Change Makers emerging leader’s programmes seek to empower a new generation of urban leaders. The focus here is on growing each leader’s capacity in the critical qualities of compassion, innovation and resilience, as well as building life-long connections, self-awareness and skills for change. Participants are nominated as a small group (‘Pods’) from their communities (‘Seedbeds’) and join with others around the country to shape their ideas for change in the areas of community building, community organising and community enterprise. We work with these emerging leaders over 6 months with 3 week-end residentials, 3 coaching sessions, 2 best practice site visits and they pitch their initiative at the end of the programme to a resource panel and graduate.
We have already seen 3 cohorts grow change making, both within emerging leaders themselves and through launching their community based initiatives (see video clips of recent participants here).
Change Makers emerging leader programmes are run by the School for Urban Leadership in conjunction with key partners. In England it’s Worth Unlimited, Bonnie Down Community Association, West Silvertown Foundation, Newbigin Community Trust and other local Seedbeds who nominate and send small teams (pods) of emerging leaders to Change Maker programmes. In Scotland a pilot programme will partner with The Church of Scotland ‘Priority Areas’, Church of the Nazarenes, Mustard Seed and Soul Food.
In 2020-21 there are five Change Maker emerging leader programmes:
Ø Urban Change Makers (England): Emerging leaders aged 18+ with a Christian based programme (Sep 2020-Feb 2021)
Ø Young Change Makers (England): Emerging leaders aged 15-18 with a value-based programme. (Aug 2020 – Feb 2021)
Ø Urban Change Makers (England): Emerging leaders aged +18 with a value-based programme. (March 2021 to August 2021
Ø Urban Change Makers (Scotland): Emerging leaders aged 18+ with a Christian based programme (March 2021- August 2021)
Ø Change Makers Alumni: For those who have graduated Urban Change Makers there are dinners, events, coaching, incubator and immersion experiences each year.
Change Makers emerging leader programmes especially focuses on those who are:
- Urban (ie from urban priority area and be willing to join the programme in a local ‘pod’ with others from that neighbourhood).
- Emerging (ie, those with high potential to make a difference)
- Diverse (ie, not from mainstream, establishment backgrounds, paying attention to class, race and gender access and equity challenges)
- Raw Talents (ie, have catalytic potential that traditional education systems will probably not bring out their best)
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Change Makers 