The Agency of Change, a creative entrepreneurship organisation supporting 15 to 25 year-olds from underserved areas, has officially launched as an independent charity.
Developed from an initiative created by Brazilian theatre-maker Marcus Faustini in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the programme has worked with more than 900 young people and reached over 41,000 people across the UK.
Over 250 youth-led social enterprise projects have been supported to date, tackling issues including mental health, knife crime, loneliness among care leavers, unemployment and negative perceptions of local communities.
The charity will now be governed by former young participants, known as Agents, as it moves into its next phase of growth.
Cultural leader Saad Eddine Said has been announced as the new Chair of the Board.
He said: “Over the past decade, The Agency of Change has shown what happens when young people are trusted with real responsibility and supported to lead. The task ahead is to embed that trust structurally, so that young people’s voices and decision-making are not dependent on a project or funding cycle, but become part of the cultural infrastructure of our towns and cities. In 13 years’ time, we should see alumni shaping policy, leading institutions and mentoring the next generation, with The Agency recognised not simply as a programme, but as a national framework for intergenerational leadership. As Chair, my role is to steward that long-term vision, ensuring the organisation remains bold in its values while resilient and independent in its future.”
Trustee and former Agent Henrietta Imoreh said: “I entered The Agency lacking confidence, tools and stability. Receiving funding and support gave me power for the first time, the power over my story, my project and how I wanted to create change. I’m now proud to serve as a trustee, helping to ensure other young people – so often excluded from opportunities – have the same chance to shape their futures and create change.”
Trustee and former Agent Aaron Omotosho said: “Joining the Board of Trustees feels like a natural next step in a journey from when I first became an Agent. The Agency programme invests in young people as leaders, and I’m proud to now help shape an organisation that has played such an important role in shaping who I am.”
The Agency model was first brought to the UK through a partnership between Battersea Arts Centre, Contact and People’s Palace Projects at Queen Mary University of London. Those partners now step back as the charity becomes fully independent.
The work is delivered through local organisations and is active this year in Belfast, Bolton, Chester, London, Manchester and Southampton.
Projects currently running include The People’s Outdoor Cinema, No Blade, Project Breakout, Crowned Roots, Manny Cutz and Newlight Networks.
Internationally, The Agency of Change has also supported the formation of a new programme in Colima, Mexico, with two youth-led projects already underway.
Marcus Faustini said: “The Agency was born from a belief that young people are not problems to be solved but creators of new futures. What began in the favelas of Rio was an invitation for young people to recognise their potency and act on it. Seeing my idea travel across countries and cultures, and now stand as an independent movement in the UK, is a powerful reminder that creativity and courage can transform communities anywhere.”
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