In March 2024, #TakeBackTheCity staff were allowed an unforgettable opportunity to take part in an exchange fostered by the University of Washington’s Change Stories -- an international research partnership that aims to spark dialogue and learning through storytelling about sustainable urban development.

From our amazing colleagues from Belo Horizonte, we learned about how local people are turning Brazil’s usual model of agriculture for export on its head, instead returning to traditional, sustainable growing methods ( agroecologia) to combat hunger at home. The local council, partnering with the Movimento dos Barrios en Luta, are running long-established social restaurants, school food programmes, food banks and community kitchens with high quality local organic produce grown collectively by local people in public spaces, health centres, schools and retirement homes. If people need training or advice, the regional agricultural technical college is there to help. 

Warning - we’ll be bending the ears of our friends at Grow NI, Forthspring Inter-Community Centre, Moving Up Moving On, Gairdin an Phobail, Social Farms and Gardens NI  and beyond about this and more going forward!

From our Bogota friends we learned about the city-wide ‘Block of Care’ system set up with support from local government and members of the Women’s Council from all walks of life across the city. The project is grounded in recognition of the value of unpaid care work – of children, the elderly, family members with disabilities and more - and aims to not only lighten carers’ loads but to give them tools to help improve their lives going forward. It provides caregivers with a range of flexible options -- training, classes, legal and psychological support – alongside childcare if they need it, and free laundry services, to help them find time for these activities in the midst of the many other demands on them in their lives.

On a day off, our new friends introduced us to the amazing CasaB, a popular education (and more!) project helping local residents in the Belén neighbourhood of Bogotá protect the integrity of their historic community in the face of gentrification; and the hugely creative OjoAlSancocho community film project from Ciudad Bolívar in Bogotá who work to strengthen citizen participation and political, cultural and social empowerment through Community Cinema.

We returned to Belfast to find important recent research findings from the Carer Poverty Commission NI and the Women’s Regional Consortium showing that one in three women carers here have had to give up work to care, while another one in four have had to reduce their working hours; and, more recently, that the inadequacy of the support they receive can damage their careers and well-being and ultimately leave them in poverty. We look forward to sharing information about Bogotá’s groundbreaking work with them, colleagues at the Women’s Centre Derry, STEP NI and more. 

All of the learning to date has been made possible by the Change Stories and our very much appreciated and valued colleagues at Queens University Belfast.  We are very grateful for these opportunities, and look forward to what the future has to bring!