Community
Our members are our community and we use this ‘ethos’ to inform all our decision-making. The changes we have made with regard to rolling membership, the new database, increased engagement with the regional groups etc. have all been to increase the strength and engagement of the GESGB energy geoscience community.
- There is still much work to do, gender diversity needs further research as the gender split is 23% women and 77% men and we would be interested how this would be played out across the other Societies.
- Opportunities to continue and build on the partnerships between GESGB and other Societies that lead to an increase in benefits to our members.
- The Council have the capacity to influence and inform the GESGB’s activities and the membership communications.
Technical Excellence
Technical Excellence informs all the elements of education that the Society provides for the membership. We are not an academic Society like the Geological Society of London, we are here for the people who work, have worked, or want to work in the Petroleum industries and arguably the technical content for this group will be the very best as there is tangible investment in knowledge within this industry. The technical content is not just for work for the members but also for leisure as we offer field trips and events with highly knowledgeable leaders who encourage discussion and enjoy passionate exchange on the given topic.
- The GESGB office team look to the Council to make decisions based on the technical value of topics, presentations and courses.
- New initiatives developed as part of the partnership agreements and making use of our training space. Visiting lecturers from other Societies and debates around issues and theories.
Charity
The GESGB is a charity and it eschews profits for the benefits of the membership. The disappearance of geology as a subject from the national curriculum is a big concern for the GESGB and its members, so the little funding available is going to the Earth Science Teachers Association to train teachers how to teach Geology at A Level and to engage and inspire both geologists and geologists working within schools with resources, tools and a network. The GESGB would like to be instrumental in ensuring the public can join in the big debates about energy and climate with at least a basic level of understanding.