Disruptive Explorers
Shifting Power
Disruptive Explorers brings local people together to explore new approaches to community decision-making, guided by three priorities:
Power
changing who holds power and how it is used
Connection
creating space for different voices and perspectives
Learning
building the knowledge and skills people need to make change
BD Giving holds the funding for the project, but decisions about
how it is used are made collectively by the Disruptive Explorers.
The Opportunity
Disruptive Explorers is for Barking and Dagenham residents and the people working in local community groups and organisations who want to challenge harmful systems and help develop fairer, more inclusive ways of making decisions.
You don’t need experience, a title, or a big plan. You do need to be curious.
Disruptive Explorers is for you if you live or work in Barking and Dagenham, and:
You care about how decisions are made – and who gets a say
You’re frustrated by how money is spent – or not – in your area
You’re ready to explore new ideas and help change things
You’ve got questions, ideas, or just a feeling that things could be better
The story so far
The Disruptive Explorers started with a group of local organisations and community groups who want to disrupt harmful systems in the borough. Their work lead to the Feast for Our Future event in October 2025.
Since then, Disruptive Explorers have built new relationships, agreed principles for working together and explored who holds power, who benefits from funding and how decisions could be more inclusive.
The group developed several ideas for distributing funding and selected four to explore further:
- using a digital platform to distribute money to communities
- putting decisions in the hands of people with lived experience
- funding improvements to local parks
- involving young people in funding decisions
Members say the experience has helped them build relationships, develop their community knowledge and become more confident about challenging existing ways of working.
How to get involved
Disruptive Explorers is an ongoing journey, with more opportunities for local people to contribute as the work develops.
If you have any questions,
you can contact Emma Stevens.
Emma Stevens
Programme & Engagement Coordinator