In partnership with Haring Woods, Hybrid will focus on the key issues which have shaped Place on Earth.  These include climate change, governance and urban development.  Birmingham and the surrounding urban conurbations have been significantly affected by processes of migration and urbanisation.  These areas have yet to be directly affected by the economic, cultural or social impacts of climate change. 

Our partnership approach will consider climate change from the perspective of migration, social cohesion, citizenship and civic engagement.  Inspired by local thinking we will utilise arts and creativity to encourage global thinking which recognises the planet’s ecological and social balance as well as how our lifestyles ‘here’ impact upon the lived experiences of people ‘there’. 

The team’s process will be solution focused, we will be led by the young people involved in the programme and at every stage we will draw upon their lived experiences.  By working with artists to deliver a creative process, we will engender greater understanding of young people’s lifestyles, experiences of, and engagement with, the built and ecological environment.  We will focus upon the challenges we face as an interdependent global community. 

Hybrid is a growing social enterprise that works across community groupings.  We are an arts based research and producing company that focuses on breaking down boundaries and crossing borders artistically and socially.  Hybrid firmly believes in the development of communities and the power of individuals to define strategy and policy development.  We engage in cross-sectoral and ‘inter-cultural’ conversations, research (including action research) and producing.  We have been producing community based arts work with individuals and groups since the 90s.  Our focus has consistently been upon high quality arts practice which addresses under-representation or engaging groups and individuals in creative processes to achieve social development.  Hybrid is based in Birmingham and London.  Hybrid’s mission is to effect social change through the arts and creativity. 

Samina Zahir, Director, is a freelance arts/ community consultant and Creative Producer who has been working in the arts, media and community sector for over fifteen years. She is interested in creating opportunities for sustainable growth where creative industries
organisations and micro/community-enterprise can build capacity and infrastructure in the cultural and creative sectors. Samina has worked
extensively with Black and minority ethnic communities, developing arts led community projects and providing organisational support to emerging arts companies. More recently, she has worked with refugee
communities andhas been working with a number of partners to develop the strategically significant Refugee Arts Consortium/Arts Agency (RASAA) in the West Midlands.

Her PhD examined syncretic cultural identities and methods of representation within cultural production. Samina firmly believes in the
development of communities and the power of the individual to define strategy and policy development. She believes in action research as
a research methodology providing long-term benefits beyond the researcher. Samina has publishedwork in a range of journals and books,
both academic and arts sector led. She has also been both Chair and Secretary of the Black History Foundation.