Faces of Change: Yasmin
Faces of Change is a celebration of the people driving The Agency of Change forward — the creatives, facilitators and leaders turning ideas into real impact in communities across the country.
This time, the spotlight is on Yasmin Dawes, Lead Facilitator at The Agency London, produced by Battersea Arts Centre.
From the moment she moved to London to study Drama, Yasmin was immersed in the richness of the city’s cultures, particularly in areas like Battersea. That early exposure sparked a deep appreciation for community and connection, something that would later shape her path.
As she stepped into facilitation, Yasmin discovered The Agency of Change and was instantly drawn to its ethos: creating space for young people to be heard, valued, and paid for their time while building change on their own terms.
Now, as Lead Facilitator, Yasmin supports Agents in our London cohort as they develop and deliver creative projects that make a meaningful difference in their communities — guiding ideas from concept to impact.
Yasmin Q&A
What’s your connection to Battersea in London?
I moved to London at 18 to attend drama school and have lived in many different parts of the city. While I’ve never lived in Battersea, I’ve spent a lot of time there socially and in the surrounding areas.
I’ve always been fascinated by how so many different cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds connect and collide within the same space.
What inspired you to join The Agency team?
While I had been working as a facilitator for a few years, I realised I’d never formally trained, so I decided to take a short course with Talawa Theatre Company. After completing the course, they shared Alumni job opportunities, and this role came up. When I looked into what The Agency actually is, I was genuinely taken aback.
The opportunity it offers young people felt incredibly rich and unlike many other youth programmes. The fact that participants are paid for their time really communicates the value the organisation places on them. And knowing that The Agency has grown beyond the UK, with the original programme in Brazil and now Mexico, highlights that this work is part of something much bigger - a wider, connected movement we’re all contributing to.
If you had to describe your role in one word (and why you chose that word!), what would it be?
Navigator. I see The Agency as a big ship - we all have different roles, but mine is to help keep us on course and mindful of the direction we’re heading in. I hold the wider picture, keep an eye on everyone including me, and provide the tools agents need to make their own decisions. It really is a privilege to be on this journey with them.
What’s a hidden gem in Battersea that everyone should know about?
Devas Youth Centre. This youth centre has been running for around 142 years - which is honestly unheard of. A couple of our Agents work there, so I’ve had the chance to learn more about the space and the work they do. To have a youth-centered space survive for that long, especially in a climate where funding is fragile, short-term, and youth work is consistently undervalued, is incredible.
I deeply believe in youth centres and their power. Because prevention doesn’t feel as urgent as headline-grabbing crises, their impact is often overlooked - yet they quietly proactively transform young people’s lives and strengthen communities. One of our brilliant agents who works there helped us secure the space to host our community event: a perfect example of the power of the network in action.
Describe a recent moment at The Agency that made you feel especially proud or moved.
All of my agents give me reasons to feel proud in every session, but two moments really stand out. The first was an agent who lives with anxiety and went on a powerful journey with public speaking - advocating for herself and ultimately absolutely smashing a panel presentation with a project deeply connected to her own experiences. She brought light into every session.
The second was an agent who, very late in Cycle 1, changed his project idea and truly tapped into what mattered to him. He chose to explore grief, anger, and football and created a three-minute video that wove together footage from his journey, including moments with his mum. He shared that his biggest take-aways from the cycle were learning to be more vulnerable and giving himself permission to open up when it felt safe to do so.
I feel incredibly grateful to have worked with them both.
Who has been one of your biggest inspirations or role models (inside or outside The Agency)?
My Auntie Jacqui — I could write pages about why she was an inspiration, but I’ll keep it brief. She was an icon in every sense of the word.
She lived with severe disability and complex health conditions, yet her zest for life despite the cards she was dealt was extraordinary. As rheumatoid arthritis took things from her physically, she continually found new ways to keep creating - making jewellery, doing hair, and giving back for as long as she could.
After I graduated, I became her carer, and in that time she taught me so much. Though she didn’t have children, she was a mother figure to many. She truly was resilience personified. Blue was her trademark, and when she passed in 2024, it felt like she gave us something to pour love into and carry her spirit forward, so to feel a little closer to her I wear blue.
If you could invite any three people to a creative brainstorming session (alive or historical), who would they be?
Viola Davis, Kris Jenner and Angela Davis (honourable mention Shonda Rhimes)
What do you want to change in 2026?
My hope for 2026 is for the world to be kinder. We are witnessing horrifying things happening globally - so much of it at the hands of humans, done to one another.
If I can contribute to change by offering my time, care, and curiosity, and by helping to open up new paths in my small corner of the world, then I believe I’m using my time wisely.
Do you have a motto or phrase that guides you in your work or life?
‘The day you plant the seed, isn’t the day you get to eat the fruit’
‘Everything you want, everything you need is all within you’
Finally, if there were a movie or a book about your life, what genre would it be, and who would play you?
This genuinely may be too hard a question for me, Tessa Thompson for sure! That's an affirmation right there. The genre would be a high-brid between a dramedy and rom-com, would absolutely be a ‘chick-flick’ and I say that with ownership of the word!