Leap founder Matt Hocking was one of an estimated 60 000 people who gathered on the streets of London over the weekend for XR’s The Big One climate protest.
More than 200 organisations came together to demand that ministers stop approving new fossil fuel projects. Among those organisations was Business Declares, of which Leap was a founding member.
Here he hits download and reflects after a weekend of joint up, Big One action.
“For me, it’s all about energy, willingness, people in action and reciprocity.
I feel lucky and privileged that over my 20+ years of creative activism, enabling and declaring (alongside taking action), that I am part of a rich, fertile group using their energy, businesses, and lives to move hearts and minds for the better. When I join them, it’s as simple as an energetic expression, no egos, no silos, one planet.
A murmuration of people using business as a force for good. All sizes, colours, genders – diversity. Supporting, nurturing, helping, enabling.
I want to do more of this. Sometimes behind the scenes, creating things for people to use, at the front of things, sometimes supporting in the background. And other times creating the space to get other diverse voices in front of the cameras, the reporters, on the stage.
Importantly, to support and uplift; don’t pull down and go into the negative space. To do this, we’ve got to host realistic, stubborn and hopeful optimism and faith.
And we have got to do what we can; we might not be able to travel to events or spend a day in a parade, so what might you be able to do? What role do you wish to play? How can we support you?
Photo by Maria Soleil
I have this line I use below in my talks and online.
I am an Activist!
{ my choice, my action }
I am Not a re-activist
{ last minute, very expensive probably too late }
or an in-activist { too late }
We all have choices to make, and we are still at a time when we CAN make choices. One day, we won’t have the choice, and many around the world already don’t have a choice.
We’ve all got to do our thing any way we can, everywhere, all of the time. Not for us, but for the now and future generations, and we’ve got to do it now.
Governments are short-termist delayers. We need everyone acting long-term in the short-term. I will keep going and joining with Business Declares and thousands of others as it’s past #timeforchange. Was lifted seeing everyone at the Big One and those that didn’t make it, we felt you there in spirit.
Find out more and support however you feel called.”
– Matt Hocking
Founder, CSO, designer, earthling and stubborn optimist.