Roots of Reggae: Good Time Rock

@JoeSmithDesign Roots of Reggae poster on display at Supertone's Store, Acre Lane, Brixton

It's been an enjoyably hectic couple of weeks or so since my last proper post so I thought I had better get another one written before my thoughts take on a rose-tinted hew and (to continue with the colour theme) my anger at the Coalition's plans to privatise the NHS simply becomes just another grey hair on my weary head.

So where to begin? Gainful employment seems a reassuringly sensible place to start so here goes.

Experience is Everything

A poster which caught my eye whilst on location at James Cake hospital in Middlesbrough

Last time I mentioned I'd picked up some freelance project work with thinkpublic. With much fanfare I can now reveal I've been leading on a piece of work with the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. The project is looking at how staff and patients experience either delivering or receiving Ambulatory Care services and exploring with them how, in future, we can build better processes for capturing and understanding these experiences in order to improve how services are designed and delivered.

Exploring how staff and patients experience and feel about services is a really powerful way of involving them in identifying and co-designing service improvements. The project is still ongoing but already we have identified lots of new areas for improvement and, more importantly, got people believing that they have the power to improve health services. You can read more about the project, including an explanation of what Ambulatory Care actually means, in the blog I wrote for thinkpublic.

Guardianista Profiling

An ambition realised: my profile on The Guardian Website

 Besides the work for thinkpublic, I'm also proud of the article on co-production which I recently wrote for The Guardian local government network. For the 90 per cent of the population who don't and should never have to know what the term means, co-production simply describes sharing the design and the delivery of public services with users. The article is based on my experience of attending a leadership network event designed to give officers of Lambeth Council the confidence to work in more collaborative ways with their citizens. You can the full piece here.

 I am also pleased to have recently connected with the social enterprise Spots of Time, whose mission is to make it easy for all of us for volunteering our time in fun, bite-sized ways. Rather like the work I've been doing with The Amazings, my involvement with Spots of Time is strictly pro bono for now (and I HATE U2) but hopefully there will be more formal opportunities as the organisation grows and connects with different communities. Watch this space for how things progress.

Roots of Reggae

An even greater ambition realised: Roots of Reggae blowing up the spot at  Sainsbury's Forest Hill

Those of you with the good fortune to have spent any time in my company or read my Tweets may well have heard of a little project I'm developing in my spare time called Roots of Reggae. I don't want  to go overboard in this post but here are a few key milestones:

• Age UK Lambeth have endorsed the project, which should help attract an older crowd than might otherwise get along to the Ritzy Brixton.
• Mistah-Brown Selector of Tighten-Up Crew up and Sly and Reggie have both been brilliant in offering their support to the event. Mistah-Brown in has brought on board his good friends DJ Keith Lawrence and MC DaddyRanks, which means we're in store for a fantastic day of music.
• Support with publicising Roots of Reggaes. Whether it has been DJ David Katz, music store owners Supertone and Blacker Dread, South London Press, The Brixton Bugle or local traders, I have been amazed by the warmth with which Roots of Reggae has been received.

Next Steps

For the next week or so I'll be working hard to ensure the Roots of Reggae launch is a success. I'll look to write a separate post this weekend on my experiences of developing the project. Other than that, I'm looking to continue with the freelance work whilst looking for new opportunities.

You can follow developments with Roots of Reggae on Twitter @RootsofReggae but to really get what I'm talking about make sure to get along to the FREE launch event on the afternoon of Saturday 3rd December.

Don't call it a comeback ...

It is fair to say there has been an explosion of interest in my Roots of Reggae project of late. Photo: jovike / Flickr

It was Harold Wilson who said 'a week is a long time in politics'. That was before Twitter, Facebook and this blog you're reading (or at least skimming out of a mistaken sense of obligation), however. And so with it approaching nearly two weeks since I last blogged, I think it's more fitting to reach for James Todd Smith (aka LL Cool J)'s memorable lyric, 'Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years'.

Now that I've publicly aired the shame I feel for not having taken the time to blog, I suppose I ought to at least explain what's been happening to me when I've been busy making other plans. So as not to strat too far from structural convention, I'll break these up into three themes: paid work; personal projects; and my so-called life.

Paid work

As briefly mentioned last time, I was pleased to pick up some freelance project management work from my old full-time employers, thinkpublic. The project I have been working on is still under wraps so unfortunately I can't say loads about it here. What I can say, however, is that is has been great to be working again with old colleagues and gaining more in-depth of a new policy area for me. I've written a blog post for thinkpublic about this work and will include a link to this once it has been published.

Running alongside this work for thinkpublic have been a number of other positive developments on the work front. Last week I was offered the chance to become an Associate of an ethically-driven consultancy firm. I am very pleased about this as it should allow me to apply the ways of working I enhanced at thinkpublic within a more political/policy-focused environment. I also had the chance to attend a European conference on Social Franchising on behalf of an Associate of thinkpublic. Not only was this a chance to learn more about an increasingly talked-about subject, it also led to some new introductions which should hopefully produce opportunities to get involved in other projects.Again, watch this space for more on how these things develop.

Personal projects

As things have picked up on the work front I have made a conscious effort not to let my commitments to outside projects fall by the wayside. Most significantly, the momentum for my reggae and dub-centred community project is gathering apace. The project now has a name: Roots of Reggae, as well as its own Twitter handle (@RootsofReggae) and blog (Roots of Reggae blog). The Ritzy cinema in Brixton are kindly supporting the project. I also have a date and venue for the FREE launch event, which will take place at the Ritzy Brixton on Saturday 3rd December, 3-7 pm. I have even secured a live dub performance from East Dulwich's finest Sly & Reggie, no less. You can find out more and sign up to attend via Facebook at: Roots of Reggae FREE launch.

Jules and Katie manning The Amazings' stall on Chatsworth Road Market

Besides my work on Roots of Reggae, I've also continued to help out on The Amazings, the East London-based social enterprise that helps people who are about to retire or have retired create amazing experiences with the skills, knowledge and passion they’ve picked up throughout their life. It was through this connection that I found myself last Sunday morning on the newly re-activated Chatsworth Road Market, where we managed to sell two tickets and harvested a good number of sign-ups for the service's newsletter. As with Roots of Reggae, I've found working on The Amazings to be a really rewarding experience, even when faced with less than amazing early morning weekend starts.

My so-called life

That Viking sure was funky. The Band Plays On at Brockley Market

Although the past couple of weeks have been very exciting and rewarding, I have sometimes found it challenging to adjust to flexible and often home-based working. When I working full-time for thinkpublic there would be a clear distinction between work and home-life, give or take the odd early start or late-night deadline. Now the line between work and home is less sharp and I find myself working on my laptop when really I should be having some switch-off time. Don't get me wrong, I've still made time for the finer things in life, such as seeing a friend perform in the musical Bye Bye Birdie (oh yes) and even a trip to the new Brockley Market, but over the next few weeks I want to make sure I find the time to relax and enjoy life, whether that's in Forest Hill or the wider world.

Next steps

Sarah and I are off to Newcastle this weekend for a friend's a wedding. After that, I'll be briefly back in London before heading up to Middlesbrough as part of my work for thinkpublic. With a bit of luck I'll have the chance to write a blog next week and, who knows, I'll maybe even throw in a picture of the famous Transporter Bridge.


A Soundtrack to celebrate Roots of Reggae getting a confirmed date

To celebrate the progress I've made on my Roots of Reggae project I thought I would share with you an upbeat selection of tunes.

Jimmy Cliff - Wonderful World, Beautiful People.
Sure, it's at the very poppy end of pop-reggae but who cares? A song when things in life are going well.

U Roy & Lee 'Scratch' Perry - Double Six.
Ignore the iffy visuals and enjoy the nicely mellow toasting by U Roy over a surprisingly modern sounding synth line. Electro-pop reggae, anyone?

Wayne Smith - Under Mi Sleng Teng
This song is arguably the first all-digital dancehall track. Produced by Prince Jammy, it pretty much revolutionised Jamaican music. I normally stick to 70s roots material but this song is just so catchy you can't resist. If you like this song you should check out the Tighten-Up Crew's gig this Friday in Finsbury Park: Tighten-Up Crew gig.

Something in the air

Reggae and dub pioneer, Lee 'Scratch' Perry. Image: TechLT on Flickr

Thunderclap Newman memorably sang, 'call out the instigators because there's something in the air'. I think they were saying that the summer of love would bring about an end to the old hierarchies and usher in new and progressive ways of doing things, possibly involving duffel coats and beads. But in a  tenuous (yet nonetheless real) sense I think this hippie anthem could be speaking about my life right now, as I sit on my sofa in good old Forest Hill.

For me, change is in the air and, as the MC5 would say, it's like drowning in molasses.  Over the past month or so I've been gearing up for a shift in my working life. From here on in, I will be contributing to thinkpublic's work on a project-by-project basis, alongside working on social innovation projects for different organisations.

In the midst of all this change I have also been giving some thought to the second part of Thunderclap's lyric. Namely, 'we've got to get together sooner or later because the revolution's here'. Now, wiser heads than I might contend that it's probably ill-advised to invest this much meaning in a pop song, but I am nonetheless determined to use this period of change in mind life to help us get together sooner or later.

And how do I plan to bring about said revolution? Given the parlous state of the global economy and the general uncertainty which we face day-to-day, I believe we will get together over 70s reggae and dub. Without going into too much beard-stroking analysis, I believe music from this period manages to combine sorrow, hope and fun with amazing sonic experimentation. And if my words aren't doing anything for you, just check out this seminal track from King Tubby:

It's still early days yet but I am convinced reggae music in general and dub in particular has a unique ability to bring people of different ages, races and backgrounds together. Over the coming weeks I'll be exploring how I can develop this idea in my spare time. If nothing else, planning my dub revolution might be a refreshing tonic as I adjust to my new life as an associate.

Join my dub (club)

Do you share my belief in the power of reggae and dub? Would you be interested in exploring how this amazing music could be used to help people together and increase the wellbeing of our society? If so, drop me a line and let's look to over(under)stand the issues.

Every revolution needs a soundtrack

Here are some choice tracks to let you know where I'm coming from:

Lee 'Scratch' Perry - Dub Revolution

Lee 'Scratch' Perry - In These Times Dub

The Clash - Police & Thieves (a punk cover of a reggae classic, encapsulating the music's power to bring people together)

Selected Works - my blogs from the past year

Source: davidking, Flickr

Following on from the personal triumph that was my first blog post yesterday I thought I would strike while the iron was hot (not to fall back on well-worn cliches) and write a blog which pulls together the policy and social innovations blogs I've written in the past year or so. Let's go.

The first work-related blog I wrote was for The Guardian Local Government Network, which launched last autumn. I had originally approached The Guardian's Society supplement with a view to contributing articles but when Jane Dudman told me The Guardian would shortly be launching a Local Government Network, I decided it might be a better idea to start off by writing a blog for the network.

You can read my first blog, which looks at what the Big Society has to offer Local Government, by clicking here.

Buoyed by seeing my name in pixels, I set about writing my next blog for the network. But like bands struggling with their 'difficult second album' I, too, struggled to come to terms with my new-found fame.* True, unlike The Stone Roses I had not been sidetracked by chemical temptations. Nonetheless, there were  moments when I felt genuinely unsure where the next 400 words of inspiration would come from.

Fortunately for me, early in the new year Lambeth Council published The Co-operative Council – Sharing Power: A new settlement between citizens and the state and, thanks to having until recently worked for Lambeth, I was asked to comment on whether the council's vision for the future could survive the unprecedented reductions in public spending.

You can read my blog on The Co-operative Council by clicking here.

In the spring of this year my blogging temporarily took a back seat as I got to grips with my new role as Communications & Policy Lead for the social design agency thinkpublic. Instead, I had to content myself with developing solutions to complex social challenges and writing formal service design and social research reports. But luckily in June I had the chance to write again for the network, this time on the findings of our work at thinkpublic with families with mutliple and complex needs.

You can read my blog on finding better ways of supporting families with complex need by clicking here.

Having gotten into blogging once again, I was inspired to write about my experiences at the Google-FutureGov Interactivism Hack event, which I attended along with my thinkpublic colleague @joesmithdesign. The event, which took place over two days on Brick Lane, brought together the best student developers, Googlers, designers and other social innovators worked in crack teams to hack a better web that overcomes the barriers that stand in the way of older people accessing the web.

You can read about my time at Interactivism, including details of my team's prize-winning Spotted  mobile app to promote real world accessibility for people, by clicking here.

That's it for now. I'm hoping to get back into blogging for the network and other sites in the weeks and months ahead. If you know of any good opportunities to comment on policy and social innovation matters, feel free to drop me a line.


* Fame for me consisted of a handful of friends and family saying well done AFTER I had sent them a direct link to my post. Not to be confused with David Bowie's Fame.