Marian Wright Edelman, an American activist for the rights of children, originally used this quote. She believed that children are less likely to be inspired for their future, if they don’t have visible role models.  More recently, the quote has been used to challenge gender stereotypes, especially where young girls do not see enough women in male-dominated industries.

For me, this quote describes what we’re trying to do at the Ideas Hub and how we’re helping people take a leap into the unknown. Co-production brings a level of uncertainty with it. You often go into a co-productive process with little idea of what is going to emerge from it. This is meant to be half the fun. However I think the uncertainty is an aspect of co-production that people find difficult to handle. People often say ‘if only I knew what it was going to look like’.

And so, we started the Ideas Hub to help people see what an alternative future could look like. We set out to showcase people and projects who are trying out new ways of doing things; real-life projects with tangible results. Two years in and we’re still never short of something or someone to write about.

So next time you hear someone say – ‘I just need to know what it’s going to look like’ – direct them to the Hub. There’s bound to be something we’ve written about that can inspire them. We’re helping them see what they can be.

Photo by Evan Kirby