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. were run in 2022 and 2023 with plans for 2024 underway. 

    Programme Elements Include:

     

    • Online ‘Orientation’ interactive sessions (zoom) that connect all students and tutors and help inspire and set hopes/expectations. ( Online ‘Seminars’ (weekly Zoom with class and tutor) with guest speakers from different community enterprises.  
    • Online’ Group Coaching’ (zoom meeting with a tutor about project proposal).
    • 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 III – Myanmar 2024

    We begin Friday April 19 to May 31 online only each Friday with a June 11-20 intensives and panels. Enterprise development will work again around the 9 building blocks of a business model canvas as well as personal mission statements and how to pitch. We will also do weekly Incubator Forums and English class on zoom in the second half of the year. 

    As well as Myanmar, we hope this programme may also be run with partners in Thailand and East Timor in 2025. 

    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 2024 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 2024 Ash Barker and Paul ‘Seedbeds Myanmar’ as an entity (as we are doing with ‘Seedbeds Australia’) and also piloting work with veterans who are amputees.

    Seedbeds Marketplace

    We are creating a way for people to buy gifts from genuine social and community enterprises that we are connected with. Youll 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 are launching with a diverse group of 8 businesses that we are already personally connected to, but we will be adding more soon.

    We hope that there will be options to buy online and for volunteers to sell in their networks (eg, markers, conferences, schools and churches).

    In the weeks to come, well 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 1000 democracy leaders were killed and 5,000 in-prisoned in Covid infested jails. There are now over 350,000 Civil Disobedience Movement workers, like Swam Yee, who are resisting the Junta, but cant 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 SeedbedsMA and Change Makers community leaders programmes, we designed this Change Incubatorprocess 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.

    To get involved or find out more please contact Ash Barker at ash.barker@seedbeds.org