History
The 3D Forum was established as a collaboration between Lichfield Cathedral and Lichfield Cathedral School in 2013. Over the past 6 years, the Schools and Learning Manager and the Canon Precentor have developed the 3D Forum as a successful enrichment event for schools.
Aims
The 3D Forum series is aimed at providing enrichment and stretching events for sixth formers and gifted and talented year 11/10 students. We have been able to, and wish to continue to, bring together a diverse group of students from different schools, so as to foster a broader discussion from a variety of perspectives. These two hour long events are designed to supplement the curriculum and are an opportunity for young people to come together from a number of schools to debate, discuss and deliberate on matters of importance.
The events are not 'Religious Studies' events but rather the emphasis is upon enrichment and engaging in cross curricular study designed to complement the examination subjects. In the choice of topics and subjects we aim to relate the subject matter of question under consideration to as wide a range of subject areas as we can.
3D is aimed at engaging young people with difficult, controversial and challenging questions and ideas. The emphasis is upon the young people discussing, debating and deciding upon the given question having been given presentations leading to the consideration of a central question. The seating is in groups of 12 to 15 and, through experience, we have discovered that these groups are best in mixed groups of schools and also need a facilitator who is prepared to chair the discussion and move it forward if the young people do not naturally do so themselves. Plenary sessions can also be used to draw ideas together. The session usually runs for two hours with changes of question and presentation in the course of event to maintain interest and engagement, we also provide prompts to aid in the discussion groups.
We hold two or three main events each academic year, usually one in November and one in March, and an event for Holocaust Memorial Day in January.
Previous events have included:
- Are we not better off without nuclear energy and all that entails? (With the Head of Nuclear Physics and Physics department of the University of Birmingham)
- Could you forgive someone who committed a crime against you? (with Staffordshire Police, magistrates, victim of crime and reformed offender)
- GCSE Religious Studies Revision Day (With Dr Peter Vardy)
- Why is it we never seem to learn the lessons of War? (With Mercian Regiment and Rev. Richard Coles)
- Medical Ethics in Crisis: Medical ethical challenges during conflict and crisis response. (With the Director of the Defence Medical Services)
- God and the Big Bang: Exploring the interaction of science and faith. (With academics from the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Durham)
- 3D Plus Reimagining Europe (Lord Richard Newby)
- 3D Plus European Referendum Debate (With Tristram Hunt and Michael Fabricant)
- Law and Morality: Can it ever be morally and legally right to kill? (Law department of the University of Keele, Dr Michael Fay)
- The Power of Words: Holocaust Memorial Day (Holocaust Educational Trust, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Ruth Barnett)
- What is Justice? The Law and Restorative Justice (Law department of the University of Keele, Walk Ministries, Dr Michael Fay)
- Torn from Home: Holocaust Memorial Day (Holocaust Educational Trust, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, John Dobai)
- Artificial Intelligence: Ethics and Issues (Computing and Mathematics Department of the University of Keele, Dr Allison Gardner)
- Time Travel: What is possible?