Lightseekers

Lightseekers is a creative social enterprise that uses photography and storytelling as a platform to learn about and engage with important social issues. They specialise in cross-cultural education and deliver thought provoking programmes to low-income areas, where creative engagement is low and students are likely to experience exclusion and discrimination.

How did I get involved with Lightseekers?

I started Yoga in 2019 while finishing my doctorate and I met Kajal Nisha Patel, founder of Lightseekers and yoga teacher at Nilu.Yoga. The rest is history. We became friends and collaborators through the Breaking the Silence Initiative at Quetzal. Over the pandemic, we discussed in great details the impacts of poor mental health on wellbeing and physical health. Through our discussion, a project started emerging that will become Ways to Wellbeing - a 9 online session programme providing the tools and knowledge to communities to enhance their wellbeing. She invited me to become a director at Lightseekers in 2021 and we delivered the project that same year.

Activities

2021

• Ways to Wellbeing
• Bhensexplaining Kitty Party

Learn more about Lightseekers

• Instagram

Footpaths Leicester

Footpaths Leicester is a way for people to meet and support each other to reduce their personal carbon footprints. It offers a structured, supportive and fun environment in which people can work out what they want to change in your life to reduce your carbon footprint - and a community of like minded people to do it with. 

They provide a structure course of eight meetings with two facilitators and people to do it with. Beyond the course, Footpaths provide support to support people to continue on improving their personal carbon footprint, through one off events, workshops and get together.

How did I get involved with Footpaths Leicester?

I wanted to find out how grassroots organisation support people through change to facilitate the transition towards a sustainable system of consumption and production. It was after joining Transition Leicester and starting a Positive Money project to improve literacy about the money system that I eventually met with Zina Zelter, founder of Footpaths Leicester. 

What did I do with Footpaths Leicester?

I trained to become a facilitator for the Footpaths course, I delivered a eight course sessions. I also collaborated to design and deliver two money workshops. Finally, one of our biggest project was the Green Festival of Making and Mending which led to the creation of Leicester Fixers. I also carried out a survey at the festival for my doctoral thesis about the factors influencing prosumer repair propensity.

An important thing I did with Footpaths is work on reducing my carbon footprint. I reduced my meat, electricity and water consumption. I started growing my own food and take up on cycling. I also joining a bulk buying group to buy ethical food in bulk. A doctoral thesis by Fisher (2014) measuring the impacts of Footpaths course on personal carbon footprint demonstrated long term behaviour change in participants who continued making efforts in reducing their carbon footprint outside of the course setting. I can confirm that is true as I continue as of today to find ways to reduce my carbon footprint further.

It was a great experience to be part of Footpaths Leicester as I developed my skills both as a teacher and facilitator as well as a project manager

To Learn more about Footpaths Leicester

Their Facebook Page

Transition Leicester

Transition Leicester is a network of local people that aims to inspire action to make Leicester a thriving, low-carbon and resilient. It was created in 2008. It launch several projects promoting local food, renewable energy Permaculture design and more.

I joined Transition Leicester in 2012 after finishing my master degree and moving to Leicester. During my studies, I was introduced to the Transition movement as a model supporting the transition towards a sustainable system of production and consumption and after my master thesis and the clear disenchantment I experienced after my interviews, I wanted to understand the role of grassroots communities in supporting change. When I first joined, I worked on a project about the money system by creating a local group for Positive Money, organising events and discussion as well as workshops in collaboration with Footpaths Leicester (a project which also started under Transition Leicester). My conversation with Footpaths Leicester led to the organisation of the Green Festival of Making and Mending and the creation of Leicester Fixers, a project that still sit under Transition Leicester.

Joining Transition Leicester and meeting with like minded individuals was a great opportunity to build my confidence and self-esteem as a person especially after my master degree at Cranfield University and it was a lease of life while working as a customer insight officer at Melton Borough Council.

As of today, I am still a steering group member. I encourage people to join and ask for support people with new environmental projects to be delivered in Leicester. If you are interested in starting your own project, do not hesitate to get in touch.

Learn more about Transition Leicester

• Their website
• Facebook Group
• Transition Leicester on Marlefeed

Back to Work, Holiday glow, no more meetings

After a lovely weekend in a lodge in a middle of the forest, I wore the holiday glow proudly at the serie of meetings lined up for me on my day back in the office.

As the day back went on, my notebook became filled up by notes to process, more emails added to my to do list to send for Monday and my work hours just vanished...

I thought:

1. No more meetings on my way back from holidays

2. I shall limit the number of meetings to one a week maximum

3. I shall always ask for an agenda

4. Delegate so others write minutes 

What else?

About sending emails on Monday

I was asked to provide an update about My Monday Email Run

It is now my third week sending only emails on Monday. It remains very rewarding, though it is long stretch of work.

Today, I started replying to emails at 6am this morning. It is now 9pm and I am on the last stretch dealing with my personal emails. Why did it take me all that long? Well today, I changed slightly my schedule. I had a meeting with a coach to support Leicester Fixers - Durgha from Flow Finder (a bit about this in this Last Update). It meant that 3hours of my time were dedicated to travelling, chatting, planning and more. 

Writing emails on Mondays also include writing articles, newsletters as well as updating websites including Quetzal and Marlefeed plus doing a bit of design work. It is required since I want to update my teams about upcoming events and resources to share. I am working towards writing most of the content to send on Monday - On Thursday instead so I can reduce the workload for Monday.

Once my Monday run is done. I have way more time to dedicate to writing, meeting with people and planning and I am well grateful for this. 

During the week, I check my emails once a day between 12-1pm. If there is anything urgent, I reply straight away otherwise I snooze an email until the following week. If I have a meeting or discussion and I am invited to send an email to someone and it is not urgent, I use my asana and write that I need to send an email on Monday to so and so.

So this it, my update about My Monday Email Run.

I hope you find it useful

Understand what is yours by using mindfulness and self-observation

Your emotions are yours - a construct of your mind and gut layering upon your eyes a tinted vision of the world and their objects. Are you getting infatuated or obsessed with an object or a person? What do you observe that you find attractive? What is it that you feel that you are missing and observe in an object, situation or someone else? Are you just addicted to the highs and inevitable lows of idolising an object of desire?

Best to take responsibilities for your feelings. What about searching within your body, the high that always keep you high regardless of what is happening outside of yourself. - Meditate - look inside of yourself - use your sexual and creative energy to keep creating within yourself the good feeling - nothing outside of yourself can top the love that you feel for you first. You will never feel lonely after that. 

My week schedule for higher productivity

Monday - Emails

Tuesday - Publishing and Scheduling

Wednesday - Funding Application writing and planning

Thursday Writing Books, News & Schedulinh Marlefeed

Friday - Clear Eliminate & Plan

Saturday - clear eliminate plan

Sunday - rest

What's Yours?

Emails only on Monday

My new experiment for productivity is to send emails only on the Monday to my collaborators. Today was my first day sending emails to everyone. What can I say, it was intense and at the same time so rewarding. I feel that my list of things to do for the week just reduced dramatically by just dealing with all my planned emails first. Now I can focus on reading, planning and more. The plans for the rest of the week is to read through email 1hour during the day to see if there is anything urgent.Otherwise, they'll be dealt with next week. 

What about you? Have you got a productivity hack?

How do I used the Stay Focused App

Did you find yourself in many instances just scrolling down Instagram,  Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn mindlessly? Did you wish you could just stop the behaviour and focus on something more productive instead?

Did you answer yes yes yes.

You are here for the treat - the Stay Focused App.

Oh you've used it already? and it did not work for you? You kept resetting the times to access your favourite app?

I tell you, you are not the only. I have downloaded the Stay Focused app several times before finding my mojo.

What changed?

Reading Tim Ferris 4-hour a week comfortable challenge of not feeding ourselves with information during 4 days

A discussion with Muslim and Christian about the heartfelt decision to fast for a set period of time.

How do I use the Stay Focused App?

When I open Instagram or any other app first thing, I ask myself did I gather everything I needed it from there. Then I log on to Stay focused, then I make the decision to fast for 5 hours on my social media. When the times up, I check again the information and then do another 5 hours fast.

It works!

I am looking to increase the fast slowly slowly so that I check my social media only once a day and even better once a week.

We will see how that goes.

I hope this helps you in your journey ;)

Message of the Week

The message of the Week

To Support the Transition towards an Happy Sustainable World, Be a Better Friend

To be a successful ethical entrepreneur, you need a Genuine Love for People

MeganMakesGood Hens & Parrots

''To be a successful ethical entrepreneur, you need a Genuine Love for People'' Laura Santamaria from Sublime Magazine

What happened this week?

This week, I went to the Artisans of Market Harborough Fair in the Old Grammar School with Jill from Megan Makes Good. The day was absolutely gorgeous, the sun was high, the sky was blue, and the city was buzzing with activity. We arrived at the fair and Jill set up with another nine people in the room while inviting me to have a walk around town.

When I came back, beautiful items made up by the different artists filled the room. As the day went on, there were different energies on display in the room. Some people were more disappointed than others on how well the event went and pondered who is the primary beneficiary of the fair (i.e., the organiser or the trader).

On my side, the day was absolutely fabulous. I met wonderful people in and outside of the fair. There is a church next to the Old Grammar School. I went in and could feel what it is to be a community. Those people were so welcoming and loving.

On the same day, I posted on my Instagram a question asking the Instagram community what does it take to become a successful entrepreneur. The experiences of the various entrepreneurs at the artisan market inspired the question.

Laura Santamaria who is running Sublime Magazine replied to my question. She said that To be a successful ethical entrepreneur, it takes Genuine Love for people.

I believe this to be TRUE because it is hard work to get people to follow your work and buy from you, it is hard work to get people to support you in making your business a success, it is hard work to be liked if no one knows you. The item can be beautiful. The connection is more important.

Lavender bags by MeganMakesGood

After the event, I wondered who in the room developed connections in Market Harborough before the event and benefitted from those connections to share all their gifts.

The primary beneficiary for the event success is the TRADER. By ripping the most benefits, they are simultaneously the ones with the most responsibilities because they take the most financial risks. For those reasons, they have to put the work in to create the social connections that may yield an ROI. They have to Genuinely love people to get out of your way and let them know that it is because they care that they are coming in their town to share their gift. If this has not been done, they may as well consider themselves LATE to the fair regardless of how early they left their home.

From my experience from the fair, I can say that I will take some time before considering going to a fair. At the moment, my eBay sales are going well; I have a new collaborator ready to list some items with Bazar Heureux. I also received excellent advice from Jill, Viki which I am going to apply. I need to improve the descriptions on my articles and share with more people what I am up to and see where the wind blows. New collaborators and contributors to the Bazar Heureux may appear.

Let see what next week bring for my vision to be complete.

Exciting!

Some of the people who were present at the artisan market
Khulelo
@thepapercreative
@sadie_and_sid
@louisecrookendenjohnson
@sarahkingarts
@simply.shaker

Always Expect the Unexpected - Purge Update

Message of the week

Always Expect the Unexpected

What happens this week with the Purge?

1. I sold a lip butter set, a suit and a skirt.
2. I received a bid on a T-shirt, a trouser and a dress.
3. I received a warm message from Jill, owner of MeganMakesGood about the shop. She found my blog through my FB. It warmed my heart. First, because it is nice to receive some feedback from you do, Two, I did not know anyone would read about what I do on FB.
4. I packed my good and made on more cyclop card for it and went to the shop.
5. I spoke with my friend designer Zosia about developing the visual design of the shop
6. I received a message about purchasing one of my dress and send it to Mauritius - Oulala I smiled, can you imagine me selling a £1 dress and send it to Mauritius...
7. Total sale this week: £19
8. Number of Visits on Blog: (I Don't Know) The total page view of the blog is 12,747

What am I going to Improve on?

• How can I organise my packaging better?
• Create a space in the office for packaging
• Cut off plastic bags for reuse
• How can I promote the shop better and be more confident about it?
• Share the message with other about the shop. I am still a bit shy to actually share it to people around me. 
• Write up a script to let people know about the shop so I can feel more comfortable
• First fill up the different platforms with your goodies and then start talking about it with people once you are ready
• Reconvert Ms.Cyclop to be the shop?!?
• What can I share with people that are valuable?
• I was thinking to write a book and sell it. I came across the owner of Electric Kitty who wrote a beautiful children book about child bereavement. It is such an important message to share.
• The other thing I was thinking was to share plants. I can easily grow them...I can easily share them. 
• When do you start taking a beautiful pic of you and your stuff
• M and I we have been discussing taking nice pictures of the item I want to share with people. He is a great photographer and I would like to look like Beyonce... 
• Who would you like to collaborate with and what would it look like?
• I really want to. I was thinking to create a small community of people who help each other with swapping 1 hour a week of time to promote each other shop... Let's see who I could talk to.
• What do you want to do about creating the visual of your shop
• I am still thinking. I am thinking though to maybe start first with filling all platform with the good I want to share and then if I have more money coming in, I can start talking with Z about making my shop better. 
• What do you want to do about the blog?
• I am still figuring it out. At the moment, it is just for me to keep a track record of what happens week to week. Eventually, it will be nice to write proper articles about sharing and caring about one another and everything that there is around us. 
• I haven't figured out how to do that yet. Maybe once I have filled all the different platform with the things I want to share. I can go back to the blog and figure out what exactly I want to write about.
• Something unexpected is going to come and I will figure exactly what I want to write about on this blog.

What are you grateful for?
The gift and surprises I receive everyday.


For you, reader!
Check MeganMakesGood Shop if you want ssome handmade Goodies
Check Zosia if you interested in graphic design
Check Eletric Kitty book in the Stars
Do you want pictures taken for Wedding, My husband is a photographer... Get in touch for more info
For Beyonce... well you know....
Do you want to feature? Let me know
If you want to give me any suggestions on how to move forward with some of the questions I am asking myself, please do not hesitate to let me know

Little by Little, the bird learn to fly - Purge Update

The message of the Week

• Petit a Petit, L'Oiseau apprend a voler
• Little by Little, the bird learn to fly

What went well this week?

• I sold 9 items.
• I relisted 124 items which are for grab NOW
• I reorganised my inventory at home so everything I am currently selling is in a wardrobe, ready to grab.
• I also brought together the items I am planning to photograph and sell next month.
• I tried to put a card in all my parcels.

What are you thinking to improve?

• I am thinking to improve the message on the card
• At the moment, it is just ''Thank you for your order it is greatly appreciated'' 
• Now I am thinking to write, ''Thank you for your order this week, it caused me to realise how much I love selling on eBay, packing the item and sending it knowing that someone somewhere is going to make use of it. As a result, I am going to post even more items in my shop. Keep on watching my evolution! Thanks again.''
• For the drawing, I make little cyclops. 
• I am wondering if I could make a little stencil of the Cyclops with written Bazar Heureux. The cyclops could be part of the logo.
• Eventually, it will be good to have an address to this blog onto the card. I am not at this stage just yet though. Until I have found an item to sell that people want
• For the packaging, at the moment, I am using plastic bags that I have at home. 
• I was thinking to maybe talk with Stacey to see if where she buys her bag and maybe get some in bulk with her. I will probably do that once I do not have any more bags. The other option is to grab materials from the hackspace, or maybe try to find on freecycle and waste not want not people who are giving them for free.
• For the listing, I will add items next months onto my listing
• I have been talking to my mum about getting some stuff from her. She is at the moment slightly reluctant so I am not going to force it.
• Eventually, I want to get an item that I can sell over and over again that people want. I am not sure what it is yet. It will be great if it is something which produces minimal waste. Something that is valuable enough that people want to retain it for a long period of time. Something that makes them happy.  Something I can sell in high volume with the effort of packing them up. Small enough that I can have to pack them from home. 
• I could sell an item with some cyclops branding on it in the future 
• I also thought that maybe Zosia could make me some skirts and tops with the fabric I have got left but we could sell it all from Sandrine Nyota page.
• For packing and posting, I am not sure yet how to proceed. 
• I am thinking that from the moment I receive a bid on the item, I will pack the item straight away.
• Then once I receive the payment, I can write the address on the item straight away.
• Otherwise, it will be good eventually to print the slip order.
• I need to get some tape from the hackspace or see if I can get some from free from somewhere
• For Pinterest, I completely deleted by mistake or not all the items I had on it. I am not sure how to proceed.
• I will probably leave it for now. I will see next month what is the best way to proceed. it seems anyway I receive more visitors from twitter so maybe I should focus on that for now.

What are you grateful for?

• I am very grateful for all the people who have visited my shop and made a purchase.
• I am grateful for investing time and energy into making bazar heureux reality.

There is a wild bunny in each one of us - Shoes Tattoo with WildBunny Arts

Time to waking it up by getting our feet to fly!

I have those adidas trainers on sale on my ebay shop. They need some love.
I have been thinking if I do not manage to sell them to someone who needs them straight up!
I will ask Wild Bunny Arts to give them a new look and offer them to someone I know who is a size 8 hehe.

Have you came  across Wild Bunny Arts before?

It is a British a one-stop shop for personalised shoes and apparel managed by Rei since 2015. She noticed that while it was possible to buy colour custom Converse and Vans, it was not possible to buy shoes, jackets and snap-backs with truly unique patterns and artwork on them. This is where she steps in.

Her work is absolutely FABoLous.
Worth having a look

Let's Repair with Market Harborough Fixers

IT IS TIME FOR EVERYONE TO JOIN Market Harborough Fixers specifically if you live in and around Market Harborough, have an item to fix, have the skill to fix, have the dream that one day every single town and villages have a repair café every month!

Share this post with your contacts in Leicestershire

Yesterday, Divya and I travelled from Leicester to Canvas Cafe in Great Oxendon, approximately 2 Miles Away from Market Harborough.

We were welcomed by Lara and Jen who run the Canvas Café and the Country Bumpkin Yurts and Steven who is running a food growing project on site to support people with mental health issues. He is also involved in a number of projects in the area.

I brought a projector from the Leicester Hackspace, yet it was easily figured that a lovely conversation around a cup of tea was more appropriate.

We received pertinent questions when it comes to trying to organise a repair café, the possible footfalls, how to manage expectations of the visitors and what type of support do we provide as part of the Leicestershire Outreach Programme.

The Good News is that a Repair Café will happen in Market Harborough this year - possibly around May Time.

The Condition to make it a success and specifically to ensure that more repair events happen in the area is for you to join Market Harborough Fixers NOW

Why?

Because TOGETHER, WE ARE STRONGER

So, Drop a hello on the group and let them know what you can repair or fix - maybe you are a good communicator and you want to share the news, or you may be good at finances and want to support with your accounting skills.

We need to know what type of items you have at home that needs repairing.

Say what it is, you may receive some suggestions on how to fix before the event.

Scared to change - the opposite is true part

I lose relationships. It is the beginning of new possibilities for change.
I control, manipulate so that only the people who are ready to change stay. I deceive, reject so that only the people who want to stay, stay.
I am decisive in the way I deal with others. I always play my parts so they can grow.
I love transforming. I allow myself to lose any parts of who I am so a new side of myself may emerge. I know when this happens, it creates havoc in people's lives so they realise that they have to change too. I deliberately choose to be whatever I need to be so I can grow and evolve as well as all the people around me! It is unsafe, risky, naughty. I love it, it makes me so happy, I am meeting everyone's expectations and beyond. I am experiencing deep relationships with people who stay, I am opening new doors to opportunities. Those who underestimate me, better watch out, I will force them to find their path to happiness there.

Scared to change - the opposite is true part 1 #relationships #opposite #truelove #fear

I fear losing relationships.
For those reasons, I can be controlling, manipulating to keep them and/or I can also be deceiving and rejecting people so I do not have to go through the heartache of losing them.
It makes me quite indecisive in the way I deal with others. Shall I play along or shall I not?
The unfortunate thing is that I also act out of fear with parts of myself. I do not allow myself to evolve because I am scared of what will emerge, I am scared that the real me will create havoc in people lives and make it worse, I am scared of myself. So I choose deliberately to be small, insignificant, ugly, unreliable, poor, untrustworthy, lazy. I do love to be all those things. It is safer for everyone, Yet, weirdly enough, it also makes me unhappy that I am not meeting some of partners expectations. I am losing those relationships, I am closing doors to opportunities. Those who believe that I am so much more than what I chose to be. I create Havoc there.
It appears that I am never going to make anyone happy anyway.
The only person that I can make happy is myself.

Read Part 2

Storytelling for paradigm shift #sustainability #circulareconomy

I truly believe that if we want to support people in creating resilient and sustainable communities, there is a need to be more visible. Theatrical and storytelling performances, public speaking in all are significant outputs that can inspire people to think about a different way of being. So let's get out there and get acting. The sky is the limit.

Transition Leicester 2019

Transition Leicester is still here for anyone to come along and ask for support. You can, I can, we can.

We have a bank account, an insurance and a track record of experience we can share with starting initiatives. So if you happen to live in Leicester, have an idea our already started a project. Get in touch info (at) Transitionleicester. Org

The encounter

Sunday afternoon,
The diary says that she needs to be at her certain place at a certain time to meet with some people. She is also required to bring something to eat. She jumps into the car and goes to her local store. There she walks straight to the reduced section.
In front of her, a man, late 40s, blond hair, broad shoulders. She freezes. She knows that man. She does not know what to do. Say hello. Smile awkwardly. She turns around, grabs the first packet of crisps she can. She is hoping he did not see her. She can hear his voice talking to the cashier. She has a hat on, she s unrecognisable. She walks hastily to the car, gets in. She waits for him to leave. No encounter. We are all saved.

Her body could not lie, she is connected to him for life. It was a gentle reminder that love s everywhere to be found