Seize the moment! Better still, create the moment.
The Government’s stated mission is to break down barriers to opportunity. This is a critical plank of policies to tackle structural and systemic challenges of disadvantage, discrimination and marginalisation. A levelling playing field, just as the last government talked about levelling-up. This supports those presented with opportunities to take them. We need to go farther, faster, to create opportunities. Proactive to invest in skills, social networks and career pathways to secure opportunities for all.
After 20 years of working in support of young people and families, in education and employment, here’s what we’ve learned to influence change and create moments that affect change. Where we see challenge, the test is how we convert this to opportunity.
For commercial clients this has been about innovation, growing markets and benefits often measured in sales, but increasingly on solutions that deliver social returns and its brand values as seen through the eyes of its current and future customer base. For some it’s how they are perceived by politicians and influencers to shape a market and regulation.
Our work with charities and public services starts with the social value, but still considers the economic benefits or savings in other areas and over the longer term. There’s a more immediate return from projects and programmes to meet targets, whether that’s reduced youth violence or increased school attainment. However the longer term value can be intangible or missed, beyond the individual needs and opportunities, as we look towards the collective impact and connected communities which forge a closer-knit society and shared values. Our goal is a more equitable society of access to opportunity and the necessary skills and resources to make the difference.
Whether a commercial or social enterprise there’s a cost benefit and financial return but a greater value to the economy and society. In the same way, to be effective in public affairs is to create opportunities that have real value and are a catalyst for change. A vision or goal means little if it’s not rooted in evidence of what’s wanted or needed, but the facts alone are not enough to win over politicians faced by competing policies and priorities. It needs a clear narrative, the ability to tell the story of what is the challenge, where there’s a solution and the opportunity to act.
A public affairs campaign can respond to world events and promote a cause and fill a media void on any given day or week. However to build lasting relationships, long-term funding, and to provide answers to thorny problems requires planning, research, consultation and a clear proposition readily understood. To turn a challenge into an opportunity isn’t quick fix, but will be long-lasting.
Citadel works with Roundhouse, London for youth engagement, participation and enterprise through youth work, the arts and creative industries. Roundhouse Works is an opportunity centre for young creatives, nurturing talent and providing practical support to young people, new skills and experiences to create opportunities for themselves and others, opening up career pathways and improved life chances.
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