Create, a new advisory group for Foundation for Future London

The Foundation has formed a new and exciting, non-executive advisory group called Create, who will be tasked with finding creative ways to advise, steer and support the ongoing work of the organisation. The inhouse panel is comprised of expert creatives and changemakers from London’s cultural and creative industries.

We are delighted to announce that the panel includes: Ben Hurst, Juliet Can, Ashley Cowan and Mohammed Rahman.

With their collective skills and experience, Create will link theory, policy, strategy and practice to inform a considered and successful delivery of the Foundation’s objectives and that of the East Bank project, whilst championing the values and aspirations that underpin the work of the Foundation.

At the genesis meeting, the group agreed to the following principles when identifying new areas of focus:

1. The prospects for youth employment in the creative and cultural industries following the Covid-19 pandemic as well older generations affected by the crisis
2. Enabling people from our boroughs to contribute to the decision-making process for the Foundation with a particular effort to champion the voices of local youths
3. More effective ways of improving Equality Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) in the creative and cultural sector
4. The need for coherent career ‘ladders of opportunity’ and how the Foundation can support such developments
5. Enabling local people’s voices to be heard in a meaningful way to inform our decision-making processes
6. Promoting mental and physical well-being, particularly among young people and excluded groups in our boroughs
7. Provide guidance, thoughts and insights on the use of artificial intelligence, data to shape FFL’s thinking on grant making, fundraising, thought leadership, EDI and strategy.

BEN HURST

Activist, facilitator, freelance trainer, podcaster and model, Ben’s work focuses on challenging traditionally toxic forms of masculinity and exploring ideas of minimum standards and positive masculinities.

He is the Head of Facilitation and Training at The Good Lad Initiative (GLI) and coordinates their workshops in schools, universities and corporate spaces. He also works as a freelance Diversity and Inclusion consultant.

JULIET CAN

Juliet is the Director of Stour Trust, a social enterprise developing models of community led regeneration through provision of affordable work, civic and cultural spaces.  She is also co-founder of Stour Space a community hub providing affordable workspace for creative practitioners.

Juliet has 20 years’ experience working with charities and social enterprises in the UK and abroad, building cross sector partnerships, community engagement, maximising social impact and fundraising. She was part of the working group that won the Creative Enterprise Zone designation for Hackney Wick and Fish Island, awarded by the Mayor of London.

ASHLEY COWAN

Ashley is a CEO, producer and an industry leader in extended reality (XR) storytelling. He believes immersive content can transform the world for the better by bringing human beings closer to one another in emotive and thought-provoking experiences.

Ashley founded East City Films in 2006, a successful London-based production company dedicated to producing purpose-driven storytelling in VR, AR and film and is an experienced filmmaker, producing films for brands such as Lexus, Coca-Cola and Sony, and an authority on VR and AR storytelling.

MOHAMMED RAHMAN

Since graduating from School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, with a BA in Anthropology, Mohammed has been pursuing a path in the culture, heritage and arts sector. A former STEP trainee, he has worked on various projects and placements with cultural institutions including UCL Culture, Tate Modern, the Smithsonian Institute and London Legacy Development Corporation.

Mohammed was born and brought up in East London and has enjoyed giving back to his community via youth work. Mohammed is also an illustrator and writer, which draws him to the cultural sector and informs his creative approach.

The next Create meeting is on Wednesday 2 June, where the group will discuss innovations and ladders of opportunity within artificial intelligence.

If you have any ideas for review by the Create group or would like to be considered as a participant in future community discussion groups with Create, please contact jasminesutherlandtripp@future.london. 

Photo credit: Fusion Prize symposium, Culture Mile and Foundation for Future London, 2019. Photo: ODERA OKOYE