UWC Short Course: Tools for Changemakers

Elisa and I are super excited to be launching our Top Down Bottom Up Exhibition at the NOW Gallery in Greenwich on Thursday 5th June. The exhibition explores what architects, planners and local authorities in the UK learn from Kenya’s experiments in democratic placemaking. Citizen Architects has collaborated with the Just City Working Group (JCWG) in Kenya to produce a real time interactive exhibition exploring how trust in political decision making can be strengthened through community consultation processes.

We are looking very forward to everyone to UWC Tools for Changemakers .

Old St Leonard’s Hall in is ready and waiting for participants to arrive for the in-person segment of United World Colleges’ first ever adult short course, facilitated by alumna Elisa Engel and Katherine Leat.

The workshop includes a visit to and talks by Rumana Kabir and Khulekani Msweli (see our previous posts for more information).

Catering will be by local company .

This 4.5 day in-person section of the course will be followed by two months’ of online .

Katherine Leat, the co-facilitator of the UWC course explains how she arrived at this point, where she wants to be active in changing the world around her.

“Spending my teenage years at the Small School in Hartland, I grew up with changemakers around me: Satish Kumar, founder of and ; Colin Hodgetts, ex-director of Christian Action, founder of the London School of Nonviolence London and Tent City; John Moat,poet, painter and co-founder of and Caroline Walker who worked in India and now campaigns for better nutritional food for all.

Like them, if I perceive a problem, I want to sort it out. I believe that ‘many small drops to make an ocean’ and that can have a really big impact.

‘What can I do, I’m just one person?’- said 7 billion people

When I began in , I naively thought that I could change large corporate structures from the inside, but quickly learned how hard that was with so few skills. Completing my studies at CENDEP —where I met Elisa, my co-facilitator — and with my architectural registration and experience of designing schools, I gained sponsorship to work with . I led design teams constructing schools and community projects in Sierra Leone, Mozambique and Uganda, working in partnership with locals and .

This was my dream job on paper, but I wasn’t totally comfortable. I was doing development work at arm’s length from the UK. Could I ever fully understand the requirements in a culture I was not part of and have a real positive impact?

Fabrica Architecture, which I run with my husband is in its 12th year. It is important to me that our projects are ‘in partnership’ with people we work with, however big or small.

However, I had stopped listening to the news as I felt I had no ability to change anything for the better. Moving the family and business to allowed for a reset and I now listen to the news again and I have reminded myself that I CAN make a difference to some things, especially in my and .”

To learn more, link is in bio.

News for Exeter residents.

We have just managed to secure for five places on our Tools for Changemakers . This is available for anyone or within the postcode (EX).

The course is designed for people who see injustices and problems that they would like to address but are unsure of where to start.

You would need to commit to the full two-month course and will be joining an group of attendees. begins with an intensive 4.5 days together (26th to 30th September) at Old St Leonard’s Hall, Exeter - with lunch and dinner catered by local company - and then online.

“We are offering this within our home city of Exeter as I recently found out that it is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK and we want the course to support Exeter’s in a way and, in the spirit of the course, ensure we provide some for our home .“ Katherine Leat, co-facilitator.

This is the first ever United World Colleges (UWC) adult short course. for the places must be over 18 and eligibility checks will be in place.

Interested? Want to know more about Tools for Changemakers? Click on the link in our bio.

If you have any questions about the Exeter places, please email [email protected]

Please help to pass the word around about this opportunity.

Old St Leonard’s Hall in is the for the Tools for Changemakers course from 26-30 September.

St Leonard’s Church Hall was built in 1889 and served as a Sunday School and mission hall. Recently it has been renovated by Fabrica Architecture of which Katherine Leat, one of the course facilitators, is a director. It comprises a , an ’ office, a home and an apartment. The community space is low carbon at use, has plenty of natural light and accommodates 60 people for presentations/performances and 30 at sit down events around tables.

There are already several regular community events and happening at the Hall and more are in the pipeline.

For any Exeter locals wishing to look around Old St Leonard’s Hall, it will be open as part of Heritage Open Days on 14 September and must be booked in advance.

We look forward to welcoming the participants to this wonderful space.

For the full details on the Tools for Changemakers, United World Colleges’ first ever adult course, please click on the link in our bio.

Another guest joining us at the Tools for Changemakers in-person course is Rumana Kabir, a practitioner with over two decades of experience in and work. Rumana started her career as an and participatory action researcher working on low-income housing in progressing to working for various government organisations and NGOs (such as and ) both there and internationally as well as in the private sector and as a consultant to the United Nations on housing, infrastructure, and disaster recovery.

Rumana now works as a policy advisor on housing and urban regeneration in the UK. She is a trustee and judge for an international charity, advocating for rights and organising the prestigious World Habitat Award, sponsored by the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat).

Rumana will share with us what she has learned through her own work, her and as a and host of the where she presents insight stories from changemakers working in disasters and .



The in-person part of the Tools for Changemakers course takes place in Exeter from 26-30 September and then online. Full details can be found on the website via the link in our bio. This is the first adult short course that UWC has run.

Hello, this is Elisa, one of the lead facilitators on the Tools for Changemakers course. Here’s a little bit about myself, how this course came about and why I am so excited about it! I am a founder and director of Citizens Architects and teach at in .

originates from my own journey of trying to align how I spend my time and resources with my values. It draws on everything I’ve learned along the way about finding one’s own strength and purpose and then working collaboratively with others to imagine a better world.

Since graduating from in 1996, I’ve been thinking about finding the spot in the world where I can have a positive impact, somewhere at the intersection of what I love doing, what I am good at, what the world needs and what I can get paid for – that is, how to live the UWC values – which can seem a bit abstract, in daily life. For me, this is an ongoing journey.

Interested in art and design, but also drawn to issues around , I studied at then specialising with a Post Graduate Diploma in Global Development and Humanitarian Practice oxfordbrookes , which is where I met my co-facilitator, Katherine Leat.

After seven years’ working on projects in London, I returned to Southern to give back a little to a part of the world that had such a profound impact on the me as a young person.

For I designed and project managed the construction of a youth centre funded by and in . I came away with a more nuanced understanding of the way projects are set up and funded can determine their impact.

Tools for Changemakers draws on all this experience but is specifically aimed at adults from any background, looking to make a deliberate change towards living more lives. Like all good change making, the course will be both very pragmatic and highly aspirational.

I do hope that you will join us - I can’t wait for the journey to begin!

Full details in the link in our bio.

The in-person part of Tools for Changemakers takes place in , at Old St Leonard’s Hall. So whether you’ve never visited before, or haven’t been in a long time, here’s a very potted & a few suggestions of things to see & do.

Exeter is a on the River and is the county town of . The were here from AD55 & , one of Europe’s great cathedrals, was founded in 1050 with the vast new Romanesque building, started by the , completed by 1400. The weir, commonly called Countess Wear after Isabella, Countess of Devon who apparently built a weir preventing boats from reaching Exeter so they had to offload at . The Normans built Exeter ( ) and Devon County Court was constructed within the old walls in 1774.

Exeter was an important centre of commerce with its canal, river and quayside and had a thriving wool trade. The railway’s arrival in 1844 affected the port. Exeter is in the Russell Group & there’s a vibrant life in the city.

For more information on Exeter visit .

participants have a packed schedule & lunch and dinner are provided, but there’ll still be opportunities to sample Exeter life. Magdalen Road has lots of independent including . On the quay there’s a riverside in the antiques centre & we can also recommend for cinnamon buns & . We like the bar on the roof of , & .

For places to stay, the sooner you book, the better the price. Southernhay is looking reasonable for the course dates if booked in advance & is a walk away from the venue, as is the Globe Backpackers Hostel. There are chains like Mercure, Indigo & Holiday Inn. Look at for B&B recommendations. If you’re interested in sharing accommodation with fellow attendees, please let us know when booking.

Tools for Changemakers course dates: Exeter 26-30 September & then .

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An introduction to , and , Khulekani Msweli, who will be hosting a session during the in-person part of the Tools for Changemakers course. Khulekani works in arts-based social justice projects in his home town of Vuvulane, Eswatini. Khulekani is an alumnus of and is on the school’s governing council.

In 2010 Khulekani established JEREMPAUL a multi award-winning high-end design and lifestyle brand that revives skills whilst aiming to encourage younger generations to get involved and take pride in the meaning of design, work, and art. His newest venture is the establishment of the Food Market deli and where food is grown on-site.

Khulekani’s art focuses on installations, performance, and and he has exhibited in group and solo exhibitions locally and internationally. He is also a Mandela Washington Fellow and the recipient of HM Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth 190th Points of Light Award for his services to . Away from his own projects, he sits on the board of his family’s foundation Vuvulane Orphans & Vulnerable Children’s Foundation and much of community work is via the Foundation.

In the Zoom session with Khulekani we will be talking with him about how he has translated the UWC values of personal responsibility and , respect for the , personal challenge and a sense of idealism into action since graduating from Waterford Kamhlaba. We will explore how he has pivoted a career in the arts towards community interest work, how he has chosen the place and the means by which he feels he can have the greatest impact and how his studies abroad and in Eswatini have informed these decisions.

Tools for Changemakers is a two month short course with 4.5 days in (UK) from 26-30 September and then with follow up online sessions.

To find out more about ’s first ever short course for adults, , including , please click on the link in our bio.

Elisa Engel, a alumna and co-host of the Tools for Changemakers short course teaches on the Post Graduate course in Advanced Architecture at , University of Arts, .

Pooja Parameswararao is an from specialising in and traditional building techniques and is currently exploring community-led practices.

Pooja took Elisa’s module ‘Social Entrepreneurship: Tools for Changemakers’ when she was at Linz and says:

“I am very enthusiastic about , and capacity building. I now work at Community Design Agency in where I am the project for a slum redevelopment project in Ahmadnagar.

Elisa’s course was truly transformative, especially for someone like me who was new to projects. The tools and methods she introduced were invaluable in understanding intuition and making effective decisions and this module was therefore an essential part of my architectural journey. The course provided me with valuable insights and nuances in working with .

It supported my research significantly, helping me to organise , lead large groups and make decisions. Elisa’s energetic and insightful approach is truly one of a kind. It is amazing how a one-week module can so profoundly impact one’s career perspective.”

Tools for Changemakers is UWC’s first ever short course for adults (18+) is a two month course takes place in (UK) from 26-30 and then continues online.

For full information, please click on the link in the bio. Some are available.



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During the in-person part of the Tools for Changemakers course, we’ll be spending an afternoon the Exeter Growers’ Co-operative. This visit will include an introduction by Rachel Russell followed by a of the site and a chance to meet with some of the members to hear how the co-operative came about and how they work together to produce delicious . All production is to standards.

Rachel will also explain Exeter Growers’ organisational structure, the highlights and challenges, its aims for the future and how it plans to achieve this.

As well as promoting , growing knowledge, and use of the land, enjoyment is also a particularly crucial factor, which in turn has .

Their five-acre field is an inspiring place with a young , a laid hedge, willow-beds, a pond, sheds, polytunnels, reservoirs for irrigation and plenty of beds for , , and . There will also be the chance to get hands on with some practical stuff: this might include helping to fruits and vegetables, weeding, bed preparation, compost turning, and working in the polytunnels.

To find out more about the Exeter Growers’ Co-operative, check them out on Wordpress.

A reminder that there are only three days left to book at the price.

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