ever-rising demands and pressures. The vital skilled work of care – for the young, the elderly, the...

In his annual RSA Chief Executive's Lecture, Andy Haldane examines the profound socio-economic consequences of eroding social capital, a theme famously explored by Harvard political scientist Bob Putnam in Bowling Alone. While macroeconomic advancements helped address past crises like the Great Depression, today’s challenge lies in confronting the "Great Division”, the deepening fractures within and between societies. Despite unpar...

Optimism is central to the human psyche: it seems to give us an advantage in both everyday life and in addressing great collective challenges.

Sumit Paul-Choudhury, former editor-in-chief of New Scientist, visits the RSA to make a vital and transformative new argument: that optimism is not only the natural state of humanity, but an essential one.

Sumit argues that without optimism we would never have survived the unpredictable - and ...

Current research reveals that workers over 50 are being rejected from key roles across the country, with discrimination and bias from employers and recruiters often endemic. Over 1 million people aged 50+ across the UK want to work but are unemployed.

This RSA event is in collaboration with the OECD to launch their new report, Promoting Better Career Mobility for Longer Working Lives in the United Kingdom. The report highlights the ...

Join us in the Great Room at RSA House, where our expert panel will share insights and experiences from their work on impactful, community-led projects. Discover how these initiatives have empowered citizens to speak up for their communities and shape their shared future.

The panel will explore key aspects of our Prosperous Places framework, including civic voice which provides strategies to empower residents to take an active role ...

Tom Stuart-Smith’s work forges connections between people and place. Bringing an analytical design approach together with a detailed understanding of the nature of a place, Tom’s practice is underpinned by a strong sustainability ethic. Seeking to increase the ecological diversity and richness of any landscape in which he works, his aim is to create multi-layered new spaces of emotional depth and imaginative possibility.

Sue Stuart-...

Join our expert panel at RSA House and online to explore the extraordinary life of Dame Caroline Haslett and her inspirational legacy trailblazing a path for women in innovation and industry.  

A suffragette and women’s equality campaigner, Dame Caroline Haslett championed the role of women in mainstream employment and their release from domestic drudgery through education, training, and the application of new technologies.   

A woma...

Join us at the RSA and discover groundbreaking insights on how direct interactions with nature - seeing, smelling, and touching - can dramatically improve physical health. Learn how cedar boosts your immune system, pine scent calms your heart rate, and even a simple spider plant can enhance your gut health.

Professor Kathy Willis, a leading expert in biodiversity and former Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew, wi...

The RSA and the Creative PEC and Arts Council England are delighted to launch our work into the concept of Creative Corridors: Connecting Clusters to Unleash Prosperity that sets out the emerging evidence base and suggests initial steps for local leaders.

This is the live stream of the event launching a policy framework for action, setting out the underlying case for creative corridors, exploring the opportunities and barriers for g...

The RSA and the Africa Centre are teaming up to spotlight innovators driving social change through their cultural contributions. 

At the RSA in Black History Month, we’ll explore how these emerging leaders are influencing global conversations and challenging traditional narratives, paving the way for a more inclusive and dynamic cultural landscape. 

We will discuss how to amplify the impact of African culture on the global stage and ...