Understanding System Shifts

We talk a lot about ‘system change’—but what does that actually look like in Plymouth?

For us, it means starting where we are: building relationships, noticing patterns, and sharing power.

System shifting isn’t one big moment—it’s a thousand small choices. It’s how we listen, how we fund, how we show up.

In one of our recent sessions, someone said: “The system isn’t broken. It’s doing what it was designed to do. The question is—what do we design next?”

That question is shaping everything we do. From working with local councils, to supporting frontline groups, to reimagining governance—every bit of it is about shifting old habits and creating new ones.

We don’t have a neat roadmap. But we do have each other. And we’re learning that system change is more about culture than control.

We’re not just trying to change the system—we’re trying to change how we relate within it.