Pat Kane, author of The Play Ethic, kicked off the Young Foundation's 2011 Lunchtime Seminar series with a discussion of how the  Big Society project could radically transform our approach to work and life.

Much of the rhetoric surrounding the Big Society project has sought to inspire a new burst of social creativity. People are being urged to be more enterprising and socially active. But, as Pat Kane pointed out, the current Big Society plans do not provide the infrastructure for this wave of activity to flourish. He argued that the state ought to maintain and support institutions that allow people to be playful and enterprising, not diminish them.

Drawing on the findings of an NEF report, Pat Kane suggested that by reducing work hours people's time and collective effort could be channelled into their communities. However, it is crucial that such time made free of work would not have a rigid framework; for genuine creativity and enthusiasm people must be able to decide what they want to do. And there is no need for any reward scheme, these enterprising activities must be intrinsically valuable and meaningful.

Pat concluded that the Big Society project is 50% the right idea, 100% the wrong time. To change this we need to think about how we can make the transition to a society that can feasibly undertake voluntary community service as well as paid work.

Listen to the audio recording.

Download the accompanying slideshow.

Photos from the seminar.