Building a Movement Together: Reflections from Andrew
As The Agency of Change steps into an exciting new chapter in 2026, it feels important to pause and reflect on the journey that has brought us here.
Over the past few years, agents across the country have been building, organising, imagining and reshaping what leadership and power can look like when rooted in community.
Who better to share some reflections on that journey than our National Programme Manager, Andrew Westle. From some of his earliest moments with The Agency to the movement we see taking shape today, Andrew shares what has stayed with him most, not individual achievements, but the relationships, values and collective momentum that continue to drive this work forward. Scroll down and have a read…
“What stays with me most from my time with The Agency it is about movement”
It is about how we lift each other up, how we work with one another, and how we create collective momentum that shifts who holds power.
That feels particularly important against the backdrop we are working within. The ongoing demonisation of migrants. Chronic underinvestment in our communities. A political and social climate that isolates people and pits them against one another. In that context, coming together is radical!
Projects created through The Agency are never just projects.
They create the conditions for people to meet, organise, collaborate, imagine and create something different. The impact is not located in a single outcome or a single person, but in the relationships, confidence and shared agency that build over time. There is of course so many incredible individuals who are achieving so much, but they are part of a collective movement.
One of my earliest memories in this role was attending KultureFest, an events company created by Dorcas. It was the first Agency event I went to, and it has stayed with me. Since then, Dorcas has gone on to run three events, attracting hundreds of people, with attendees travelling from across the UK.
The most recent KultureFest I attended was filled with alumni who were there to support, take photos, and host. That, for me, is what movement building looks like. Not a spotlight on one individual, but a shared sense of responsibility and belonging.
A network that knows how to mobilise itself and turns up to support change making.
This cyclical leadership is built in to what we do, with alumni working at all levels to help power this movement.
This runs counter to the deeply individualistic culture that the UK can feel shaped by at times. The values that underpin this work, inspired by the thinking of Marcus Faustini, are quietly but radically different. They insist that change happens through collective effort, through trust, and through people recognising their power together rather than alone.
Of course, it is not always easy. There are moments when the structural barriers which Agents are pushing against, feel heavy and immovable.
But it is also where this work is most honest.
What continues to inspire me is that The Agency holds firm to the idea that process matters. That relationships and networks are important. That change is not linear, and neither are people. The movement is built not through perfection, but through persistence, care and working together.
As we look ahead, what excites me most is not just what is coming next, but how we will get there, together.
