How to build a movement...when you're a perfectionist!

There..I've said it. I'm a self confessed perfectionist!

I've been thinking about writing my reflections about this since April which marked 12 months in my role as Director of Collective Action at UK Youth , but one of the characteristics of being a perfectionist is over thinking, and then over thinking some more about all of the possible outcomes and ways of doing something that you end up spending way too much energy thinking about doing something rather than just getting started and doing it, then hating yourself for wasting so much time! Urgh!

Give me something that's urgent or will mean someone else's life is made easier then I am on it with no messing around. This blog is about my learning and reflections..so here we are..4 months later!

In my role, I'm responsible for developing and leading a strategy that builds a movement to unlock youth work across the UK. This involves convening networks of youth organisations, young people, businesses and those supporting young people. Our team creates creative and accessible spaces that bring people together to connect, co-create solutions that tackle key issues, and equips them to champion the role of youth work and young people's voices. There is an urgent and vital need for young people to have access to more high quality services and have their voices heard..but building networks in a post-pandemic world takes patience and kindness. So here are some things I've learnt about building a movement when you're a perfectionist in the last 12 months.

1. It's a marathon not a sprint.

I have an inner drive in me that wants the world to be a better place, for there to be more equity, less poverty and for all young people to feel a real sense of belonging and hope and I want this now! Amongst a back drop of 10 years of austerity, cuts to vital services and a global pandemic thrown in for good measure - we're all going through a lot and it's going to take time to rebuild. In my role I've seen so many amazing examples of innovation, community building and resilience over the last 10 years - each one of these things is a step forward to our vision. Building networks and a movement of people is a journey, if it was easy it would have already been done!

2. Sparking the fires became my urgency.

I can manage my perfectionism better when there's a deadline..something urgent that needs to be done. When I started this role I won't lie, I felt slightly overwhelmed by the prospect of convening and creating a movement that works together, in harmony. For me overwhelm manifests in overthinking and procrastination..you can see where I'm going here! I needed to find a way to break it down into manageable bite size pieces, not only for me but my team, the rest of the organisation and our networks. One of the key drivers of building movements is finding your connected connectors and expanding your alliances. So we've focussed the first part of our journey on sparking ideas for new ways of sharing power and bringing people together through our co-ordination of the Hope Collective and #iwill Movement. Much of my time this year has been spent seeking out those connectors and sparking the fires in spaces and between people that can ignite change and new ideas to happen.

3. The 'how' is as important as the 'what.

Our vision is quite clear, that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. Our collective action journey is about turning the tables on a top down approach and providing the spaces, tools and connections for grass roots, youth led change in local communities. As we make progress towards this vision, it's the opportunity to build more cross sector partnerships and collaborations, with young people at the heart that is truly where the magic happens. It's about the relationships and connections that will drive the change.

4. Failure is fantastic!

Ok..I'm not completely there with this one. I'm not good at 'failing', I'm hard on myself and sometimes my own worst enemy. I was trained as a youth worker and I constantly have a voice in my head saying, what would you being saying to a young person or colleague if something didn't go to plan.. 'Use it as an opportunity to learn and grow!' But I'm rubbish at taking my own advice. What's really helped me with this is building a strong peer network, having regular coaching sessions and opening up learning spaces with my team and with our networks. Building movements require you to give up control and power and so leaning into this and recognising that there are learning opportunities around every corner means I've been able to take off some of the pressure on myself.

5. Lean into your strengths

As we've built our new Collective Action Team, we've spent a lot of time identifying our individual and collective strengths and learning styles. I had the opportunity to take part in a Clore Social Leadership programme which has enabled me to feel more empowered, equipped and 'feel more comfortable' with the unknown. I've set really specific objectives in my PDP with my line manager ?Ndidi Okezie OBE to enable me to lean more into my strengths. We've also used this approach as we embark on our journey of building a movement; with a thriving network of youth organisations we have a strong foundation to build on.

If like me, you're a deep-down perfectionist trying to embrace a new way of doing things then I hear you..I hope you've found this somewhat comforting to know you're not the only one!

PS, guess how long it took for me to decide on the picture at the top?! ;) just like building a movement, it's a journey and I'm on it with still some way to go and learning to love every part!

If you're interested in connecting and finding out more about the UK Youth Movement then I'd love to hear from you!