Change Incubators
Growing Change through Enterprise
Change Incubators
Growing Change through Enterprise
Change Incubators grow capacities for change through enterprise and connecting communities together across boundaries. We create vital connections of solidarity between grassroots communities around the world to:
- Grow local leaders and communities into fullness of life.
- See an improvement in living conditions through income generation – experiencing more of joy, justice and goodness in their context.
- Generate solidarity and learning with other, like minded communities.
- Access the people, power and finances necessary to release potential together.
Change Incubators includes the following Seedbeds programs:
Change Incubators (enterprise development programme):
Our friends from within the Myanmar National Unity Government (NUG) requested help to support the 350,000 workers involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement who cannot work in their regular jobs because of the Military Dictatorship. Based on Seedbeds’ MA and Change Makers community leaders programmes, we designed this ‘Change Incubators’ process so that some of the community leaders can grow their hopes for change into reality with online training and coaching that culminates in a pitch for change to a resource panel. Programmes were run in 2022, 2023 and 2024 with plans for 2025 in the pipeline.
Programme Elements Include:
- Online ‘Orientation’ interactive sessions that connect all students and tutors and help inspire and set hopes/expectations. Online ‘Seminars’ take place via a weekly zoom with class and tutor plus guest speakers from different community enterprises.
- Online’ Group Coaching’ – zoom meetings with a tutor about project proposals.
- Residential ‘Intensive’ – an in-person residential event that includes lectures, seminars, tutorials, coaching and a ‘pitch’ to a resource panel that can offer financial grants, scholarships, connections and further coaching.
- Follow up Forums – zoom meetings to track progress, problem solve and plan next steps.
Hopes For Participants:
Ideation
To be able to start and grow an enterprise that can make life better for customers and generate income.
Presentation
To pitch your enterprise idea to a resource panel with the potential for cash, connections, coaching or constructive comments.
Connection
To feel connected with those around the world standing with Myanmar.
Change Incubators V – Myanmar 2026
The 2025 programme is planned to run on Wednesdays from 22 April – 17 June 2026 with intensives and panels from 20 – 30 June 2026 with online coaching sessions planned for 6 May and 17 June 2026.
Financial support is requested to help make this programme possible and can be given here.
Coaching and Consulting
Running any enterprises without help can be challenging. Running an enterprise in a war zone or a neighbourhood facing poverty can be almost impossible without intentional support. To have a coach who can encourage, connect, evaluate and plan next steps together can make the difference. In places like Myanmar this support can be the difference between life and death.
In February 2026 Anji Barker lead a team to Mae Sot and Bangkok to follow up leads and participants to help create markets for goods generated from Change Incubators.
In June 2026 Ash Barker and Paul will lead ‘Seedbeds Myanmar’ as an entity and also lead the pitches to panel.
Seedbeds Marketplace
We are creating a way for people to buy gifts from genuine social and community enterprises that we are connected with. You’ll find enterprises that make products from weapons and trash, handmade soaps and jewellery, companies that employ women rescued from sex trafficking and citizens returning from prison.
In fact, each business is considered “social and community” because it fits at least one justice-based “stamp” category of approval and generates income. These include: recycled, handmade, sustainable, re-purposed weapons, responsibly sourced, or social impact. We support a diverse group of businesses that we are already personally connected to, but we will be adding more soon.
We hope that there will be options for volunteers to sell in their networks eg, markets, conferences, schools and churches.
In the weeks to come, we’ll be sharing more about some of these enterprises and stories.
Visits and Immersion Experiences
Guided live-in experiences in Klong Toey slum, Bangkok and on the Thai-Burma border. Mutual learning and solidarity can be life changing for both hosts and hosted.
Partnerships include: Cooking with Poo social enterprises in Bangkok and Eco Print and Go in Mae Sot.
Myanmar
Myanmar needs our urgent solidarity and action at this time. You may have seen news of the Myanmar Crisis and escalation of suffering reaching every corner of this nation now.
Dr Ash Barker, from Seedbeds, said, “On a zoom call recently I heard from Swam Yee, who is a civil servant in the Myanmar. After the Military Coup in February 2021 he joined the Civil Disobedience Movement to resist the Junta. Like so many, he had to flee to the jungle for his life as over 1,000 democracy leaders were killed and 5,000 imprisoned in Covid infested jails. There are now over 350,000 Civil Disobedience Movement workers, like Swam Yee, who are resisting the Junta, but can’t work in regular jobs now and need urgent help. I was heart-broken and determined to stand with Swam Lee and others in Myanmar.”
What Can We Do?
Our friends from within the Myanmar National Unity Government requested help to support the 350,000 workers involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement who cannot work in their regular jobs because of the Military Dictatorship. Based on Seedbeds’ MA and Change Makers community leaders programmes, we designed this ‘Change Incubator’ process so that some of these leaders can grow their hopes for change into reality with online training and coaching that culminates in a pitch for change to a resource panel.
Please consider giving financially here to this project and/or offer to be an enterprise coach or panelist by contacting sharon.fraser@seedbeds.org.
