911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ

Agents of Change is 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s supportive capacity building programme, open to changemaking women local to Hammersmith and Fulham, and North Kensington.

The revamped programme has returned to The Invention Rooms with a new cohort, after the Public and Community Engagement Team took some time off to reflect, reconnect with graduates, and celebrate just how far the programme has come. The free Agents of Change workshops are designed to support local women who care about their community and want to be involved in making positive changes. Confidence and grand plans aren’t required, just curiosity, commitment and the courage to show up. 

Facilitating a session for the Agents of Change programme was an absolute joy. I was truly inspired by the work the team is doing to empower women to step into their roles as changemakers in ways that are accessible, creative, and deeply supportive. The room was buzzing with energy, curiosity, celebration, and connection — it was beautiful to witness and even more beautiful to be part of. These spaces are so needed to help women grow, feel seen, and step into their power with confidence. Eleni Erotokritou Executive Assistant (EDI) and Activitate Mentoring Coordinator, and Agents of Change workshop facilator

Agents of Change launched in 2018, following an International Women’s Day event held at The Invention Rooms. Professor Maggie Dallman delivered a speech highlighting the network of support that she had around her in the early years of her career. Without it, she said, it would have been far harder to become the leader and changemaker that she is today. As usual, at the end of the speech, there was time for questions from the audience. One participant, a local woman, raised her hand and asked an incredibly powerful question:  

“You mentioned having a support network and how much that helped you. As local women, how can we get one too?” 

Agents of Change was born from there! 

The 2026 cohort consists of 15 women from across Hammersmith and Fulham, and North Kensington. They come from a range of backgrounds, but are all driven by creating positive social impact in their communities. As well as building their support networks and forming meaningful connection in and outside of 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ, Agents will access a series of workshops that will support the group to build confidence, connect intentionally and set practical goals. 

Farial Missi, Senior Community Partnerships and Engagement Manager said “The relaunch of Agents of Change came off the back of the Public and Community Engagement team taking some time to carefully re-engage with a lot of our graduates. We talked to them about their experiences, as well as the long-term impact of Agents of Change in their personal and professional lives. We wanted to be really sure that the programme is continuing to meet local women’s needs in the right way. We worked closely with Elodie Cox, an amazing Programme Development Consultant to craft the new programme, and really focused on bringing it back to its initial purpose: the creation and maintenance of a close-knit community network.” 

Elodie Cox, speaking on the redeveloped programme, said “What’s struck me about Agents of Change is how much of its success is down to the Agents themselves - they are the ones making connections, building a support network and creating change in our local communities together. Relaunching the programme this year will bring another 15 women into the Agents of Change team, and each year the community grows, becoming more diverse, more knowledgeable and ultimately, more powerful. Existing Agents are already creating so much positive change and supporting 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ’s work in new and exciting ways. I can’t wait to see what this and future cohorts add and what changes we can create together." 

This series of workshops will run until mid-March, with a celebratory event in April to commemorate the 2026 cohort as they complete the programme. At this point, they’ll join the Agents of Change network, and continue to have access to development and networking opportunities at 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ.  

"It’s so important for 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ to engage with our local community to ensure we remain inclusive, accessible and connected to the people around us. I learned so much from working with the attendees, and am grateful for the work the Public and Community Engagement team do to strengthen these connections."

 - Rebecca Smith, Head of Culture & Inclusion at 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ Business School and Agents of Change workshop facilitator

If you’re an 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ staff member wanting to know more, then you can click here to join the Societal Engagement newsletter for updates on opportunities to facilitate or present at upcoming Agents of Change events. You can also click here to email the team to express your interest directly.

And if you’re a community member wanting to become an Agent yourself, click here to subscribe to the White City community newsletter to be the first to know when we open applications for 2027, or click here to join the Agents of Change network mailing list.