Our shared PACT
Power: A great power shift
“The powerlessness of feeling guilty, ashamed or fearful. The power that emanates from trust, love and confidence… These overwhelming emotions… Power at times feels like a taboo subject.” Lankelly Chase
“I want the inquiry to challenge what those of us in power will give up so that power is shared” CEO of youth organisation
Across our country – and in civil society – too many people feel unheard, ignored, frustrated. Imbalances in power are often at the heart of the issue: who gets listened to, who makes decisions, who is in control.
Change in society begins by changing ourselves in civil society, all of us.
We want everyone to have the chance to make the contribution that only they can. We will consciously create a healthy, sustainable and more equal civil society.
We will address inequalities and conflict by seeking to understand power and oppression,recognising the power we have and supporting others to discover theirs.
We will practice shared and distributed models of decision-making and control,such as citizen juries, community ownership and participatory grant-making.
We will do whatever’s needed so all those who want to can play a full partin the things which matter to them – not least those who have been excluded – so they can bring their wisdom and expertise.
The future could include…
Diverse civil society leadership at every level, opened up to people of different genders, ages, ethnicities, attitudes, world views, politics, social class, faiths and more….
Funding decided by the people it is there to support…
Locally designed and delivered public services…
Those with direct experience of the issue valued as experts…
A new culture and generation of leadership which understands power, prepared to share it and shift it…
Traditional organisational structures reimagined and re-energised…
More organisations and networks embrace visionary radical change…
Visible platforms for people to share their stories and build collective power…