Place-Based Systems Change in a Time of Division
A workshop exploring systems change through the lens of people, power, and place
About the session
In a time of growing social, political, and economic division, how do we support communities to lead change from within—while navigating power, conflict, and complexity?
This highly participatory workshop, hosted by the Deep in Place and Practice (DiPP) collective, explores place-based systems change through the lived realities of people, power, and place. Rather than presenting a single model, the session invites participants to engage with different archetypes and roles that emerge in systems change work, helping to surface the dynamics that shape collaboration, agency, and transformation at the local level.
Drawing on DiPP’s experience working alongside communities across the UK, participants will explore how power flows, where it gets stuck, and how it can shift—particularly in contexts marked by division.
Grounded in practice
DiPP is a collective of applied systems change practitioners who have spent the past three years acting as “transformation companions” across six communities in the UK. Their work is closely connected to LocalMotion UK, a place-based initiative supported by five funders, focused on building social, economic, and environmental justice movements—by communities, for communities.
At the heart of this approach is a commitment to:
Centering lived experience
Working in ways that are equity- and trauma-informed
Supporting local actors to lead change in their own contexts
Holding group processes through tension, conflict, and division
Creating the conditions for collective agency and alternative futures to emerge
What to expect
This is an interactive, reflective, and practice-oriented session. Participants will:
Explore different roles and archetypes in place-based systems change
Engage with real-world dynamics of power, collaboration, and conflict
Reflect on their own role within systems and communities
Learn practical approaches to supporting locally led transformation
Who this is for
Community and place-based organisers
Funders supporting systems change and local initiatives
Practitioners working on social, economic, or environmental justice
Anyone interested in how systems change happens in practice, not just theory
What you’ll leave with
A deeper understanding of power and agency in place-based work
Practical insights from real-world systems change efforts
New ways to navigate collaboration in divided contexts
Connections with others working to support community-led change
This session creates space to move beyond abstract conversations about systems change, and into the realities of how it unfolds—through people, relationships, and place.