Dear Change Makers, Earth Shakers and Ground Breakers

On 31 October, while ghosts and ghouls from all over the Kite neighbourhood were gathering at Together Culture on Fitzroy Street for trick or treating, I bundled onto a train and made my way across the country to Cornwall. My destination was St Austell, home of the Eden Project, and I was there to attend Anthropy23. 

‘Leave your silos at the door’, we were advised by big banners as we approached the entrance to the cross-sector conference. For the second year in a row, leaders and changemakers across all sectors were coming together to ‘ignite lasting inspiration for a Better Britain’, meaning: a more equitable and sustainable future for all.

At the State of our Nation opening address, panellists shared a range of economic and societal insights. One of the speakers quoted Antonio Gramsci, the philosopher and politician, who in the 1930s wrote: “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.” And there is no doubt that our world is in transition. But with the recent and ongoing upheavals, my fellow Anthropists were able to see the opportunities presented by challenges such as the pandemic. Some voices in the room shared their own experience of lockdown; how they’d had a glimpse of what a new way of being could be like, if we truly felt a sense of belonging and connection to our communities. Catherine Johnstone from the Royal Voluntary Service shared that: “people don’t want to paint the village hall anymore, they want to contribute meaningfully.” This inevitably raised the question, is everyone able to share their unique skills for the benefit of their communities?

This is a thought that stayed with me as I joined a session introducing the Community Power Act. The supporting campaign - We’re Right Here - expresses a sentiment that was threaded through almost every session I participated in: that we, communities across the UK, have the skills, creativity and motivation to create much needed, seismic change, but not everyone has the agency to do so. 

On one panel, Charlotte Hill, CEO of the Felix Project was asked for one takeaway: “Take action,” she said. “Figure out where you can help and do it. And act now.” In another, a representative of Cornwall Council recommended that folks “get the marker pens out and draw what you want,” adding that local authorities and organisations should work with people to support them on the practical side of things. But the truth is, while most of us want to improve our environments, too many barriers exist. Power is seemingly held by the few, and processes for change can seem unwieldy and opaque. 

That’s what the Community Power Act aims to change, by giving communities the first right to buy spaces with significant community value, and by introducing community covenants that bring local people, organisations and local authorities together to share power and make decisions. The goal is to put decision making power back in the hands of local people who love a place. 

The Community Power Act proposal

The Community Power Act is so aligned with what our own community here in Cambridge is already working to achieve. Here we are, gathering a community of people united in their desire to help create a more equitable and ecological creative economy. Friends, we’re building our own democracy: a blueprint for the framework that enables people to work collectively to create positive change. In 2024, that includes the launching of the Together Culture Citizens’ Studio, Business Unusual Upskilling for Changemakers Workshops, and Resolution for Regeneration event series. All of this is to empower people to come together and make change happen. None of this is by accident - it’s laid out in our Theory of Change. 

So, as we step into 2024 and the next phase of our Theory of Change, I hope you’ll recognise the power and value of your contributions. You are change makers, earth shakers and ground breakers. The change that we’re seeding here at the Together Culture Cambridge prototype is part of a national ecosystem that will grow in the years to come. I could not be happier to be on this path with you all!