Engagement Day

This session was all about the Invisible Warrior project – an Imperial societal engagement project raising awareness for Sickle Cell Disease with a focus on mental health, invisible disabilities and health inequalities. Participants learnt about this case study and how it evolved over the 5 years it’s been running. They discovered how a variety of internal and external collaborators allowed the Invisible Warrior project to diversify its impact, and the methods they used to measure success. In an activity, participants developed ideas on how you can expand your impact by identifying potential collaborators to diversify the impact of your own engagement initiatives.

This Deep Dive was a whistlestop guide to planning and telling a strong impact story from your engagement work. The session began focusing on the start of a project, and how you might ‘map out’ the impact you want to have through your engagement activities. Amongst other tools, explore how creating a theory of change can help with this process. The deep dive closed with ideas and examples of how you might translate your evaluation data into a compelling story for funders, partners and others, that helps to demonstrate the impact you have had through your activities, from visualising your data to using storytelling techniques.

Although very much at the front of our minds now, the concept of impact is relatively new to research assessment and funding criteria. This deep dive session explored how impact has been defined, understood and valued within research culture and how this has changed over time. Based on her doctoral research, Liz provided useful context around how impact is featured within the UK higher education funding landscape, and how universities are asked to report on their societal impact.

Public transport

Rail and underground

White City is the nearest Underground station to Scale Space. This station is approximately 640m from Scale Space and is served by the Central line. White City station is not step free.

Wood Lane Underground station is approximately 800m to Scale Space. This is served by the Circle and Hammersmith and City lines and has step-free access from the street.

Shepherd’s Bush station is approximately 1800m to Scale Space. This station is served by the Central line, Overground and National Rail and is not step-free.

By bus

Bus routes that can be used includes 72, 95, 220, 228 and 272. View TfL’s local bus routes.

Parking

There are four accessible parking spaces available near Scale Space. Booking of these spaces is managed by Scale Space, to reserve one please get in touch with us (societal_engagement@imperial.ac.uk) so we can connect you with the appropriate venue contact.

All-gender wheelchair-accessible toilets are available at Scale Space. You will find these facilities on the ground floor next to the main conference space.

The networking component of the conference may involve standing, although plenty of seating will be available in the foyer where the catering and refreshments are served as well as in each of the workshops and talks.

Assistance dogs are welcome at Scale Space. Dogs must be suitably trained, supervised, and remain on a lead, tabard, or harness to the person they are assisting while at the venue.

Live captioned shows

Three of the sessions will be live captioned at Engagement Day. This includes the keynote, the panel discussion, the Lightning talks and the opening and closing remarks.

Hearing loops

There is a portable hearing loop available that can be used in all spaces where the workshops and talks are held.

The calm space can be used by attendees who need a private area away from the conference, whether to escape the hustle and bustle of the event or to avoid any sounds, triggers or experiences that are making them feel anxious or overwhelmed.

The calm space will be in the meeting room Dimco, which is located through one security door. Attendees can ask a member of the Public and Community Engagement team for card access to the space at any time, and we will have several mental health first aiders on hand throughout the day.

Attendees are welcome to breastfeed in any of the spaces that the workshops and talks are being held. Alternatively, there is a medical room available to anyone who prefers to breastfeed in private. Attendees can ask a member of the Public and Community Engagement team for card access to the medical room at any time.

There is a multi-faith space available for anyone to use should they need a private place to spend time in contemplation or prayer. The multi-faith space is located on the second floor of the building. The lift requires a venue access card, which attendees can request from a member of the Public and Community Engagement team at any time.

The lift within Scale Space uses an automatic room fresher that emits a fragrance which may affect those with sensory sensitivities.  If this an issue, please get in touch with the team so that we discuss.

The Public and Community Engagement team will be wearing large circular badges that say ‘How can I help?’.  Attendees are encouraged to approach the team with questions, requests or concerns at any point throughout Engagement Day.