The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), founded in London in 1754, is an international network dedicated to promoting social progress and addressing the most pressing environmental and economic challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration, policy innovation and collective creativity. With over 30,000 Fellows worldwide, the RSA brings together a diverse community of changemakers committed to building a fairer, more resilient, and sustainable world.
Since 2022 I have been a proud RSA Fellow and Mentor. As part of this community, I actively support RSA's social and sustainable projects, and in particular its Design for Life mission: an ambitious, long-term strategy focused on enabling people and communities to thrive in the face of rapid transformation.
This mission is guided by three strategic pathways:
Since 2022 I have been a proud RSA Fellow and Mentor. As part of this community, I actively support RSA's social and sustainable projects, and in particular its Design for Life mission: an ambitious, long-term strategy focused on enabling people and communities to thrive in the face of rapid transformation.
This mission is guided by three strategic pathways:
This programme focuses on equipping people with the skills and agency needed to navigate an increasingly complex world. It includes projects that foster climate awareness, civic engagement, and digital creativity, moving beyond traditional education models to promote long-term human development. Examples of these initiatives are RSA Spark, which supports recently graduated students aged 18 and above from all disciplines to grow and apply their agency, skills and creativity to real-world briefs that do more good for people, places and the planet; and Playful Green Planet, which is committed to co-creating nature-based urban learning spaces and activities for children under 11 years old to foster nature and community connectedness and care through creativity.
This programme aims at creating fairer, more resilient local economies. It supports communities in developing regenerative economic models that address inequality, foster local ownership, and build collective capacity. Working with local authorities, businesses, and civic organisations, it promotes the co-creation of economic strategies that regenerate local economies and reduce structural inequalities. This practical suite of programmes integrates research, policy design, and practical interventions, often focused on underserved or transitioning regions.
This programme investigates how spaces, networks, and services can strengthen collective capacity and enable people to live flourishing lives. Projects in this area focus on democratic participation, shared governance models, community learning, and the design of institutions that support belonging and social cohesion. This is achieved, for example, by championing Digital Badging as a recognised learning hallmark for informal learners of all walks of life (especially for the skills needed for a regenerative economy), and through work on Social Connections that will oversee a step-change in encouraging approaches and practices that value and commit to stewarding social capital.