Hopkins Van Mil - 20 joyful & creative years
Celebrating 20 years of bringing people together to inform the future
20 years ago today HVM was launched. With respect, kindness, thoughtfulness and applying all our creativity and curiosity, we have:
Delivered over 120 projects, many taking several years of careful deliberation;
Engaged thousands of participants (5,319 since 2019 alone) in dialogue and qualitative social research programmes;
Conducted at least 20 depth interviews in each of those 20 years;
Held over 900 workshops on topics for which society has no clear answers as yet - encompassing health and social care; data and AI; emerging and near horizon technologies; social reform; climate change; food systems; arts, museums and heritage; and thriving people and places.
This has brought us immense joy, with powerful collaborations with partners, commissioners and participants to have conversations on the issues that matter, each one of which makes lives a little bit better. Our work has been extensively evaluated - so we know that it has had an impact on policy in practice. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has seen what we we do as important. Our values aren’t just something we put on a website. They’ve shaped everything we do. They’re what makes this work matter.
There are so many moments we could share from the past two decades, so we’ll focus on just two. For a Sciencewise dialogue on wellbeing a group reflecting on how to change chronic loneliness in society, concluded their deliberations by going to the pub – they wrote to tell us that they still meet weekly – and aren’t lonely anymore. A participant in the Citizens’ Biometrics Council said,
“I came in not knowing what to expect, what do I know about biometrics? But I’m leaving feeling like my voice actually matters.”
That’s why we do this work. Because everyone deserves that feeling – and policy needs to be informed by people’s values and principles
So where do we go from here?
The world feels more complex than ever. We’re living through rapid change, growing inequality, global conflict, a climate crisis, a cost of living crisis, technological transformation. But we believe—more than ever—in the power of listening. In respectful and empathetic deliberation. In giving people space to be heard, to learn, and to connect. Hopkins Van Mil will keep doing just that. We’ll keep designing creative processes, holding space, and helping public policy to be developed with people’s views and principles at their heart.
So we’ll be doing more deliberation. We’ll also continue to run excellent People’s Panels, engaging people beyond their initial participation in dialogue – to support organisations over time to think about what matters. We’ll continue to do excellent qualitative research – going beyond first thoughts and getting to the heart of the matter on so many issues. Henrietta Hopkins, HVM Director, said at our anniversary celebrations,
“To our clients and partners—you’ve trusted us with your challenges, and invited us to help create space for honest, open dialogue. That takes courage. Thank you for working with us, challenging us, and helping us grow.
To the amazing HVM team—past and present—you are the heart of this organisation. Thank you for your creativity, your insight, and your unwavering commitment to what we do. We are a special family and I’m so proud of all you do and what we have achieved.”
As celebrate 20 years of impactful work at Hopkins Van Mil, we invite you to join us in shaping our future. Explore our projects, and get in touch to share your ideas. What you would like to see HVM doing over the next 20 years?