What Keeps Us Awake at Night
Our starting point is the widening inequalities, deep injustices, and the entrenched powers that shape the world we live in – this is what drives us to face the hard truths of our time and forms both the context and the motivation for our work. These repeated stories and patterns of inequality, injustice, and entrenched power stir us, unsettle us, and keep us awake at night – they are the reasons why we do what we do.
By sharing these stories and patterns, we name what matters to us and why we choose to act. We’re curious to hear from you too. What keeps you awake at night? Share it, name it, or call it out with us.
We feel the fractures in our world deep in our core. More and more people experience the impact of social division in their daily lives and share a growing sense of hopelessness. We're emotionally disoriented and paralysed, caught in a whirlwind of uncertainty. We struggle to process what is happening – let alone how to feel about it or what to do next.
Essential parts of life - healthcare, education, and housing - have been turned into profit-driven markets. Decades of budget cuts and treating government "like a business" have stripped away social safety nets, leaving entire communities behind.
When people are stuck in survival mode, worried about rent, medical bills, or child care, the brain goes into crisis mode. Survival takes priority over connection, empathy, or long-term vision. Our ability to imagine a different future – together – starts to fade.
In times of fear – whether from economic insecurity or other threats – people may turn to illiberal leaders who promise safety at the cost of freedom. Simplistic, binary narratives take hold, fuelling polarisation and deepening the divide between “us” and “them.”
[This image is a preview illustration for the next animation in our series]
Our systems of governance – the ways we organise society and make decisions – can no longer keep up with today’s complex, interconnected challenges. Harmful patterns persist, public servants are left managing the fallout, citizens feel excluded and frustrated, and trust in institutions continues to erode.
[This image is a preview illustration for the next animation in our series]
All these challenges and compounding crises keep us awake at night.