Oportus blog February 2023

In January’s blog I wrote about learning being a path.

The path of learning can be littered with problems and travelling it can be lonely; Graham Greene wrote that: “In the end there is no desire so deep as the desire for companionship.” But how do we get to meet the companion who can travel with us on at least part of our journey?

Have you ever been on the opposite side of a closed door to someone, trying to communicate with them? How effective was it? Two people on each side of a closed door can’t see each other – unless it’s a glass door of course - and won’t hear each other fully either.

Oportus’ experience is in getting people together who wouldn’t normally even meet, from policymakers to people with lived experience, schoolchildren to senior citizens - we have learnt over many years that opening doors and getting people around the same table reveals answers to problems that appear huge at first – it is often the person on the other side of the door who is the answer to our problem. We are now looking at inside and outside the box solutions for people facing isolation in care homes, prison leavers, young people who need educational support, those with accommodation needs and refugees – to open doors, bring people together and identify answers to problems. At Oportus, we believe that the point of opening a door is to get people to come out of these boxes, meet others and step out on their own path of learning.

When a door is opened, it becomes a doorway; we believe an open door is a way towards a solution.

With experience in bringing together people from local and national government levels down to grassroots groups and individuals who need support, we at Oportus can help open a door of opportunity for you or those you work with – if that’s of interest, get in touch on our contact form (and feel free to share it with anyone you know who might benefit from it.)

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