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A moment of change
Paint the Streets: Street Art and Action in Colombia
A Moment of Change podcast episode #2
Paint the Streets: Street Art and Action in Colombia
When my OnPurpose cohort came together to relaunch the ‘Moment of Change’ podcast I certainly didn’t think that six months later I’d be hosting and editing an episode about Street Art, let alone one featuring a guest from Colombia, yet here we are.
Being an OnPurpose associate (now Fellow!) has constantly thrown up new and exciting possibilities, and this is certainly one I’m grateful to have been part of.
The episode will be released in the coming days, but I wanted to take the chance to share some background on the topic, our guests, Alejandro and Andres, and how this podcast came to fruition.
When the series title Creativity for Action was selected, I was pretty resigned to playing minimal role in its creation given creativity is far from my strength. A couple of days later though, I was running through one of my favourite places in London, the Leake Street arches (or the “graffiti tunnel” as I like to call it). Here, graffiti artists and muralists (yes, there is a difference I’ve found out!) gather to constantly update the walls with whatever inspires them. Often, political statements will catch my eye and get me thinking about Banksy’s work. Banksy, being the most famous street artist who regularly uses their art to make political statements, the most recent being an artwork on the Royal Courts of Justice building, depicting a judge hammering down a protester, just days after hundreds of Palestine Action protestors were arrested. With a newfound appreciation for what Creativity for Action could mean, I started to think maybe I could host a podcast episode. One about Banksy and the impact street artists try to make. The obvious guest would’ve been Banksy themselves… a little tricky, perhaps!
A few weeks later I was in Brighton with a fellow OnPurpose associate (Andres) who was in the latest April 2025 cohort. We got onto the topic of the podcast, and he immediately told me about his brother, Alejandro, who is a street artist for impact in Colombia. His passion for his brother’s work and the impact he’s making in communities immediately hooked me, and from there, I knew I had my episode.
Many months later, I’m proud to say we recorded a wonderful conversation about what Alejandro does in Colombia and I even conquered the art of editing (tracks shifting out of sequence could not conquer me!).
I won’t spoil the episode but I really hope people enjoy listening and learning about real community work that is making a difference on the ground, as well as bigger pieces of art that make a statement!
As I learned from the brothers: seguimos siendo niños - We’re still children
And finally, one of my favourite quotes from the episode: “...you can make an impact with small acts, so just start doing something and the world will change, it doesn't matter if it's a big mural or if you share 2 minutes with a grandma…”.
Happy listening,
Andreas
Alejandro goes by the name Agüd for his street art - you can follow him on Instagram or via his website
https://agud95.com/en-en?srsltid=AfmBOooGshYhJB3zA4aIlW7KVjg6vFZ5xT9lEAMqSEkJm9dE1GkN8vkc
Insta - @agud95
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Trailer: a moment of change
00:42||Season 1, Ep. 0Welcome to 'a moment of change'. Brought to you by On Purpose London.
1. Mutual aid: Helping each other through COVID-19
53:04||Season 1, Ep. 1With the outbreak of COVID-19, we’ve seen the genesis of a new wave of informal mutual aid groups across the country, pooling volunteers and resources within local communities to help one another through a time of crisis. Could the global pandemic be a turning point in our connectedness to our communities, and to our neighbours in need? <br/>"For a while, people stopped fighting about the normal things they fight about, and just had to get on with it."<br/>In this episode we speak to Cathy Wang, Lily McConnell, and Blake Murphy, three London residents who became organisers of mutual aid in their communities. They tell us why they got involved, their successes and challenges, stories from their local areas, and what makes them hopeful for the future.<br/>Useful links: Listeners in the UK can find mutual aid groups operating in their local communities at https://covidmutualaid.org ThirdSector article https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/analysis-does-mutual-aid-mean-charity-sector/volunteering/article/1683331Cathy’s article https://medium.com/mutual-aid-as-a-startup/5-community-care-lessons-in-covid-6d4f452db755
2. Settle our Status: Our Neighbours without Documents
36:16||Season 1, Ep. 2In this episode, we speak to Bilqis and Elsie, leaders working with Citizens UK on the Settle Our Status campaign to settle the immigration status of our neighbours without documents in the UK, giving them access to full participation in public life, in the economy and in their communities.<br/>Useful links:Settle our Status campaign video: https://settleourstatus.org/Read the open letter to Boris Johnson: https://settleourstatus.org/
3. Consumerism: Has COVID-19 changed our spending habits for the better?
49:23||Season 1, Ep. 3Social isolation has given us reason to reflect and reevaluate many things – not least our consumer habits, and the impact our purchases have on the planet and on humanity. During this episode we’ll be speaking to three guests leading the charge on sustainable living to understand more about the impact of COVID-19 on our spending habits, both good and bad, and more crucially whether we expect these changes to continue into the future. <br/>Our speakers are Natasha Parker, Head of Compassion Not Consumerism at Global Action Plan, Jarvis Smith co-founder of My Green Pod and Sarah Divall, a creative partner at the environmental charity Hubbub.<br/>Useful links:Don’t Change video: https://youtu.be/4OmBVeewmjYGlobal Action Plan film mentioned by Natasha: Flickers of the Future https://www.globalactionplan.org.uk/compassion-not-consumerism/flickers-final-fiveCampaign to Stop Targeted Advertising to Kids https://www.globalactionplan.org.uk/compassion-not-consumerism/stop-targeted-advertising-to-kidsGet My Slice: https://getmyslice.page.link/yDtq3mhM683hVD6d6<br/>Books mentioned:Humankind by Rutger Bregman https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/humankind-9781408898932/How Bad Are Bananas? : The carbon footprint of everything by Mike Berners-Lee https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Mike-Berners-Lee/How-Bad-Are-Bananas--The-carbon-footprint-of-everything/24708373 Drawdown : The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming by Paul Hawken https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Paul-Hawken/Drawdown--The-Most-Comprehensive-Plan-Ever-Proposed-to-Re/21910985The Fragile Earth: Writing from the New Yorker on Climate Change https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/the-fragile-earth-writing-from-the-new-yorker-on-climate-change?variant=32600769232974
4. Social Determinants of Health: Health inequality in the time of COVID-19
47:43||Season 1, Ep. 4Since The Marmot Review in 2010, it has been widely accepted that variance in social factors (education, housing, employment and discrimination) lead to variance in health outcomes. A recent review has shown that improvements in life expectancy have been flatlining in the UK during a period of austerity - for the first time since 1900. In this episode we discuss with the leader of a community health organisation his journey in supporting the Caribbean and African community in Manchester and how his work has been impacted by COVID-19.Our guest speaker is Rev Charles Kwaku-Odoi. Alongside his role as Chief Officer for CAHN, Charles co-leads Command Prayer Centre Ministries International and co-chairs Faith Network for Manchester. He specialises in engaging with the Black community in the Diaspora, and also works closely with Terrence Higgins Trust in their delivery of HIV Prevention England.
5. Social Inequalities and our Environment: Changing Attitudes to Food
33:33||Season 1, Ep. 5The COVID crisis has further exposed social inequalities and environmental concerns. It has highlighted the demand on food banks, the reliance of many families on school meals and the fragility of our food systems. On the flip side, more people are talking about climate change, food waste and the benefits of growing food at home. In this episode we talk to Carly Trisk-Grove: restaurateur, B Leader and co-creator of a new restaurant concept focused on serving tasty, nourishing food at an accessible price and inspiring a generation of change-makers to level-up their own communities.
1. The Future of Food: Reaching a truly sustainable food system
31:01||Season 2, Ep. 1Food affects all areas of life - it drives our bodies, our communities and our politics. The food system is complex, nuanced and powerful, but in this changing environment it can be difficult for us to understand how to move towards a truly sustainable system.In this episode, we speak to India Langley, Head of Communications at LettUsGrow to consider what a sustainable and healthy diet actually looks like, and what we can do to actually get there, both as individuals and as a society? Join us to learn about the future of food, and how technology and community can help us achieve a more sustainable, edible future.Useful links:LettUsGrow: LettUsGrowHow much land is used for agriculture: https://ourworldindata.org/land-use Sustainability of vertical farming: https://www.eitfood.eu/blog/post/is-vertical-farming-really-sustainable GHG emissions greenhouse vs plant factory (vertical farm): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321379221_Plant_factories_versus_greenhouses_Comparison_of_resource_use_efficiencyWater usage in agriculture: http://www.fao.org/3/cb1447en/cb1447en.pdf Agriculture number one cause of deforestation: https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/forests_practice/deforestation_causes2/forest_conversion/Deforestation the largest GHG emission source in the food-system: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1402118/icode/The planetary health diet: https://eatforum.org/learn-and-discover/the-planetary-health-diet/
2.1. Green Jobs and a Just Transition: Denis Fernando - Friends of the Earth
38:28||Season 2, Ep. 2.1What exactly is a green job and why do we need a just transition?Green jobs should be an answer to address both the urgent economic and environmental needs for society, but what exactly are they? And how do we ensure that in the transition to a new green economy that no one is left behind?This week on the A Moment of Change podcast we’re joined by Denis Fernando, a climate campaigner from Friends of the Earth and Gerry Grattan, a fellow of the On Purpose London programme to discuss green jobs, a just transition, and more personal transitions into the environmental and impact sector. In this episode with Denis we discuss insights from Friends of the Earth’s report An Emergency Plan on Green Jobs for Young People, building the case for green job creation particularly for young people, and the role that the state, business and individuals can play to achieve this. To view the Friends of the Earth report “An emergency plan on green jobs for young people” go to:https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate/whats-green-job-and-how-can-we-create-more-themThe Take Action Website from Friends of the Earth is here:https://takeclimateaction.uk/To find out more about Friends of the Earth, what they do, and how to get involved look here:https://friendsoftheearth.uk/Link to IPCC report herehttps://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/Interested in becoming a placement host for On Purpose LondonAre you looking to strengthen your team to develop or deliver important strategy, programmes or projects?Email Hannah Casey at hannah.casey@onpurpose.org or call on 07931 799 868 to talk through how On Purpose and our Associates can support your organisation from April 2022 cohort, working with our Associates - talented career changers moving into the social and environmental impact sector. Interested in become an Associate on the On Purpose London programme?Are you ready to create change? The On Purpose Associate Programme, an alternative to an MBA, equips you with the experience, skills, and support needed to launch a career within the impact sector. Applications are now open! Apply by Monday, October 25th. Read more about the programme here: https://onpurpose.org/en/associate-programme/
2.2. Green Jobs and a Just Transition: Gerry Grattan
38:29||Season 2, Ep. 2.2What exactly is a green job and why do we need a just transition?Green jobs should be an answer to address both the urgent economic and environmental needs for society, but what exactly are they? And how do we ensure that in the transition to a new green economy that no one is left behind?This week on the A Moment of Change podcast we’re joined by Denis Fernando, a climate campaigner from Friends of the Earth and Gerry Grattan, a fellow of the On Purpose London programme to discuss green jobs, a just transition, and more personal transitions into the environmental and impact sector. In this episode, we speak to Gerry and discuss his personal story of how and why he decided to move out of the oil and gas industry, what a just transition might look like for some of the people he used to work with, as well as get his insights on the ground to what COP 26 is feeling like for people and the social enterprise community in his hometown of Glasgow.Find out more about the organisations that Gerry is involved in here:Extincts CIC https://extincts.orgImpactara https://impactara.co.uk/Link to IPCC report herehttps://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/Interested in becoming a placement host for On Purpose LondonAre you looking to strengthen your team to develop or deliver important strategy, programmes or projects?Email Hannah Casey at hannah.casey@onpurpose.org or call on 07931 799 868 to talk through how On Purpose and our Associates can support your organisation from April 2022 cohort, working with our Associates - talented career changers moving into the social and environmental impact sector. Interested in become an Associate on the On Purpose London programme?Are you ready to create change? The On Purpose Associate Programme, an alternative to an MBA, equips you with the experience, skills, and support needed to launch a career within the impact sector. Applications are now open! Apply by Monday, October 25th. Read more about the programme here: https://onpurpose.org/en/associate-programme/