What if your task isn’t to save the world?

OK, nobody thinks their job is literally to save the world.

But a save-the-world script runs below the surface in many people who are working for change. It comes from our own psychology, and from the wider culture, including Britain’s histories of Christianity, class and empire.

And it can weigh us down and get in our way when we’re already doing difficult work.

The good news is that there are antidotes – that can make us more effective change-makers, and help us stay resilient for longer.

Long-standing campaigner Anthea Lawson has been investigating the saviour complex, interviewing hundreds of experienced activists and change-makers to find how they stay in it for the long term, talking to psychologists, and reflecting on her own experiences.

This workshop will gently invite you to consider the hidden inner stories that might be shaping your work, and whether they are serving your values and intentions.

Bring pen and paper.

Light nibbles included.

About the facilitator: Anthea Lawson

Anthea Lawson has fought for many issues over three decades including controls on the arms trade and an end to the financial secrecy offered by tax havens. She helped launch a campaign for transparency over company ownership which resulted in changes to the law in dozens of countries. After training as a journalist at The Times, she worked for campaign groups including Global Witness and Amnesty International.