Climate movement victories, beating fascism, and finding your creative spark
A monthly digest of inspiring projects, useful resources and opportunities to create systemic change.
Hello!
For anyone new here, this is my monthly digest, a collection of inspiring people, projects and resources I’ve come across this month. Every month I look for creative approaches to changemaking, empowering opportunities for support, and uplifting examples of leadership.
These digests aim to give you a big dose of optimism, can-do and fresh perspectives to fuel your work in leading change. I hope they spark new ideas, energise your efforts, and remind you that you're not alone in this journey.
It can be pretty challenging to engage deeply with the world’s troubles. Be kind to yourself, move your body, plan something fun to look forward to.
The more of these I curate, the more evidence I see of a growing movement of do-ers enabling the just transition we so desperately need. Change isn’t coming, it’s already here.
With you always in solidarity and hope,
Gen
Manda Scott is a novelist, smallholder, and host of the international chart-topping Accidental Gods, “the podcast where we believe that another world is possible, that if we all work together, there is still time to create a future we’d be proud to leave to the generations that come after us.” I loved her recent interview with Jon Alexander, co-Founder of New Citizen Project and Citizen collective. This is a galvanising conversation about citizen power, and what we can all do to shape the world we live in for the better.
How can we create better places and stronger communities? Placemaking.Education is an incredible educational organisation gathering and curating the most important placemaking concepts and lessons learned to make it easier for people to learn about placemaking. Their purpose is to refine, democratise and deepen the placemaking knowledge base, to promote inclusive, collaborative and people-centred placemaking and to accelerate the growth of the placemaking movement. They’ve served 3,600 people from 115 countries since they launched in 2022. Check out their resources and courses.
David Jonsson is a British actor and writer. Beginning his career on London’s West End, he’s known for his role in the BBC Two and HBO series, Industry, and his performance in the film Rye Lane, for which he earned a British Independent Film award. This month he won the EE Rising Star Award at the BAFTAs, the only award decided by a public vote. He spoke beautifully about the importance of representation in his acceptance speech.
Celebrate International Women’s Day at the Royal Albert Hall in London with WOW - The Women of the World Festival on 8th March. Over the past 15 years, WOW has shifted the dial on gender equity building a global movement reaching millions across six continents. WOW has been the catalyst for the launch and success of countless campaigns, supported 1000s of activists to go faster and further and brought previously taboo subjects into the mainstream. This year’s event is headlined by legendary activist, Angela Davis.
Client Earth is a non-profit that uses the law to create systemic change that protects the Earth for - and with - its inhabitants. They work on climate change, nature protection and pollution reduction with partners and citizens around the world. In January they had a major victory when the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) handed down a ruling, holding for the first time that failure to adequately address environmental pollution violates the human right to life. The case was brought by Italian citizens in response to hazardous fumes and pollution from widespread illegal waste dumping and burning in the Campania region which was having devastating health impacts. This decision should open the door for more climate litigation across Europe and beyond.
Some systems aren’t broken, they’re working exactly as designed. So how do we talk about that in a way that mobilises rather than paralyses people? FrameWorks partners with advocates, researchers, storytellers, and coalitions to reframe social issues. Through rigorous research on culture, cognition, and communications, they help build framing and narrative strategies that deepen understanding of complex problems and catalyse action to make the world more just. Check out their research-backed guide on how to communicate about rigged systems, emphasising messaging that connects, inspires, and drives action.
As authoritarian movements gain momentum globally, how do we fight back in a way that actually works? In this recent interview, communications strategist Anat Shenker-Osorio lays out a proactive approach—one that focuses on energising and mobilising pro-democracy supporters rather than simply reacting to threats. Also check out her ‘Freedom over Fascism Toolkit’, a living document of messaging insights packed with practical takeaways for anyone working in political strategy, movement-building, or advocacy.
Amid rising anti-LGBTQ+ backlash, real progress is happening. A Better Place is a new documentary about the toxic legacy of British colonial-era laws which criminalise consensual same-sex love, while at the same time allowing perpetrators of sexual violence to go unpunished. At the time of filming, more than 70 countries criminalised LGBT people. Since then, this number has fallen to 64. The film highlights legal victories for LGBTQ+ rights around the world, showing how strategic litigation is being used to dismantle discrimination. The film was commissioned by my former client, Emma Eastwood at Human Dignity Trust, and Co-produced with another former client, James Lewis at The Good Side. It has already won 18 awards and secured official selection at 57 festivals this year.
is a Sunday Times bestselling author, writer of and a non-fiction judge for the 2025 Women’s Prize. I loved her recent piece sharing ten practical ways to reignite your creative spark, whether you're writing, strategising, or building something new.In huge news for climate activists in the UK, the #StopRosebank campaign has won their legal challenge against the Rosebank oil field, one of the UK’s largest planned new fossil fuel projects. This victory could set a precedent for future cases against new oil and gas expansion—showing that legal action can be a powerful tool for climate justice. The next few months will set the course for the UK’s energy future, check out how you can continue to support the campaign here.
My friend Marty Davies (she/they) is a writer, activist, and cultural strategist holding the creative industries accountable. She’s the founder of Trans+ History Week and a columnist for Campaign magazine, where she takes a refreshingly honest look at the advertising industry’s role in shaping cultural narratives. After two years of doing this work as a volunteer, she’s building a way to keep it going. If you care about LGBTQIA+ representation, the role of media in shaping culture, and ensuring queer voices remain powerful and heard, consider supporting her new Patreon here.
Marty and I met on a writing retreat with The School of System Change, a brilliant organisation enabling personal and collective agency to cultivate change in the world. I admire the boldness of this recent piece by my friend, CEO Anna Birney, on the school stands today, their high dreams for the future, and a big ask for an investor to take their work to the next level.
Amidst the chaos and destruction of the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, three artists defiantly find inspiration and beauty as they defend their culture and their country. In a war waged by professional soldiers against ordinary civilians, Slava Leontyev, Anya Stasenko, and Andrey Stefanov choose to stay behind, armed with their art, their cameras, and, for the first time in their lives, their guns. As the war intensifies, Andrey picks up his camera to film their story. Co-directed by Leontyev and Brendan Bellomo, with extraordinary footage from first-time cinematographer Stefanov, Porcelain War is a deeply moving film about resilience, the human spirit and the enduring power of art.
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