The world is increasingly complex and its challenges increasingly urgent. So, we have decided to bring back Losing Control from its post pandemic hibernation! Will you join us?
The world is increasingly complex and its challenges increasingly urgent. We’ve been hearing, seeing and witnessing the desire and need to develop new strategies and tactics that improve the effectiveness and pace of social change. There’s a growing emphasis on radical forms of funding, building social movements, collaboration to effect systems change, co-creation community control and lived experience leadership. These approaches often have a focus on addressing where power lies, seeking to rebalance power towards communities, especially the most marginalised, alongside a focus on flatter hierarchies, dispersed leadership, collective decision-making and grassroots leadership. We believe that what typically binds such approaches are strong networks, shared resources, well designed organisational and decision-making tools and processes, and a shared sense of values and purpose.
Over the past few years we’ve also seen a fundamental shift of the social contract between citizen and state. This has been heightened by Brexit, the pandemic and the hostile and intentional polarisation of public speech and accompanying policy.
Since April 2017 The Social Change Agency has worked with partners to co-host Losing Control conferences, which have explored these areas, focussing on practical support and ideas to boost the effectiveness and power of civil society. Right now we think there is a greater need than ever to curate and resource a space for practitioners and doers – activists, community groups, changemakers and funders – to think and play together and develop new ideas and grow and strengthen relationships. And done in a way that is entirely led and shaped by attendees. So, this year, Losing Control has teamed up with Collaborate CIC and Ten Years’ Time, to bring a mix of people together to provide a truly unique opportunity to share, support each other, and nurture collective energy for change.
There’s no doubt that people have been quietly getting on with things, but we don’t know enough about what each other is doing. So, we’re inviting you to join us in Birmingham on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th November to recalibrate, community, and celebrate.
We are in the process of finalising details for this event, but do let us know if you plan to join us and or would like to contribute to the content, so that we can save you a place and advise on details just as soon as we can.