Not for me, not for you, but for us

We have been inspired by the Royal and Derngate in Northampton who are shaping plans for a new arts-led secondary school. By the Fun Palace movement enabling hundreds of grassroots projects led by local communities. By 64 Million Artists asking everyone in Britain to sign up to their January creative challenge. By The Agency in Manchester and Battersea leading change in their communities. By Agents of Creative Change who are using creativity to tackle real challenges.

Creating space for everyone

We have been inspired by Haworth Tompkins who are architects with a difference. They’re up for sharing the authorship of the buildings they create and we are very grateful for the careful, sensitive way they have gone about reshaping Battersea’s former Town Hall, opening it up as an accessible space. By the four artists from outside London who have designed eight bedrooms for visiting companies. By the couples who have tied the knot here for the first time since the fire and by everyone who has continued to stand with us as we work towards re-opening the Grand Hall in 2018.

People came together for London Stories: Made By Migrants

We have been inspired by the storytellers who shared their powerful true stories of coming to London and making a home, including 10 amazing Homegrowners, in this new BAC Moving Museum project. It is because of them that the show was chosen as one of the Observer’s top 10 shows of 2016 and raised over £2000 for the South London Refugee Association. We look forward to continuing our journey with the storytellers in 2017, including a film of London Stories.

Artists on the small screen

We have been inspired by Jeremy Deller and his brilliant film for BBC4 describing the We Are Here project. By Kate Tempest and her incredible new epic poem, story, album and uproar, Let Them Eat Chaos. By all the artists who are planning new digital collaborations for Performance Live working with BBC and Arts Council England. By our very own Beatbox Academy who soared to new heights on Gareth Malone’s The Choir.

Creative risks around the country

We have been inspired by producers in Medway, Wigan and Peterborough who joined the Collaborative Touring Network with Gloucester, Darlington, Hull, Thanet and Torbay, delivering year-round cultural programmes. By six Creative Museums who have creatively involved their visitors and local communities in bringing their collections to life. By everyone everywhere who has been working to highlight that, together, we have #MoreInCommon.

Colouring pens out, scissors at hand, glue sticks ready and with creative hats on, The Agency officially took over the Battersea Arts Centre offices to finish off their posters and artwork, ready for the day ahead. Everyone was surprisingly relaxed as the usual banter and conversation was exchanged, though some people used the time to gather facts and statistics to make the case for their project even stronger, with Henrietta and Leon fixed at their computer screens.

As ever, the time flew before our very eyes and, before we knew it, lunch was over and it was time to prepare our stalls for the event. Cue panic!

Things suddenly got real and it was only a matter of time before this empty hall would be filled with people. After the strenuous task of moving 10 abnormally heavy tables, it turned out their weren’t enough (great!) But panic not! In only 40 minutes of ‘I haven’t got a table yet’ accompanied with running around like headless chickens, the situation was resolved and we were ready to get on with things.

The space suddenly looked amazing and it became apparent just how much of a milestone event this was for the Agents and how far they had come on their personal journeys. Colorful decorations and beautifully drawn posters by everyone filled the room. I can’t really think of enough positive words to describe the detail and effort put into everyone stall, but I’ll attempt to give a few highlights.

Kevin surprised everyone as he pulled out all the stops, bringing in  a laptop with a presentation and video camera equipment to discuss his project with visitors (he was also the DJ for the day).

Paige also incorporated technology in the presentation of her stall, with a slideshow of her homemade cakes and other products on an iPad that people could flick through.

Soon, once the event began and visitors filtered in and out, conversations were flowing, music was pumping and projects were coming to life. Every agent flourished in presenting their ideas (and let’s not forgot about all the goodies and giveaways that they had arranged!). Both Paige and Saffron brought in homemade cupcakes for the masses and Stevanie designed, created and supplied everyone with Rubix badges sporting her custom logo.

It’s safe to say that the overall standard was impressive. The feedback from both the industry professionals we invited and from family members was of sheer adulation for the Agents’ ideas and the way they presented them. Ending on a high, the Agents could now prepare for their biggest challenge yet; presenting to the industry panel.

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With the rain beating down and the air with a touch of winter frost to it, I’d be lying if I told you this Saturday was particularly easy for anyone. But it’s the Agency tradition to always give it your all no matter what the circumstances are, and this week was no different as participants prepared to carry out their own questionnaire to members of the public to gain an insight into local demands in their area.

The session began with the Agents crafting four open-ended questions they would ask the public to help them identify a need for their idea, without going into too much detail about what their project idea is. Everyone wrote up about 10 different questions before eliminating them down to their strongest four.

The tutor, Bobbi, then got the group to write an opening speech they would use to approach people with, describing what the questionnaire is about and why they’d like them to take part. Next, the Agents were paired up to run through their questions with each other, ready to present them back to the whole group for one last round of feedback.

Back from lunch it was time to plunge into the deep end and hit the streets, fortunately the rain had now slowed down.  The task was simple; go out in pairs and ask as many people as possible, gather and write down answers.  Agents were also encouraged to approach relevant businesses and shops to gather further information. Emmanuel got a head start as he took to the basketball court conveniently next to Caius House (where our sessions are held), to quiz the basketball team and their coach.

Me, Djbril and Bobbi headed to the comforts of the Battersea Arts Centre on our own quest. After an hour and a half of separation we met back at Caius House and discussed what everyone’s experiences were in dealing with the public; sharing back all the information and how it affected the next steps they would take in developing their idea.

Using this crucial feedback, the Agents were now able to re-evaluate the need for their project in the local area and strengthen their respective pitches for funding.

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We kicked off the session with a pop quiz based on popular slogans. Split into 3 groups, the competition levels were high. Each group whispered answers with the upmost secrecy and Agent Emmanuel even tried to trick the opposing group by shouting out the incorrect answer.

The tutor, Bobbi, would read out a slogan and we had to guess which company it belonged to. Some slogans even came in German as the clues got harder and harder. After tallying up scores and learning that my team unfortunately didn’t win, we went into a brief discussion about slogans and their importance in branding.

This conversation led to the next task; Agents had to imagine their project in 10 years time and write down how they envisaged what a typical day would look like. By looking ahead the group had to think strategically about what it would take to deliver their project on a large scale.

Now the Agents had to present their vision to the rest the of the group, back up music and all. The standard of performance was amazing as each Agent gave a detailed and thought-out description of their day. Stephanie’s was absolutely hilarious as she delivered a perfectly timed presentation on her day in an entertaining and charismatic way. On a side note, it soon occurred to me that almost everyone begun their day with a coffee trip… After everyone’s sharing we broke off into lunch.

When we returned, Bobbi introduced the ‘P.I.D’ sheet to the group, which is meant to help the Agents think of all the aspects of their project in preparation for presenting this information to the panel. Agents were assigned a few hours to think of a name, a mission statement, their vision and a short description of their project.

Over those few hours everyone got creative, thinking deeply about the meaning of their project and how a slogan would embody it, using that momentum to trigger their vision of how it would affect their territory (community). As the end of the session arrived, it seemed this task left everyone in a good place with their ideas, ready for the next stage of the programme.

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For this session of The Agency we had an amazing mix of art, history and science as we took a day trip visiting exhibitions around London. Our first stop was the Wellcome Trust’s Bedlam exhibition in Euston which follows the history of mental asylums.

We chose this exhibition in particular to show the Agents how a heavy topic such as the history of mental health could be used to create an informative space for change using a collection of art, science and information.

As we began the exhibition, the first room began with old historical material from the Bethlem Royal Hospital in Bromley. As we entered, I saw that the first table displayed poems, drawings and other forms of art that the patients had created to express their feelings and describe their surroundings. On the walls surrounding the table were collections of blue prints of the asylum accompanied by paragraphs detailing the history of it.

As you went around into the next room there were a variety of intriguing artistic video projections and audio clips about mental illness. Some highlighted the controversies surrounding mental institutions and of the inhumane methods used to ‘cure’ patients and the mental and emotional side effects of prescription drugs.

We eventually made our way up to the second floor, which focused mainly on the science behind mental and physical health. This was probably my favorite part of the exhibition, as it had a few innovative and unusual interactive pieces of art, like a censored bronze sculpture that unexpectedly opens an eye as you approach it. I’ll sheepishly add it may have caught Leon and me off guard.

In the final room was a grand library containing traditional paintings and sculptures reflecting mental health through time, capturing different moments in history in which brutish techniques were used to deal with it.

The next stop in our cultured adventure was to the South Bank Centre to visit the ‘We are all human’ exhibition which is diplaying pieces of art produced in UK prisons, secure hospitals and immigration removal centers.

Our tour guide David told us some amazing back-stories of how each piece came to be created, sharing with us his own experiences of being in prison; he added a very personal touch to his descriptions, which helped us understand the meaning behind each piece.

Our adventure came to an end at the Tate Modern where we explored its vast collection of art, after laying down in massive turbine hall exhibition. It brought a good conclusion to a cultured day as the Agents got to see another building that collects different work, from different sources to bring it all together and create a useful and educational space.

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We had reached the last session of learning The Agency methodology before participants would be moving on to researching their project, so today’s session would be all about making further developments on everyone’s ideas and working on pitching techniques.

We warmed up with a quick session of yoga before the tutor, Bobbi, got everyone to think about some of the key elements involved in how to pitch and present an idea, like persuasiveness, body language, posture and vocal tone. She then got the agents started on a debate game called Passion Pitch, splitting the group into partners A and B.  After being given a question or statement A had a minute to argue either for or against it; after their time was up, B then had a minute to present a counter argument.

With everyone locked in a heated discussion, Bobbi paused the debate and introduced some breathing and voice projection techniques the agents could use improve their presence. I added to this point by briefly going through a couple of vocal exercises singers use to warm their voices up; discussing how it helps preserve the voice and tackle nerves.

We then went through ‘Power Poses’, which is basically all about body language and how the way you stand can alter your demeanor and give you more confidence. We then continued with a few more rounds of Passion Pitching, with every agent having a new swag about their presence as they power posed their way through speeches.

With the breathing and posture techniques covered, it was time for our persuasive agents to prove themselves by setting up a stall in a “Market Place of Ideas”. They had to convince us of their ideas by using all 4 points of the compass (Desire, Form, Territory and Network) to create a hand drawn presentation and a two minute pitch.

With A3 paper, colouring pens, coloured cards, glue sticks and scissors at hand, the agents attacked this task full steam ahead and everyone seemed genuinely excited at the prospect of being able to work more on their ideas and share it with everyone else. The agents made the task their own, like Saffron who went bright and bold in colour to communicate her ideas about healthy living. Henrietta went all out with information cards about her theatre company for care leavers, which she attached together using a string and hung from the door to the wall, earning extra points in my book just for the innovative creation.

Once the preparations were done, it was time for the marketplace to commence. As I wandered from stall to stall, it had hit me how far the agents had already come. Everyone was able to flawlessly apply the methodology to their pieces and share their vision with the group and that alone was an early achievement and something to celebrate. So after a day of confidence building, arts and crafts and pitching, that’s exactly what we did! Knowing deep down the next few weeks is when the real fun begins as the dates for the panel pitches draw closer.

Assistant Facilitator Africa fills us on in what participants have been up to on their third week of The Agency programme.

We were now three weeks into our journey and it was time for the agents to learn about mapping and networks.

As they filtered in to the room they were greeted with a variety of different maps sprawled across a table. As well as traditional geographical ones, there were ones that mapped out statistics or made social commentary, and some used creative illustrations to carry subliminal messages.

The agents gathered around the table to scrutinize the maps. The tutor, Bobbi, explained that the purpose of all these maps was to show how each came with its own respective interpretation of the world and that people use them in different ways to navigate and log their journeys. As protagonists we can also map out anything, from our thoughts and feelings to our life and our networks.

Soon after the agents were split into pairs and given their first task to draw their own map that showed 10 key moments in their life. This prompted them to think about the journey that’s made them who they are today and their desires in life.

After this, they had to create a physical map of their area using post-it notes and the room. The room was Wandsworth and a post-it in the middle of the room represented Caius House as a reference point. Everyone then had to map the rest of the area out, starting with them placing where they believed their house would be.

After some minor disputes on geography, the agents stood above their street name post-it notes and passed a ball of string around the room to create a web that conveyed how they’d come to build a network from their local area.

As we remained gathered in our web, Bobbi asked the agents to think about places they would go and wouldn’t go. This opened up an interesting conversation about how they perceived areas differently to each other, with some agents sharing their reasons for not feeling safe in certain territories around Wandsworth.

The day wrapped up with the agents incorporating all of the skills they’d learnt in the session to map out their ideas, thinking about:

1) Key moments in their life and how they reached them (Desire),
2) Who they know already and who they need to know (Network)
3) Identifying the need for their idea in their area (Territory)

This task helped all the agents in strengthening their idea by beginning to establish a network, analysing all the roles needed to make their idea functional and thinking about their target audience. As the session drew to an end some agents had time to share their amazing maps that didn’t only represent where their journey was heading, but how far they’ve come in just three weeks.

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Our 12 week journey officially began at Caius House to the sound of Rihanna and Drake as the new participants to this year’s Agency programme raced across the hall.

After 15 minutes of cardio warm-ups and a game of betrayal trying to catch each other out, the agents were given a challenge that was less about reaction time and numeracy and more about thinking and teamwork.

The lead facilitator Bobbi split them into pairs with the task of drawing around each other to create an outline of themselves to fill with written interests, desires and any general facts that make them who they are. This exercise aimed to help the agents to begin developing the idea that as individuals, we are the protagonists of our own stories and ultimately the masters of our own fate.

Next up – an introduction to a concept that will be pivotal to the group over the next 12 weeks: the Faustini compass. A metaphorical tool that swaps the points of North, East, South and West with Desire, Form, Territory and Network. A useful allegory for mapping out goals and ambitions. As agency member Leon later pointed out, ‘a map shows a path that’s already been set, where as a compass shows a direction … we can alter our own paths in order to get there’.

Later in the session compass ‘stations’ named after the points of Faustini’s concept, were set up around the hall. Split into groups of four, the agents visited each station to collect an envelope with their task. At the Desire station agents had to practice giving a minute long presentation, talking through their aspirations and what they believe makes them who they are.

With many daunted at the prospect of having to talk in front of their peers, it was refreshing to see how the shyest of characters rose to the occasion and flourished when it came to presenting to the rest of the group. Minira explained her motivations came from her family and told us of her desire to travel and learn new cultures. Shania spoke about her love of Asian culture and went as far as greeting the group in dialects from China, Japan, Thailand and South Korea.

The Territory station provided the most entertaining activity of the day as each group performed a five minute piece highlighting some of the pros and cons of the environment they live in.

I found this station particularly interesting as it showed how the agents perceived issues in their areas – almost poking fun at stereotypes that society creates, like Henrietta who parodied a police constable giving interviews to the general public about their local areas. I think it was her use of police-like phrases and mannerisms that really sold it!

Concluding the day, every agent drew their compass at the front of their new booklets. This compass would serve as a reminder to what they want to achieve on this journey and be the guide to reaching that goal. Saturday marked the beginning and, if it’s true that a journey of a 1000 mile begins with a single step, then I’m proud to say as a team we took our first, compass in hand.

By Africa Nile, Assistant Facilitator

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I WROTE THIS FOR A WORKSHOP RUN BY THE BIG LOTTERY IN RESPONSE TO THEIR QUESTION – WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF DOING GOOD IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS?

I was a bit scared by this question. Whose good? Did anyone else think that?

I am also not experienced across a variety of sectors to provide a visionary answer!

But I can talk, more confidently and authentically, about the future of doing good stuff in the field in which I work – and hope this has some wider relevance to the great range of people here.

I work in an arts organisation called Battersea Arts Centre. But I often say that I work in a learning organisation. And a social change organisation. We are also a business. We try not to sit in a silo.

The big change for us over the last 10 years, that we will carry forwards over the next 10 years, is using our Scratch process in absolutely everything we do.

Scratch came about as a mechanism to change theatre:

• An iterative, creative approach to developing a piece of theatre.
• Presenting an idea, asking questions, listening to responses, re-developing the idea.
• Scratch the idea, leave it for a month or two, Scratch it again, and so on.
• Until you have a fully developed piece of theatre.

It proved especially well-suited to non-conventional theatre artists from different disciplines.

Because over time the process can help build teams, grow support and networks and respond to things that do and don’t work. You can change your mind as you go along. You can achieve something you could not have originally conceived on your own. It’s a creative process.

So 10 years ago we began to apply this process to everything we do. We have applied a Scratch approach to the development of our building, to the way we structure our organisation, to working with teachers in schools, to supporting young people to develop new enterprises, to supporting professionals in the public and third sector,  and so on…

The Scratch approach is iterative, creative, user-centred and it balances intended outcomes with what we find out along the way. Especially in terms of what actually excites and motivates people: what matters to people. Scratch is not unique, it’s similar to other used-based methodologies in other fields of work or walks of life.

The point I would like to make is that when we started using it, it not only made the things that we were doing better (shows, buildings, workshops etc.) it made us undertake better things.

In other words, we have started doing more things that get closer to meeting the needs of our local community. The process is changing our organisation to do more things that people who live near us actually care about.

In essence, my contribution to this conversation is captured in the words of the 1982 hit by Fun Boy Three and Bananarama:

It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it
It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it
It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it
And that’s what gets results.

 I tried to re-write the song in response to this conversation.

It ain’t what you do – or what you’re funded to do, or whether you do it as a charity, or as a business, or as government, or all three, or whether you are fixing a need or building a strength, or whether you measure, or who holds you to account, or whether you use technology or not – it’s the way that you do it. And that’s what gets results.

What I mean is that I think we can often spend too much time, as organisations and as collaborators, worrying about the doing side.

But the way we do things often says more about our values than what we say we are doing

It is the way that we do things that shows people we care, we listen and we help them develop their plan for positive change, not ours.

Shared values are more likely to lead to systemic change, rather than trying to get everyone to do the same thing.

I still use Scratch to help artists develop their idea for a show. But I now also use it to help young people develop ideas for new social enterprises on housing estates around Clapham Junction. Both use Scratch as a creative process to help people access their creative potential.

By prioritising the way that we work together, using Scratch, I believe we are more likely to end up doing something that has value, that meets a need, and that’s also less likely to do damage through the imposition of a top-down goal, target or intention.

 David Jubb

Scratch is:

• A process or set of actions
• A mindset or set of behaviours
• A philosophy or set of values.

I am 19 years old, a young mother of one, raising a one year old boy. I am a creative director for a campaign called Baby Reign.