We’re living in uncertain times. Some call it the age of anger but I don’t think that’s quite right. Anger is a secondary emotion – a response to something deeper. Having spent 20 years working in social change, I believe that what lies beneath is a collective feeling of powerlessness.
Power is something you feel most acutely when you don’t have it. How few genuinely feel they have power over the issues that affect their lives? We can all see social problems getting worse at the same time as our institutions are creaking at the seams. It’s no surprise that public trust in politicians is at its lowest level since records began.
I believe public life is broken for one simple reason - it doesn’t actually involve the public. From Whitehall to town halls, those creating solutions to our biggest public problems aren’t the people experiencing them on the ground. That needs to change.
That’s why I’ve created Public Life, a new social business with a single driving mission - public life boldly led by the public. I believe that those experiencing social issues are the best people to solve them. Our unique inventing programmes offer the public life-changing opportunities to invent impactful new solutions to the issues affecting their lives. And by involving thousands, our goal is to build a powerful public movement that revitalises public life across the country.
We know our approach works - I’ve been developing it intensively over the last five years, delivering programmes with significant impact. They’ve been life-changing for those involved, strengthened communities, and supported thousands to create new low-cost public-led solutions on everything from the cost of living to mental health.
Most importantly of all, they’ve challenged the assumption that the public can’t do this sort of work. Of course they can. In fact the problems we face are too big and complex for organisations to take on alone. We need the public and know that with the right support, ordinary people can do the most extraordinary things. That’s what Public Life exists to provide.
We’re now looking for people and organisations who share our mission to join us and become part of revitalising public life UK-wide.
Get in touch today.
