Paul grew up in Stockport and has lived in Manchester for over 20 years. He has spent over 15 years working within systems that focus too much on people’s issues and not enough on their strengths, skills, passions and joys. Over that time he has learnt a lot about the problems within these systems but is happy to admit he doesn’t have the solutions and likes to focus his efforts on ways to bring diverse people together to explore these issues through using different approaches that value all voices, such as running systems changers programmes, deep democracy, theory u and practices drawn from shamanism and other ancient cultures.

After feeling like something was missing in his life for many years Paul stumbled into shamanism which felt like colour being added to a black and white world. He has since delved more deeply into bringing shamanism into all aspects of his life including working 121 with people as a shamanic practitioner to work alongside them on their journey to heal their deep wounds and connect to their authentic selves. He has found the answers are always to be found within that person and it’s a great privilege to watch people become empowered and apply this into their lives. Its from these deep roots that he wants to bring into working with communities

Inside of Paul theres a frustrated writer fighting to get out. Having set off on the path of writing a novel a number of times, only to fall short, he’s determined to carve out the time over the next few years to bring this dream to reality. He also loves relaxing in nature whether that’s walking, spotting wildlife, walking through rivers or swimming in the sea.

Karen has worked at Lankelly Chase for over 7 years, and as Office and HR Manager looks after the LC team and all its visitors. As part of the GM SystemsChangers team, she helps provide a link back to the mission and wider work of Lankelly Chase.
Originally from the Wirral, Karen moved down to London in 1999 and spent 13 years in a variety of roles in Recruitment, including working on the 2012 Olympics, before joining Lankelly Chase. She is grateful every day for the opportunity to work with people so passionate and committed to making positive, lasting change.
Karen loves spending time with her family, running and Star Wars. She’s also a massive football fan, but as part of a Manchester-focused group thinks it’s probably best she doesn’t disclose which football team she supports.

Afshan was born in Dubai and lost in Manchester. She is a writer of plays, prose, performance pieces and passive aggressive tweets. Afshan writes from a place of anger, often trying to right the worlds wrongs through words and humour.
Some people leave existential dilemmas in the philosophy classroom, but Afshan lives them on a daily basis and uses her art as a way of answering the big questions in life. Obviously, she has solved all the dilemmas western philosophers have spent their lives and deaths working through.
As well as her own writing, Afshan is keen to develop other younger and emerging artists and sits on the boards of Manchester Literature Festival and Pie Radio. Afshan also sits on the steering committee for Northern Police Monitoring Project, an independent campaigning and advocacy organisation that challenges police harassment and violence.

I have been dabbling in systems change and sustainability since around 2005. I started at Lankelly Chase about 5 years ago and I was drawn to them because they were one of the few organisations (I had heard of) who were working at a systems level to create positive change for people who were finding themselves stuck on the margins of the margins.

I love the commitment to challenging the status quo and using all available resources to do that. This might be where the investments from the endowment are made through to working out how we are part of the problem and tackling this proactively.

I was born in Crumpsall hospital in Oldham and lived in Rhodes (now swallowed up by the Middleton spread) in the shadow of the magnificence Schwabes chimney and spuing grey plumes of smoke. (Apparently the tallest chimney in Europe for a while.) Even though we left when I was 3, I still answer that I am from Manchester if people ask!
I think my appetite and passion for social and environmental justice also comes from being a Mancunian. It’s a city of underground movements and sub cultures whether it’s fighting for independent journalism via the birth of The Guardian (where I had the fortune of working between 2000-2010) through to influence of music on so many generations in this country. Ever since I could listen to my dad sharing stories of the Twisted Wheel in the 60s or me going to raves in the 80s and 90s music is in my blood!

Talk to me about
Creative and participatory facilitation methods, conflict resolution and other processes for deep dialogue, systems change processes, pattern spotting, connecting different people in different parts of a system together and Detroit techno 😊

Matt has spent most of the last ten years partnering with other people who want to develop agency, autonomy and work which has meaning for them. Matt loves working in the creative spaces which emerge as a means of subverting the systems which perpetuate severe and multiple disadvantage, and offer a means of catharsis for those who’ve been oppressed by them. He works alongside people using methods such as Legislative Theatre, Community Reporting, Poetry, art work and community activism to help reveal how systems impact on people and bring about systems change. He wants to see philanthropy recognise its role is in restoring and repairing as opposed to fixing and saving.

His favourite quote is from someone who had accessed public services in Blackpool: “I’m sick of being followed around by a ***ker with a clipboard and a pen”. It is his life’s ambition to rid the world of services which endlessly assess people but never understand them, and who attempt to justify their worth is extractive and obtrusive ways. His proudest achievements include convincing people they have a choice whether or not to appear in videos stating they owe their life to the public services who have worked with them.

In his spare time he ‘enjoys’ the rollercoaster of false dawns and depression which comes with being a Manchester United fan in the post Ferguson era, as well as hosting family quizzes on zoom and meeting friends for a ‘walk and talk’.

I was born in Uganda- ‘the pearl of Africa’ and founded Support and Action for Women’s Network (SAWN) and Chair of Mama Health and Poverty Partnership (MHaPP). I am passionate about women and families having a voice in issues concerning them and their future and have lived experiences in the hardships and barriers women and their families face. I am married and a mother of three and a Christian.
I love breaking moulds and creating something new out of the pieces with communities ‘input.
I have a qualification in Asset based Community Development (ABCD) and training in Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) and a counselling certificate and various related trainings. I have been working within the African communities in Greater Manchester for 16 years. My roles include advocacy, advice, and training and one to one support in various issues affecting the African community like Immigration, FGM, Domestic Violence, Parenting, Money Matters and other issues. I also enjoy supporting community organisation start-ups.
I believe every human being has a given role, a place and expectations from their community and environment and somewhere somehow in playing these roles, a woman’s wellbeing and who they are, is sometimes compromised because of life’s hardships and I always, always believe that with support, women can build anything given to them for the better with love, encouragement and support. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, good food, reading and travelling!