Explore. Dream. Discover.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

-- Mark Twain


Today I went to an arts centre in North Edinburgh for a conference. The venue is just behind the library, which is on the right of the photo.

It's not the nicest place. A few years ago I was working on a project here and I saw a man outside covered entirely in his own blood, head to toe.

On the left of the photo is the shell of a shopping arcade. There are still a couple of shops, but the windows and doorways are just frames - no glass, no plastic sheeting ... no doors.

So, I bet you'll be surprised to hear that the conference was all about vital arts and theatre work which directly engages with early years children and their grown ups. It was about developing a confident society, about being brave in the face of disruption and creative chaos, and about believing in the process, the product, and the people.

Where better for a conference about engagement, arts and resilience in early years work, than in a venue in the heart of a community that has been ignored for far too long?

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