Dundee Changemakers - looking back and looking forward

Having time to reflect can sometimes feel like a luxury, yet it is essential to understanding where we’ve been and where we’re going next. After spending some time reviewing and planning after the end of an action-packed financial year in 2024/25, we’re fired up and ready to make an impact in the year ahead.

Our Combined Efforts

But first let’s reflect on what was an epic year, both from Changemakers and from some of the incredible projects we could support:

• We collectively delivered 45 events, between Changemakers skillshares and workshops, as well as the events delivered by the projects we supported. Hopefully you attended one!

• These activities engaged over 600 people across Dundee

• More than 50 local community groups have been supported, through our pilot projects, events and the 20 microgrants that were distributed

• The Coldside pilot project delivered the Berry Train nature trail - web page in progress but the trail is very much available from The Maxwell! This project also secured future funding beyond Changemakers to continue their work with Playful Green Planet

• The Whitfield pilot project now has a group of community members and local groups meeting regularly, committed to making their community garden the green hub of Whitfield through community engagement events and initiatives

• The Manyways pilot project produced a mural in an urban playpark created from a collaboration between local artists and Uppertunity’s service users, as well as the Court Street Sanctuary Garden and Wee Garden Library collaborations

• We commissioned four Community Journalists to capture stories from pilot projects and produce a citywide film which showcases the incredible work of Dundee’s community groups

• Our evaluation group was established as a community-led circle with eight diverse community members meeting regularly to discuss how groups can influence social and climate policies

• Another Fabric cohort completed their four days of the annual programme which brought together creative practitioners and community organisers to connect and share knowledge, inspiration and ideas to improve our environment

• Our network of Dundee-based community groups was well and truly established with 370 people now receiving our regular newsletter and over 1000 social followers

Thank you for your support, your contributions and your patience with us as we established and navigated our way through the first full year of Dundee Changemakers delivery!

Change for the Year Ahead

Our reflection time has helped us to consider what our structure and team needs to look like for the year ahead as we plan the best way to use our resources.

Changemakers was founded by five partners, one of which was Creative Dundee, and they have taken the decision to step away from the partnership, leaving Transition Dundee to lead alongside Uppertunity, The Maxwell and Scrapantics.

Claire Dufour of Creative Dundee had this to say about their move:

“Two years ago, five social enterprises came together to imagine and shape a new initiative, Dundee Changemakers Hub. It’s been an incredible journey together, we have learned so much from each other and have been in awe of the many impressive activities delivered since.

We feel Creative Dundee’s strengths lie in the idea development, design and demonstration stages of projects, and we know that the creative processes we’ve helped put in place will continue to prove useful going forward. Now that Dundee Changemakers Hub is firmly established with brilliant partners and staff, we have decided it is the right time to step back from the partnership.

We are so proud of being part of this journey, with such brilliant fellow social enterprises, and we will always advocate for Dundee Changemakers Hub!”

We’ve had some team changes too and were sad to see Ele Roscoe leave (but we're fairly sure not too far away!). A new role was created for a Hub Manager which Shona Cherry has moved into, and we are bringing on board a Community Engagement Coordinator and a Community Communications Coordinator. No doubt you will hear from them soon.

Exciting Projects and Events to Come!

As far as the year ahead goes, we’d like to maintain and increase our microgrant programme. It was so successful last year with some brilliant projects being supported (which you’ll hear more about in detail soon). We’ll also be trialling Community Connectors who will be embedded in communities to work with and for local people to facilitate and support climate and social action at a neighbourhood level. A new series of workshops will be delivered – Where are we now? – which travels around the city to connect with and understand how climate affects diverse groups. And you’ll see another year of interesting events and opportunities for networking, and some new projects.

Lots more to develop in the coming months with your support, and we can’t wait to see you at one of our events or workshops in 2025/2026. Here’s to another year of Dundee Changemakers!