Creating community agency with Graeme Duncan

In the new episode of Radical Reformers, Andrew Laird welcomes Graeme Duncan, Chief Executive of Right to Succeed, a charity that supports communities in areas of high deprivation to work collectively and give children and young people the best start in life. In this discussion, Graeme and Andrew discuss the transformative power of building community agency. Graeme notes that the biggest challenge facing our communities isn't just the individual issues like poverty, education, or health - but the lack of control people have in defining their own needs and solutions. True change comes from a collective approach, where everyone works together, rather than top-down or bottom-up methods. Graeme offers insights into how Right to Succeed engages with different levels of administration, from individual councils to the Liverpool City Region and how this approach has led to significant savings and better outcomes for communities. Allowing communities to take ownership, builds trust and collaborative solutions that are hard to beat. As Graeme says, if a community chooses an intervention – they will make it succeed.