Hey Changemakers,
First of all, thank you to everyone who is listening to the “Agents of Change” podcast, a unique conversation series focused on the people making change happen across so many different types of work practice and community life. It is always such a joy to speak with people doing good work and focusing their efforts on bringing about positive change in our world. I love sharing these conversations with you.
And I’m excited to announce that “Agents of Change” is now on Apple Podcasts, so it’s even easier to follow along and listen to each new episode in the same place you listen to all your podcasts.
This episode is probably one of my favorite yet, especially since we dive into some powerful aspects of community-based practice and collective action. If you’re inspired by what you hear in this conversation, then you should definitely consider registering for my upcoming Fall Community-Centered Engagement Intensive, a 3-part online workshop focused on building a stronger community-centered practice in your organization. And since this is the final time I’ll be offering this workshop, now is the perfect time to register and be a part of this final cohort.
Onto the Episode…
In this latest episode, I had the privilege of speaking with an inspiring group of changemakers I recently met in Northern Ireland who are working to reimagine the future through small yet powerful projects around community gardening, food, place making, urban planning, and storytelling. My guests for this episode are:
Bryonie Reid and Gemma Reid, quarto collective
Craig Sands, Grow Northern Ireland
Paul Kelly and Gawain Morrison, Brink!
I met these amazing individuals this past June during a memorable visit to Northern Ireland and the city of Belfast, where I visited the Brink! site and A Growing Story project—a community garden space for growing food, bringing people together, and reimaging the future of Belfast.
I was in Belfast, in part, to lead a workshop hosted by the National Lottery Heritage Fund on “Expanding Community Participation in Heritage Spaces.” We spent the second part of my workshop at the Brink! site, where I encouraged people to practice their sense of imagination and create some powerful “what if” questions to encourage more radical practice when it comes to community engagement. During my visit, I was also able to attend some of the Brink! community programming during the opening weekend (which also coincided with Summer Solstice).
Seeing this space in action was truly fantastic!
Through this episode’s conversation, we explore the theme of change across a variety of contexts, including how small, community-led actions can ripple out in powerful ways, and how reconnecting with nature can reshape how we think about our future. And ultimately, can something as simple as a community garden save our planet?
This episode centers around the Brink! site and A Growing Story project which has reclaimed a derelict urban space in downtown Belfast, turning that site into a community garden and urban green space. This space does more than grow food—it cultivates relationships, sparks conversations, and challenges us to rethink how we live in and interact with our cities. In a world often dominated by big development projects and corporate-driven change, these initiatives are a reminder that real transformation can start small, and grow organically from the ground up.
I’ve shared several photos of the site here in this post, so you can get a better sense of the place and how it operates within urban Belfast.
At the heart of this episode’s conversation is another powerful question: What should our cities do? How can we shape our urban environments in ways that prioritize community, sustainability, and well-being over profit and expansion?
This is about more than planting gardens—it’s about growing relationships, cultivating human connection, and developing common strategies to tackle the massive, daunting problem of climate change. We discuss how working together in a shared space, and doing something as simple as gardening, can shift perspectives on what it means to live in a city, what it means to rebuild our relationship with nature, and what it means to reconnect with ourselves (and each other) as human beings.
Key Themes and Questions
How can small, community-led projects challenge the way cities are developed?
In a time when urban spaces are often handed over to commercial interests, what happens when communities claim space for themselves and decide to grow something different?What is the connection between food, community, and climate action?
We talk about the significance of growing food in the heart of a city and how reconnecting with the earth helps us rethink our relationship to sustainability, food systems, and the environment.What does collective action look like in practice?
We explore how these projects are built on the power of “doing” rather than talking—how working side by side in a garden fosters collaboration, empathy, and a shared vision for the future.How can cities balance the need for development with the need for green, community spaces?
As Belfast undergoes continued urban change, what role can green spaces play in building a healthier, more connected city?How do personal transformations happen through collective work?
Everyone shares how being part of these projects has reshaped their own views on activism, community, and what it means to create lasting change in their local environment.
This conversations reminds us that even though the problems we face may seem insurmountable, there is power in collective action and people coming together to make change happen.
Whether you’re passionate about community participation, urban design, climate action, or just curious about how small acts of community care can have big impacts, this episode will leave you with ideas, inspiration, and perhaps a new perspective on how change can happen.
I want to express my sincere gratitude to Gemma, Bryonie, Craig, Paul, and Gawain for welcoming me into this community space, sharing their practice with me, and taking the time to have this podcast conversation with me. I truly look forward to staying connected, and learning more from their inspiring work.
Enjoy the episode!
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