Shae Eccleston, founder of Curate Your Genius, on how the organisation helps unlock potential

When I was around six, a school report sent home noted I had potential but spent most of my time daydreaming. This devastated me because when I was growing up, being studiously academic was celebrated, whilst being a dreamer, in every sense of the word, was discouraged. I thought it meant I was a failure.

The older I got, the more I realised that, although I loved learning, my brain was not ‘formal-education-shaped’. The idea that each child would thrive being taught in a rigid way bothered me and so each step towards my career led me closer to finding ways to re-power the dreamers who believed they couldn’t – to become the woman with a million ideas and a trillion ways to support people to be great learners, dreamers and even academics.

In every person there are stories waiting to be told and there is brilliance waiting to be discovered. At Curate Your Genius, we don’t build impenetrable empires. We don’t dictate how people find and use their greatness – we foster belonging in the ‘villages’ that surround us. We offer space where creativity and human-centred engagement can be a lifeline; places where people can see themselves, not just as passengers on a train hurtling toward some version of the norm, but as producers of change.

With our work in Edmonton, that vision is taking root. We listen without an agenda and orchestrate conversations that highlight the invisible. The work is bold but it’s also personable. It’s loud, but deeply intimate. We hold a mirror up to individuals, communities and organisations, reflecting the real, the messy and the beautiful truth of life here, using creative and courageous conversions to inspire and to build trust.

Everyone has genius – something innately powerful that deserves to be nurtured. Sometimes it’s an idea, sometimes it’s a story, sometimes it’s simply surviving. Our job is to curate that genius with care. Not rush it, not fix it. Just honour it.

In a world that often asks communities to justify their pain or package their potential, we’re doing something different. We’re asking: What would happen if we believed our brilliance was enough?

Shae Eccleston works alongside LocalMotion Enfield, helping to unlock potential to identify and change what is not working. Find out more:
Instagram @curateyourgenius
Visit curateyourgenius.com
Visit shaeeccleston.com

LocalMotion Enfield is part of a UK-wide movement for community-led change – we're proud to partner with Enfield Dispatch to share local voices and stories

LocalMotion Enfield has partnered with Enfield Dispatch to share local voices and stories

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