Day 2 - UK

Amazingly at 6am almost everyone is outside the hotel ready to go to Spitalfields Market. On route we pick up Eric, who turns out to be a larger than life character who has started a social empire from humble beginnings five years ago and with £40 of fresh fruit and vegetables. Currently his enterprise stands at:

• Approximately 12 community shops
• Schools training programme
• Community café
• Curriculum development to be rolled out to other Schools throughout England
• Healthy cooking courses
• Community dinners

I am sure there are others in development and each one of these is based on a simple premise of healthy eating by the provision of fresh fruit & vegetables and associated activities. Eric’s ability to extend his basic offering across and up the value chain is impressive as if he had been advised by McKinsey’s Strategists and yet Eric is a down to earth ‘regular’ guy.

We met the various people that play a vital role within the Eric’s venture:

• market traders
• community shop volunteers
• buyer/driver
• Eric’s running mate and venture partner

What is amazing is how Eric manages to enthuse his passion onto others including the people at the restaurant at the market – they respect him, support his venture and get involved in his activities.

How does he do this? Can we capture, synthesise and use/apply this to other projects?

For some us been at the market was a new experience – but I think fundamentally it was just another market, so why were we so excited? I think it was the shear amazement of how Eric had just started with his own car and £40 and how he has been able to get people on board, form the links and built the venture – and here we were seeing it in action. I am sure we were all thinking could I have done this. How do you just decide to do this and importantly the key decision of going to the source of the goods rather than relying on middle men?

• ‘Infections Passion’
• ‘Simple and Powerful principle’
• ‘Stakeholder Involvement
• ‘People Empowerment’
• ‘Growth in scale and scope’

These are the phrases I took away from the visit.

In the afternoon we watched a video of Pratham, an education system (schools, teacher training and curriculum development) in India working with kids most at need – in poor city areas; remote villages and inside factories – persuading factory owners to allow a class to be undertaken for the children that working there.

As well as been inspired by the video, a realisation occurs that these projects in India take place without government support or similar infrastructure that exists in the UK. Wow, we often believe that we don’t get enough support – will this is really going to be a learning journey.

A quick briefing on India and preparation from Michael and Pooja was followed by a very funny and useful Hindi lesson lead by Nickala – certain people, we wont mention names were teaching ‘incorrect’ phrases whilst others were practising the head movement as well.

As Richard played back photos from the last three days we reflected on how 14 or so strangers became friends with a joint mission in life through the London Learning Journeys.

I can’t really believe how we managed to fit all this in one day – but apparently the trip in India is going to be equally packed – oh boy!

Roll on India Learning Journeys!!!