SCA Podcast

In this episode, we chat to Alice Sachrajda and Marzena Zukowska, authors of New Brave World: The power, opportunities and potential of pop culture for social change in the UK.We explore the opportunities for leveraging pop culture for social change and share examples of where pop culture has already proven to be a powerful driver of social change.You can read the full 'New Brave World' report at: unboundphilanthropy.org/new-brave-worldVisit us at thesocialchangeagency.orgFollow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Kate EdwardsGuests: Alice Sachrajda and Marzena ZukowskaTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

We check in with Hannah Paterson on the latest developments in participatory grantmaking and the Shift The Power movement. Plus, we discuss Hannah's new role as Senior Portfolio Manager – Innovation, Policy and Practice at the National Lottery Community Fund.

This episode is a conversation between our consultant Rachel Krengel and Michael Parsons, Portfolio Manager at Guy’s and St Thomas' Charity, which is a foundation dedicated to addressing health inequalities in urban areas. We’ve been working with them on a project to support 20 communities in Southwark and Lambeth during the Covid-19 emergency and beyond. We are piloting ways to get direct financial support into these communities, this has including working mutual aid groups, tenants and residents associations (TRAs) and other community groups. They discuss how to effectively work closely with communities and how they avoided certain common pitfalls. They talk about how to get money to communities in a way that’s flexible and built on trust, while also complying with traditional regulatory requirements. Plus, they look to the role community groups can play in providing social infrastructure at a time when many charities and councils are struggling.

In this episode, our consultant Rachel Krengel speaks to Lindon Rankin, who is an organiser at the African ‘n’ Caribbean Wellbeing Group based in Southwark. Lindon’s is one of the many community groups we at SCA support. In this podcast, Rachel talks to Lindon about his journey into community organising, his experiences of organising during the pandemic and how he believes grassroots groups can structure and govern themselves for maximum impact.

In this podcast, speak to Amy Hulme, Senior Consultancy Manager at The Social Change Agency and fair pay campaigner, who reflects on her time campaigning for the Living Wage. She shares her journey into activism and discusses how to build a successful strategy, movement-building misconceptions and dealing with the slow pace of corporate behaviour change as a campaigner.

In this podcast, speak to Mita Desai, programme manager for the Young Trustees Movement. She shares her journey into activism and discusses how to build a successful strategy, movement-building misconceptions and balancing the need to lead with the need to let go of control.

This is part 2 of a two-part interview featuring Brian Young, the Executive Director of Action Network in conversation with Betsy, our principal director.Action Network is a non-profit dedicated to providing cutting edge technology to the progressive movement.As we record this, we’re facing the corona pandemic induced lockdown and Betsy and Brian reflect on ways technology can bring communities together, asking how to foster connections between people when contact is off the cards. And how to make the brilliant work of community groups responding to the Covid-19 pandemic easier?Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.orgFollow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHosts: Betsy Dillner and Kate EdwardsGuest: Brian YoungProducer: Maria MancusoTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

This is part 1 of a two-part interview featuring Brian Young, the Executive Director of Action Network in conversation with Betsy, our principal director. Action Network is a non-profit dedicated to providing cutting edge technology to the progressive movement.Brian discusses how to build power between people, rather than their online profiles. Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.orgFollow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHosts: Betsy Dillner and Kate EdwardsGuest: Brian YoungProducer: Maria MancusoTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

In this episode, we're sitting down with Hannah Paterson a Churchill Fellow exploring participatory grant-making. Participatory grant-making (PGM) is a means of putting funding decisions into the hands of those affected by the decisions. Done right, it can fundamentally shift power blurring the traditional roles of ‘funder’ and ‘grantee’.Hannah will be running a session on PGM at our ‘Losing Control in funding and commissioning event’ on the 4th March 2020. It will be a day of honest conversations with funders, grantmakers and grantees looking at how we should be innovating to better address the social challenges we face today.Find out more here: https://www.losingcontrol.org/programme-funding-commissioning-2020/Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.orgFollow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Kate EdwardsGuest: Hannah PatersonProducer: Maria MancusoTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

In this episode, we chat with Uma Mishra-Newbery, Executive Director of Women’s March Global, to talk through some of the challenges inherent in the funding sector and the opportunities that lie in changing the traditional approach. Uma is running a session at our ‘Losing Control in funding and commissioning event’ on the 4th March 2020. It will be a day of honest conversations with funders, grantmakers and grantees looking at how we should be innovating to better address the social challenges we face today. Uma’s session is on ‘Funding movements and networks, not people and projects'. Find out more here: https://www.losingcontrol.org/losing-control-in-funding-commissioning/Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.orgFollow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Esther ForemanGuest: Uma Mishra-NewberyProducer: Maria MancusoTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

In this episode, we chat to Jason Foo, CEO of BBD Perfect Storm, a ‘brand and cultural transformation agency’ who have put purpose at the heart of the work they do. Foo talks about appetite for social change in the business sector and the scope for social impact.Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.orgFollow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Kate EdwardsGuest: Jason FooProducer: Maria MancusoTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

In this episode, we caught up with Jo Wells, director of the Blagrave Trust and founding funder of the Young Trustees Movement, which brings together a number of organisations with the aim of doubling the number of young people serving on charity sector boards over the next five years.Jo talks to us about her decision to get behind The Young Trustees Movement, why it is so necessary for the future of charity governance and what it means to take a systemic approach that puts young people at the heart of driving change. Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.orgFollow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Mita DesaiGuest: Jo WellsProducer: Maria MancusoTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

In this episode, we speak with Tor Evans, the senior external relations manager for the Roundhouse who also sits on the Young Trustees Movement advisory board. The Roundhouse has been a leading voice in the push to recruit young trustees. They are trailblazers who have had young trustees for over a decade and even created a guide to youth governance in collaboration with the Arts Council.Tor shares some practical tips for how organisations can recruit young trustees in a meaningful way.Download a copy of the Roundhouse Youth Governance Guide here: https://www.roundhouse.org.uk/about-us/our-work-with-young-people/youth-governance/Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.orgFollow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Mita DesaiGuest: Tor EvansProducer: Maria MancusoTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

In this podcast Pete Burden introduces sociocracy, a consent-based decision making approach to organising. Pete is an organisational strategist, coach and facilitator with over 30 years’ experience working with purpose-driven businesses and organisations.In the second part of this episode, ‘Art of Hosting’ practitioner Jose Barco talks us through acting with purpose and the Art of Hosting approach to harnessing a groups collective wisdom and self-organizing capacity.Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.orgFollow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Kate EdwardsGuests: Pete Burden and Jose BarcoProducer: Maria MancusoTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

It’s often the case that NGOs, philanthropists and funders want to help grassroots groups. But how do you fund a movement which has no leader, no address, and no bank account?And on the flip side, movements might be conflicted about taking this help. What if they're co-opted and their values are diluted, or what if more admin and professionalism upsets the volunteer-led spirit at the heart of what they do?This month we spoke to two people who are part of networks which are working through these very issues with help of our incubation and accelaration programme called Nest.In the first part of this episode, we speak with Will Nicholson who is part of a local health and wellbeing network called the Lambeth Portuguese Wellbeing Partnership. In the second part, we chat with Jake Woodier, campaigns officer at the UK Schools' Climate Network.Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.org Follow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHosts: Kate Edwards, Esther Foreman and Sapna PatelGuests: Will Nicholson and Jake WoodierProducer: Maria MancusoTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

In this episode we speak with Kristiana Wrixon, Head of Policy at ACEVO and leader of the research on bullying in the workplace and creating safer cultures.The Center for Mental Health and ACEVO recently published "In Plain Sight: Workplace Bullying in Charities and Implications for Leadership". This is the second report ACEVO have released following reports about bullying, abusive, and exploitative behavior taking place in some charities that came to light last year.In this episode Kristiana reflects on what the report's findings say about the state of workplace wellbeing in the sector, and crucially, what can be done to improve it. Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.org Follow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Louise LapGuests: @KristianaWrixonProducer: Maria MancusoTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

In this episode we speak with Alice Sachrajda and Lena Baumgartner, the two authors of ‘More than Words’ - How communicating our shared values and forging mutual connections can bring hope for a new tomorrow.We discuss why good communicators should pay as much attention to how they make people feel as to the words they use. What it means to lead with shared values, why it is important to focus on systems that need to be changed and the solutions that are capable of doing so.'More than Words' is a recent investigation, commissioned by the Thomas Paine Initiative, making the case for why those working towards social change, can and should be using strategic communications as a powerful tool for achieving positive change.Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.org Follow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: @EstherForeman Guests: @AliceSachrajda and @LenchenBaumProducer: Maria MancusoTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

In this episode we speak with 15-year-old climate striker Rebekah from London about the climate movement, intergenerational relationships and power structures. Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.org Follow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Esther Foreman, CEO The Social Change AgencyGuest: RebekahProducer: Maria MancusoTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

In this episode we chat with Colin Jeffrey, volunteer for Thrive, and Catherine Wilkes from Designs in mind. Colin and Catherine talk about their impressions of the Losing Control 2019 conference.Losing Control brings together change makers from all kinds of backgrounds, sectors and positions to discuss and create bottom-up and collaborative approaches to social change. Losing Control is hosted by the Social Change Agency and Practical Governance.For more about Losing Control visit the website www.losingcontrol.org. Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.org Follow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Laura ByngProducer: Laura ByngTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

In this episode we interview Guy Pattison, CEO and co-founder at Stronger Stories. At Losing Control 2019, Guy ran a session on storytelling and power titled "Whose story is it anyway?".We’re hardwired to use stories to make sense of the world, share ideas and find new ways to work together. But today, storytelling power is held by the 1% and overwhelmingly used to promote ideas that are bad for us.Stronger Stories is a movement of storytellers excited about the abundance of good ideas that can have a positive impact on the world.For more about Losing Control visit the website www.losingcontrol.org. Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.org Follow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Laura ByngGuests: Guy Pattison (Stronger Stories)Producer: Laura ByngTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

In this episode, we speak to Jessica Horn, Director of Programmes for the African Women's Development Fund, who discusses feminist friendship and the need for non-colonial partnerships between activists in Africa and the UK.The AWDF is a grantmaking organisation based in Accra, Ghana that resources African women's organisations, activists and movements.Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.org Follow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Esther Foreman, CEO The Social Change AgencyGuest: Jessica Horn, Director of Programmes African Women's Development FundProducer: Maria MancusoTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

In this episode we interview Catherine Carter (Lead Trainer) and Philipa Bragman (CEO) at Change. At Losing Control 2019, Catherine and Philipa ran a session on power and inclusion titled "Power and inclusion - Can power and inclusion work together?".The session was an embodied experiential workshop using Deep Democracy and Theatre of the Oppressed techniques. Change is a human rights organisation led by disabled people, working to build an inclusive society where people with learning disabilities are treated equally.For more about Losing Control visit the website www.losingcontrol.org. Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.org Follow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Laura ByngGuests: Philipa Bragman and Catherine Carter (Change)Producer: Laura ByngTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

“I’m not trying to replace the system, but I think the system is missing an essential component, which is the humanity of being a camerado” In the first part of this episode we interview Maff Potts, Director at Camerados after his talk at Losing Control 2019 titled "Mission before preservation: Taking a chainsaw to traditional models of governance to unleash a movement". In the second part, Annie and Sherrie give their reactions to Maff’s talk.Camerados is a movement of people that believe the answer to our problems is each other. The Association of Camerados are exploring a radical new approach to accountability, one that is designed to put mission before preservation, that challenges the traditional power dynamic of the organisation over the people it serves, that is led by core principles not in opposition to them.For more about Losing Control visit the website www.losingcontrol.org. Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.org Follow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Laura ByngGuests: Maff Potts, Director (Camerados), Annie and Sherrie.Producer: Laura ByngTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

“With the action inquiry that I’m working on, one of the things that I keep building into is to keep challenging my own assumptions by working with different people who do different things. For example testing methodologies with a fear practitioner.” In this episode of the SCA podcast we meet Joe Doran, Programme Manager at Lankelly Chase to talk about power, action enquiries and their approach to achieving change. Lankelly Chase is one of the funders of Losing Control 2019.At the event, Joe ran an “Help me” session on power with Sally Byng from Barnwood Trust, Fergus Arkley from Power to Change Trust, and Sarah Campbell from Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The session was titled “Funding networks, movements and community leadership not people, organisations and projects” and examined what funders might need to let go of in order to build sustainable investment in networks, movements, leaders and communities.Lankelly Chase is one of the funders of Losing Control, an event that brings together change makers from all kinds of backgrounds, sectors and positions to discuss and create bottom-up and collaborative approaches to social change. Losing Control is hosted by the Social Change Agency and Practical Governance.For more about Losing Control visit the website www.losingcontrol.org. Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.org Follow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Esther Foreman, CEO (The Social Change Agency)Guest: Joe Doran, Programme Manager (Lankelly Chase)Producer: Maria Mancuso, Junior Communications Officer (The Social Change Agency) Theme music by Loyalty Freak Music

“We need to think about how we can collectively build a culture in which we can grow old and we want our children to grow up in, which is welcoming and inclusive of everybody.” In this episode of the SCA podcast we meet Sally Byng, Chief Executive at Barnwood Trust to discuss the work they do and why we need to lose control. Barnwood Trust is one of the funders of Losing Control 2019. At the event, they ran a session titled “Trying to lose control and stay true to values: relationship building for social change in Gloucestershire”.Their session explored how organisations can build relationships between funders, public sector agencies and people with lived experience of disability and mental health challenges to effect change. What are the conditions for creative collaborations to emerge? What is the personal impact, and effect on organisations involved? What are the challenges to values that arise?Losing Control brings together change makers from all kinds of backgrounds, sectors and positions to discuss and create bottom-up and collaborative approaches to social change. Losing Control is hosted by the Social Change Agency and Practical Governance.For more about Losing Control visit the website www.losingcontrol.org. Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.org Follow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Marc Griffiths, Communications & Marketing Coordinator (Barnwood Trust)Guest: Sally Byng, Chief Executive (Barnwood Trust)Producer: Laura ByngTheme music by Loyalty Freak Music

“The scale of the changes ahead of us makes it especially urgent to involve more diverse people in the conversation.”In this episode we meet Marie-Claude Gervais, Research Director at Versiti to talk about power, inequalities and collaboration. We spoke to Marie-Claude ahead of Losing Control 2019 in Birmingham on 5-6th February where she ran a Teach Me session titled "Powering seldom-heard groups to tackle inequalities". Her session showed how digital communities can be used to engage seldom-heard people to identify their experiences and unmet needs, as well as provide a structured tool for collaboration and co-creation. The session drew on a case study with LGBT, ethnic minority and older cancer patients.Losing Control brings together change makers from all kinds of backgrounds, sectors and positions to discuss and create bottom-up and collaborative approaches to social change. Losing Control is hosted by the Social Change Agency and Practical Governance.For more about Losing Control visit the website www.losingcontrol.org. Visit us at www.thesocialchangeagency.org Follow us on Twitter at @SocialChangeAgHost: Karen Lam, Junior Consultant (The Social Change Agency)Guest: Marie-Claude Gervais, Research Director (Versiti)Producer: Maria Mancuso, Junior Communications Officer (The Social Change Agency) Theme music by Loyalty Freak Music