We Knew. What Did We Do?

Seven years ago, I stepped down as CEO of the brilliant charity Cheshire Connect with the intention to semi-retire.

But life had other plans.

It became impossible to ignore the state of the world. The social and environmental challenges were too urgent, too visible, too personal. I had a choice: look away, or get to work.

I thought: if we help people understand the reality, and inspire them to act, surely they will.

But change, it turns out, is hard.

The pull of ‘Business as Usual’ is strong. At work, at home, and in society, we’re encouraged to keep calm and carry on. But carrying on serves the few, not the many - and it’s costing us dearly.

What’s becoming increasingly clear is this: Change isn’t happening fast enough, or far enough.

Why?

• People find excuses.

• People feel helpless.

• People do the bare minimum and think it’s enough.

• People don’t understand the reality.

• Or they do but they look away.

And behind it all? A culture of excuses. As Harriet Harman said in yesterday's piece in The Observer :

“When you’re trying to stop terrible injustices, there’s always a culture of excuses from those in power... If I’d taken their advice to move on, I’d never have got anything done.”

I'd love to learn more about Baroness Harman's experience and often wonder what could be achieved if changemakers weren't prevented by the BAU barons and their excuses.

We don’t talk about this enough. But we should. Because the excuses at every level are costing us, and dearly. 

Last week, around 200 of the UK's leading scientists staged an historic protest outside parliament - to demand action on climate. Even they've had enough of excuses.

You may not have seen the coverage, there was very little. But this matters. Read more here

 So, where do we begin?

1. First and foremost - we absolute need to face the truth. If you don't understand the most pressing social and environmental challenges facing us, please find out, or ask me, or the growing community of people like me, to help you.

2. Secondly, take time to understand the impact of your decisions - at work, at home, at play.

3. Step up - with curiosity, courage, and compassion and make radical improvements to shape the world you want to live in, and you want to leave future generations.

📖 And we anchor ourselves in wisdom - like Jane Goodall’s reminder:

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference.”

What I've learned this week

Maybe what we've thought was right, is wrong. I'm a big fan of "Just have a Think" by Dave Borlace and last week he released his latest video in which he discussed a controversial new paper challenging established emissions accounting criteria. For those of you in the TL:DR camp, the outcome was that the agriculture sector’s impact on the climate is more significant than we realised.

🎥 We need to challenge our perspectives - It's clear that what we think we know, is often wrong.

We've been sucked into the narrative promoted by main stream and social media. As Dave says, we probably need to pause and "just have a think".

That's why our next People, Planet, Pictures film screening at Storyhouse, Chester is of Mediha, the powerful true story of a young Yazidi girl who escapes ISIS captivity and bravely seeks justice. It invites us to look beyond the label of 'refugee' and see the full, complex humanity behind the headlines.

When hearing the word 'refugees' most people instinctively visualise small boats and illegal immigrants.

 But what if you're wrong?

To celebrate Refugee Week, please come and join us on June 10th, 6pm, to hear and learn from Mediha's story. There will be a post-screening discussion with founder member and trustee of Chester City of Sanctuary Neil Gibbons and trustee Heather Swainston.

Bring a friend.

Start a conversation that matters.

 Book your tickets here.

 P.S. We have 10 complimentary tickets available for this special event.

Message us to claim yours. First come, first served.

What's next?

Let us know what you're doing to shape a better world - we're always keen to explore opportunities to work together and showcase great work.

If you’re ready to be more curious, courageous and compassionate in your decisions — as a leader or individual — we’re here to support you. Let’s talk.

❓We knew. What did we do? It's the only question that matters.

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