Systems Change in Action
Lead Participant:
ARE YOU MAD WORLDWIDE LTD
Abstract
Are You Mad - 'Making a Difference' - is a creative organisation aiming to shift perceptions around plastic waste recycling. Through climate change activism, educational workshops, and youth employment, we aim to inspire and empower young people across the country to understand their full potential in changing the future of plastic waste for the better. In our experimental studio in the heart of Soho we are creating a closed-loop recycling system where we make functional and beautiful objects using waste materials sourced from local businesses, passers-by and clean-up operations. We invite the public into our production line, making the process of recycling plastic waste accessible and transparent. We host workshops in plastic recycling and product design as well as inviting young and established artists to create and inspire us in collaborative recycled plastic projects.
Offering employment opportunities and apprenticeships for young people is essential to our mission. Our team, nicknamed 'Wastemen', is a play on words on a colloquial term traditionally used to describe a young person with no ambition. Our 'Wastemen' are the opposite, they're transforming the future by collecting, sorting, cleaning, processing, designing and creating, forming the core of our business, and pushing the boundaries of what we can create from waste. Giving agency and autonomy to young people can help them to be a part of the change they wish to see - we believe their creativity can drive real change.
Systems Change in Action is a 6-month project that will take everything we've learned from our experience since founding Are You Mad in 2020, and use it to create an open-source blueprint for rolling out our community recycling concept across the country. We want to demonstrate to the public that plastic waste is a valuable resource that can be transformed into durable and useful creations without ever being sent to landfill or outsourced to corporate waste companies. When working with brands, running workshops, or hosting events, the question we always ask is, are you making a difference?
Offering employment opportunities and apprenticeships for young people is essential to our mission. Our team, nicknamed 'Wastemen', is a play on words on a colloquial term traditionally used to describe a young person with no ambition. Our 'Wastemen' are the opposite, they're transforming the future by collecting, sorting, cleaning, processing, designing and creating, forming the core of our business, and pushing the boundaries of what we can create from waste. Giving agency and autonomy to young people can help them to be a part of the change they wish to see - we believe their creativity can drive real change.
Systems Change in Action is a 6-month project that will take everything we've learned from our experience since founding Are You Mad in 2020, and use it to create an open-source blueprint for rolling out our community recycling concept across the country. We want to demonstrate to the public that plastic waste is a valuable resource that can be transformed into durable and useful creations without ever being sent to landfill or outsourced to corporate waste companies. When working with brands, running workshops, or hosting events, the question we always ask is, are you making a difference?
Lead Participant | Project Cost | Grant Offer |
|---|---|---|
| ARE YOU MAD WORLDWIDE LTD | £49,883 | £ 49,883 |
People |
ORCID iD |
| Andrea Shortell (Project Manager) |