Artsidex meeting notes 11th September 2020

For the September 2020 Exidex we met in the delightful surroundings of South Mill Arts, and before long regretted the choice of the delicious Caramel Cake when one of our Exies seemingly magically produced a sumptuous spread of snacks! A lesson to be learned there I think, don’t peak too soon on the cake.

Exidex (The Experienced Individuals Ideas Exchange) is a project based in Bishop’s Stortford where Experienced Individuals "Exies" meet up in a comfortable and relaxed place to brainstorm and exchange ideas about how to make things better.

Seven of us met up (outside and suitably distanced), which was just about legal before the new rule of six comes in next week - which would have meant we would have had to send one person away (or split up into smaller groups of a three and a four, perhaps more kindly).

Two new Exies joined us today, but one of the great things about the Exidex is that everyone so naturally makes people feel at ease, relaxed, and part of the community – so that by the end of the meeting they both felt like old friends! A very accurate description mentioned by one of them is a “purveyor of smiles” and we did spend some time discussing how a smile and a greeting (even to strangers, to the frequent embarrassment of our children) can make a whole town seem welcoming, friendly and accepting of all.

This led to a number of ideas about recent local press articles about a racism problem in Bishop’s Stortford, and it was reassuring to hear from our racially diverse membership (with roots in as exotic and far flung places as France, The US, Peru and even Epping) that open racism is not being encountered here by us. The colour of one’s skin is still a factor though, with a fear of the unknown and the unusual still being sadly relevant. We considered what could be done, and spent some time reflecting on the fantastic message that has been sent by the Exidex idea English O’Clock – which has as its mission not only to help people arriving in the town from overseas to be able to improve their English though free weekly conversation groups but also to have a central focus on making everyone welcome here. Sadly the virus means that face to face sessions are not yet able to restart but we reaffirmed our commitment to getting them going again as soon as possible. We also agreed to follow up on a previous suggestion of some EoC trips out, with the great idea of a town heritage trail being offered by our local expert – to encourage us all to look again at the sometimes surprisingly interesting place where we all live.

We talked about the skill of cultural sensitivity – listening and absorbing the way things are done in an organisation or in a place, as opposed to rushing in with the attitude that it’s “my way or the highway”! Change can be good, and is almost always healthy when managed sensitively.

We talked at some length about volunteering, with the now regular update on the volMatch app – which is at a pivotal point with discussions going on in top local firms about possible levels of their participation. We all agreed that volunteering is a hugely positive, gratifying and rewarding activity – especially for those who find themselves (expectedly or unexpectedly) with some time, either thorough redundancy, retirement or anything like that. It was noted that you never know what can come of it, and the positive energy of seeing people potentially turn their lives around is tremendous. Having a number of volunteer former and present village, town, district and county councillors around the group meant that the depth of experience was remarkable – but everyone agreed that volunteering (even if just for short bursts) can really make a huge difference both personally and to others around you.

We touched on some quite sensitive and personal issues when discussing the name of the venue – South Mill Arts (formerly the Rhodes Arts Centre), and we reflected on whether the name of a place should be considered a celebration of a person it is originally named after. Some Exies felt that organisations with completely positive basic causes (such as Black Lives Matter or Extinction Rebellion) can sometimes suffer from a takeover by radicalisation or extremism which can result in a distraction from the core message. We thought this can often be a shame, as the drive for equality or environmental awareness can then be distracted by the activities of anarchists and/or political extremists – which is almost always unhelpful. The role of the press is also relevant here, with all angles and moderate views needing to be given reasonable airtime but not always seeming to do so.

With suitably buzzing brains and a cheerful skip in our step we went our separate ways, but we all agreed it was a very thought-provoking and jolly Exidex session indeed.

 Exidex is for people who can identify with one or more of the following:

 ● not in work

● motivated by being pro-active

● may have taken early retirement or a career break and are now looking for something stimulating and productive to do

● would like to gain employment by offering their skills and experience

● whose children may have flown the nest and are now looking for new opportunities

● in a job that is not making the best use of their relationships and capabilities

The ideas that the Exies bring do not necessarily have to be revenue generating business ideas – they can be in the charity sector or anything that the Exie feels will be interesting. The aim is to create the buzz that can be found in small groups when ideas are floated, refined and gather momentum before spinning off with a life of their own.

If you or anyone that you know could fit the description, please do visit the website www.exidex.com or get in touch with us at [email protected]

We look forward to meeting you at the next Exidex meeting. The date for this is Monday 12th October, probably again at South Mill Arts in Bishop’s Stortford (assuming the rules allow!). Please book in here, and have a good month!