People, Place[making] and Culture: A Learning Festival by The Ubele Initiative

​For two days from Wednesday, June 17th - Thursday, June 18th, 2026, The Ubele Initiative brings together leaders from across our network to the Wolves Lane Centre in Haringey for our first national Learning Festival.

​Under our 2026 theme, Seeds of Innovation, this festival explores how people, place[making], and culture are being mobilised across our ecosystem to address racial, socio-economic, and environmental injustices.

​We’re convening leaders who represent and/or support Black, Asian, and racially minoritised communities to:

• ​Explore effective leadership, collaboration across networks, and research & development practices rooted in lived experience

• ​Re-imagine how land, social infrastructure, and policy support place-based social needs

• ​Position art, heritage, and storytelling as tools for sense-making and drivers of systems change

​This is not just a space to talk, it’s a space to build.

​Experts from across our national ecosystem will join us, including:

• ​Baobab Foundation

• ​Channel One Soundsystem

• ​CIVIC Square

• ​Footwork

• ​Healing Justice London

• ​House of Dread

• ​Hood Futures

• ​Institute of Health Equity

• ​Ourppls

• ​Pathway Fund

• ​PeopleDemCollective

• ​Rooted by Design

• ​Runnymede Trust

• ​Wolves Lane Centre Consortium

• ​+ more!

​As the UK prepares to roll out Pride in Place, there is growing attention on how place-based development approaches are understood and implemented.

​Drawing on over 10 years of learning, we know communities must play a central role in shaping local systems that affect them while recognising how history and culture shape both the challenges we face and the solutions we build.

​The Learning Festival brings these ideas into practice — building on learning from activities taking place across the year, including our Seed Swap Festival; Mek Wi Chat Art Exhibition, report launch, and workshop series; and the launch of Okun Policy forum.

​What to expect

​A two-day programme bringing together strategy, practice, and culture:

​Day 1 — Understanding the system

• ​Plenary unpacking the structural forces driving inequality and injustice

• ​Learning exhibition and workshops demonstrating work already challenging these conditions

  • ​Confirmed Sessions:

    • ​Every City Needs A Seedbank

• ​Options for site visits, cultural performances, and networking

​Day 2 — Building Desired Futures

• ​Plenary mapping the futures we are building together

• ​Creative workshops and live case studies

• ​Closing set from the legendary Channel One Sound System

​Who this is for

​Community leaders, organisers, funders, policymakers, artists, growers, and social entrepreneurs working to build community-led futures across the UK.

​The setting

​Set within the Wolves Lane Centre - a 3.5-acre food growing and social enterprise hub - the festival takes place inside a living example of community-led innovation.

​The land itself will feed us, with meals shaped from produce grown on site, prepared by Rosamund Grant, a celebrated voice in African-Caribbean food culture.

​Contribution

​To support accessibility, attendees from philanthropy, public institutions, and national infrastructure organisations are asked to contribute £250 per attendee.

​This enables participation from grassroots leaders, freelancers, and local VCSE organisations - ensuring the festival remains rooted in community.

​If you are unsure about which ticket category applies to you or discuss group discount options, please contact [email protected].