Finding a Place and Space for Dialogue in a Fractured World
Opinion piece by Joan Concannon, Chief Reputation and Stakeholder Relations Officer.
The Yorkshire Post published this opinion piece on Thursday 14 May 2026.
You can read the opinion piece in the Yorkshire Post online or read a transcript below.
"Humanity's future risks being 'tragically compromised' by a breakdown of international law and political responsibility". This warning from Pope Leo XIV captures the scale of the instability we are grappling with.
We live in a moment defined by volatility, complexity, and a profound decline in trust. Across the world, geopolitical turbulence and the relentless acceleration of seemingly ungovernable technology are creating integrated threats that leave leaders scrambling and society feeling increasingly fractured and alienated.
At the heart of this instability lies a critical challenge that reaches beyond geopolitics and artificial intelligence: the erosion of public trust in the anchor institutions that sustain our lives. For many people, policy-making and high-level dialogue feel distant, leaving them feeling overlooked, ignored and angry.
The question for institutions like the University of York is: where can diverse voices meet to address these complex challenges and, crucially, begin the vital work of restoring public confidence?
The answer, as demonstrated by the York Festival of Ideas, is by creating a non-partisan, accessible, and interactive platform rooted in the principle of public good. The Festival, under the theme of Place and Space, is engineered to be that necessary safe space - a place where intellectual depth meets broad accessibility, offering a mechanism for constructive dialogue across sectors and communities - and most crucially that that space is free to enter. The Festival delivers more than 200 events every June with more than 100 programme partners, and, thanks to our donors and partners, the vast majority of them are free to our audiences. That is an absolute red line for us - no one should be excluded from the world of ideas by dint of economic circumstance.
The very threats we face - including the systemic risk of ungovernable AI, the erosion of institutional trust, and the cross-sector threats to supply chains - demand a coordinated, collective and inclusive response. The challenges we face demand a ‘quadruple helix’ of collaboration not only between government, industry, and academia but civic society to solve high-stakes problems like the strategic economic constraint posed by global instability, turbulent labour markets and deep seated inequality.
Our programming for 2026 is deliberate evidence of this approach, specifically designed to bridge the chasm between macro-level threats and individual lives.
The Festival Focus sessions confront complex issues directly, bringing diverse and often conflicting perspectives into a single room. We explore foundational questions such as whether democracy has outlived its usefulness - a discussion anchored by major figures like big tech insider turned critic, Dex Hunter-Torricke, Reporters Without Borders Information and Democracy Commissioner Emily Bell, and inequalities expert Danny Dorling. Former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon will reflect on the state of politics in conversation with broadcaster and writer Gavin Esler. We also explore tangible local problems like the silent crisis of chemical pollution in our rivers and discuss ways of sharing wealth more fairly to combat economic inequality.
A cornerstone of our efforts is the partnership with the Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) for a major event, Our Future, Our North: Building Jobs and Prosperity - Your Voice, Your Opportunity. This day explicitly convenes key decision-makers - from Envoy for Northern Growth Tom Riordan, to economists like Lord Jim O'Neill, York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith, and industry investment leaders like Jessica Bowles from Bruntwood and Darren Pierie from NatWest. By drawing together such diverse perspectives, we use the Festival's convening power to showcase vital work on the ground and ensure that economic ambition is understood as a shared, collective endeavour that benefits every individual and family.
This comprehensive effort to make world-class thought accessible to all is why the University of York was recently named Community University of the Year 2026 by the Daily Mail University Guide, an accolade given in direct recognition of the Festival of Ideas and reflects our absolute commitment to the public good and our deep-seated belief that the power of education and ideas should be accessible to everyone.
Life is far from perfect, and as the poet and singer Leonard Cohen wrote, "There is a crack, a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in". This imperfection is not a source of despair, but what compels us to strive to make things better and challenge ourselves to find solutions to global problems. Humanity has faced many periods of darkness, and yet we can endure; we can hope; we can change, and we must innovate. And to prove the point Michael Morpurgo will once again conduct a live broadcast reading from the National Railway Museum for thousands of school children across the UK and Ireland. Sally Wainwright will explore the world of Riot Women finding their voice and freedom in conversation with Emma Barnett and Kelly Holmes will explore well being and endurance.
By letting the light in through genuine, inclusive dialogue, the Festival of Ideas aims to inspire collective action and empower our community to shape a better future. Join us and let us hear your thoughts.