Bit of a delay in between instalments here, but just been so incredibly busy making Cultural Squatters happen, barely had the time to do anything other than the practical stuff. Setting up your own social
enterprise isn't so much a hard task to take on, as it is such an interesting and exciting venture, more CS went from day-dream to real possibility, to happening, in days, and we have had mere weeks to set up and get ready to open, on a zero budget. Starting your own community based enterprise is a task I would wager is much easier if there is even a small pot of money to assist in the creation and delivery of such a venture. CS is founded on the punk DIY attitude, the make do and re-use approach, the see a need fill a need mindset. There is no pot, at this crucial start up stage in CS development. We are literally squatting in the space we are turning into the physical manifestation of our CS principals. We truly are Cultural Squatters.
This is a moniker we use with pride. The connotations of the term ‘squatters’ has been discussed, the pretty derogatory and mildly accusatory term ‘skip rats’ once levied at me over such a name: the whole point of what CS is, lies in our unique make do, DIY, make it happen attitude. I am
proud to be a Cultural Squatter. We are occupying a space for the greater good (‘...the greater good...’) of our community, we are occupying an empty retail unit for the greater good (‘...the greater good...’) of a local, struggling shopping precinct, we are occupying the hearts and minds of anyone who believes that people power, and the truth that a more inclusive, kinder community can be fostered, over a brew, a game of ping pong, and the celebration of every single individual who walks through our doors.
But yeh.
Setting up a business.
It is important that CS sets the example of ‘if we can do it, you can do it’. We want to inspire others to act upon their day dreams and make a difference in their own and their community’s lives. CS is an ever evolving art project as much as it is cafe and venue. CS is postive social activism as much as it is a free space to play table tennis or form a reading group. CS is everything our guests want and need it to be, in its myriad uses and opportunities, as long as they remember to #bekind in their endeavours when they are Squatting.
The last two weeks has seen CS reach out to local businesses and forums, become members of various groups which will facilitate our need to be recognised as a professional organisation whilst maintaining our community led, individual focused principals. We have created our logo (tweaking it at the moment but so excited to share here and start the social, public association of the logo with the ideologies and space that are CS). Since I last wrote here, we have applied for community funding from councils and independent providers, and to large and small companies, to assist in funding some of the practical materials we need to decorate and maintain our space. Already we have had some succss with these applications: we secured our first small amount of funding to assist in starting up some young person-centric activities and projects in CS space, to assist in the reduction of nusiance behaviour (intentional digression: I am not calling it anti-social behaviour as, if our young folk had somewhere to go other than *insert massive corporate junk food chain* or the streets, they’d not be hanging around, bored. I see waaaay more behaviour which I would consider to be anti-social, in my town centre, when the strip of low-ish cost pubs and clubs open and adults start getting drunk and become drunk adults. I will not perpetuate the demonisation of our glorious and incredibly diverse and talented young people within any community, never mind my own).
Where was I? Yes. We are awaiting news about more funding, we are working with both local councils, we are working with local schools, universities, with volunteering groups for people who have retired and wish to give their time and share their experiences and knowledge, with people who are vulnerable or disabled, young, unemployed, employed - pretty much everyone. We are working with local artists, local businesses - we have been so busy!! I have been creating our vounteer strategy and writing job profiles. There will be no hierarchy within CS and the tasks to be carried out. I will scrub the loos and put water out for the doggo guests, and much as I will chatter away to our guests and cook the food,. The team of volunteers I put together will be an extension of CS and we will work as a group of peers who I hope will become friends, showing respect and compassion to each other, celebrating our differences, and we will always #bekind to each other, not just our guests. I am recruiting our start up, core team of volunteers over the next few weeks - if anybody reading this is local to our area, and fancies meeting up for a chat about helping out on a semi-regular basis, bung me a message here.
For the rest of this week, and pretty much for the rest of my life now (!) my co-founders and I are working on the little but essential details of CS which will make it so absolutely much more than just a cafe or venue. The programmes for community involvement, collaborations with other artists, developing relationships with the local authorities, and servies... it’s great to be so busy and so proactive, for such a worthy cause. In CS we are not special or better, we recognise we are all just the same blood and guts (just differently packaged), but we are creating someWHERE special, where we can all shine. Or just have a brew - it’s up to you how involved you care to be with CS. Just having a brew is as welcome in CS as setting up your own knitting group, or volunteering a morning a month to help us make community breakfasts for rough sleepers.
Right. I’m off to do a storytelling workshop I deliver with home educated/SEN children and young people. Day job stuff is still happening amidst all the planning and busying. Non-stop and loving life. Yes now.
Peace.
enterprise isn't so much a hard task to take on, as it is such an interesting and exciting venture, more CS went from day-dream to real possibility, to happening, in days, and we have had mere weeks to set up and get ready to open, on a zero budget. Starting your own community based enterprise is a task I would wager is much easier if there is even a small pot of money to assist in the creation and delivery of such a venture. CS is founded on the punk DIY attitude, the make do and re-use approach, the see a need fill a need mindset. There is no pot, at this crucial start up stage in CS development. We are literally squatting in the space we are turning into the physical manifestation of our CS principals. We truly are Cultural Squatters.
This is a moniker we use with pride. The connotations of the term ‘squatters’ has been discussed, the pretty derogatory and mildly accusatory term ‘skip rats’ once levied at me over such a name: the whole point of what CS is, lies in our unique make do, DIY, make it happen attitude. I am
proud to be a Cultural Squatter. We are occupying a space for the greater good (‘...the greater good...’) of our community, we are occupying an empty retail unit for the greater good (‘...the greater good...’) of a local, struggling shopping precinct, we are occupying the hearts and minds of anyone who believes that people power, and the truth that a more inclusive, kinder community can be fostered, over a brew, a game of ping pong, and the celebration of every single individual who walks through our doors.
But yeh.
Setting up a business.
It is important that CS sets the example of ‘if we can do it, you can do it’. We want to inspire others to act upon their day dreams and make a difference in their own and their community’s lives. CS is an ever evolving art project as much as it is cafe and venue. CS is postive social activism as much as it is a free space to play table tennis or form a reading group. CS is everything our guests want and need it to be, in its myriad uses and opportunities, as long as they remember to #bekind in their endeavours when they are Squatting.
The last two weeks has seen CS reach out to local businesses and forums, become members of various groups which will facilitate our need to be recognised as a professional organisation whilst maintaining our community led, individual focused principals. We have created our logo (tweaking it at the moment but so excited to share here and start the social, public association of the logo with the ideologies and space that are CS). Since I last wrote here, we have applied for community funding from councils and independent providers, and to large and small companies, to assist in funding some of the practical materials we need to decorate and maintain our space. Already we have had some succss with these applications: we secured our first small amount of funding to assist in starting up some young person-centric activities and projects in CS space, to assist in the reduction of nusiance behaviour (intentional digression: I am not calling it anti-social behaviour as, if our young folk had somewhere to go other than *insert massive corporate junk food chain* or the streets, they’d not be hanging around, bored. I see waaaay more behaviour which I would consider to be anti-social, in my town centre, when the strip of low-ish cost pubs and clubs open and adults start getting drunk and become drunk adults. I will not perpetuate the demonisation of our glorious and incredibly diverse and talented young people within any community, never mind my own).
Where was I? Yes. We are awaiting news about more funding, we are working with both local councils, we are working with local schools, universities, with volunteering groups for people who have retired and wish to give their time and share their experiences and knowledge, with people who are vulnerable or disabled, young, unemployed, employed - pretty much everyone. We are working with local artists, local businesses - we have been so busy!! I have been creating our vounteer strategy and writing job profiles. There will be no hierarchy within CS and the tasks to be carried out. I will scrub the loos and put water out for the doggo guests, and much as I will chatter away to our guests and cook the food,. The team of volunteers I put together will be an extension of CS and we will work as a group of peers who I hope will become friends, showing respect and compassion to each other, celebrating our differences, and we will always #bekind to each other, not just our guests. I am recruiting our start up, core team of volunteers over the next few weeks - if anybody reading this is local to our area, and fancies meeting up for a chat about helping out on a semi-regular basis, bung me a message here.
For the rest of this week, and pretty much for the rest of my life now (!) my co-founders and I are working on the little but essential details of CS which will make it so absolutely much more than just a cafe or venue. The programmes for community involvement, collaborations with other artists, developing relationships with the local authorities, and servies... it’s great to be so busy and so proactive, for such a worthy cause. In CS we are not special or better, we recognise we are all just the same blood and guts (just differently packaged), but we are creating someWHERE special, where we can all shine. Or just have a brew - it’s up to you how involved you care to be with CS. Just having a brew is as welcome in CS as setting up your own knitting group, or volunteering a morning a month to help us make community breakfasts for rough sleepers.
Right. I’m off to do a storytelling workshop I deliver with home educated/SEN children and young people. Day job stuff is still happening amidst all the planning and busying. Non-stop and loving life. Yes now.
Peace.
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