What could a HAPPY
Kingston Upon Thames look like?
The Happy Kingston Project is a visual storytelling experiment about how we can have more hope for the future, through centering joy in our present.
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It’s about resilience, and the different ways that this can look. Recognising and celebrating the things we’re doing that make the way we live (both individually and as a community) kinder and more respectful of all life and life-giving systems, and our planet.
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But instead of the word ‘resilience’, we’re using the word ‘happiness’ to help us start conversations. And through this, explore together ideas and ways of thinking about the world that can bring us more consistent joy in the present, hope for the future, and strength in the face of the Earth Crisis¹. These ideas are rooted in long-term thinking frameworks, and are about connecting more deeply to ourselves, each other, the place we live in, and time.
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¹Earth Crisis is a term coined by Naturalist Ginny Battson, and popularised by Bridget McKenzie, founder of Climate Musuem UK, to describe the current polycrises we find ourselves in.
By holding space for a diversity of responses and resulting nuances, we hope to better understand what we all think about our own agency and where we are on our journey(s) of ‘being resilient’. How can exploring this through the lens of happiness remove barriers (for example: feeling guilt or shame for not doing – or being able to do - more), and instead celebrate what we are doing, invite curiosity about how to be happier and what makes others happy, and empower us all to be more engaged co-authors of our collective futures.
The theory that informs the project is deeply inspired by the ongoing work of leading thinkers, activists, authors, artists, change-agents and disruptors into how we can shift our values and mindsets, transform systems and structures, and imagine hopeful and plural (and realistic) futures.
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We’re incredibly grateful to the following people, organisations and movements for their tireless dedication, and their generosity in sharing their ideas for the benefit of all: Rob Hopkins, Roman Krznaric, Bridget McKenzie, Moral Imaginations, Solitaire Townsend, Tyson Yunkaporta, Monika Bielskyte, Kim Stanley Robinson, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Kinship Earth, Purpose Disruptors, Where the Leaves Fall, The Gaia Foundation, Joan de Art (Becca Bowlin), Solarpunkart (Dustin Jacobus), ReMake Our World, One Million Women, We Are Nature, Slow Factory, Spaceship Earth, A Growing Culture, Earthrise Studio, Christina Figueres and Atmos (we’re sure our inspiration list will keep growing).​
We hope we can amplify messages at hyperlocal level, and explore together what these ideas look like when they become a lived practice and a part of everyday life in Kingston upon Thames.
WORKSHOPS
To explore ideas together, and to help us reflect on these rather big questions that we're asking ourselves, we've developed a series of five collage workshops which we're calling Happy Kingston Collage.
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The five sessions are structured to progressively build on the previous workshop's activities, and take us on a journey of reconnecting to ourselves, others (including more-than-humans), place, and time.​​
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We'll explore our values, how we relate to others, how we connect into our neighbourhoods and the wider borough (and how these can better support us), what we'd like to be remembered for, and our dreams and hopes for the future. Ultimately, we'll be celebrating each of our residents' voices and stories of what a happy life in Kingston looks like.
We want residents from all across the borough to be a part of The Happy Kingston Project, and will be running the workshops predominantly in our borough's beautiful third spaces.
Upcoming dates:
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6 July 2025 at Kingston Environment Centre, 2 - 4pm
Register via Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/5a6krbwr
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25 July 2025 at Tudor Drive Library, 2:30 - 4:30pm. Register via Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/3vweru65
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26 June, 31 July, 28 August, 25 September, 30 October 2025 at Hook and Chessington Library, 2:30 - 4:30pm
Register via Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/mr477mdd
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1 August 2025* at Square One Café, Chessington Sports Centre (Chessington School), 12 - 2pm
*More dates coming
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3 August 2025 at Kingston Environment Centre, 2 - 4pm
Register via Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/y9mpxu53
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If you're an organisation, group or space interested in hosting a Happy Kingston Project workshop for your members, or you'd simply like to say 'hi' or learn more about the project, please drop us an email us at thehappykingstonproject@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
This is a three-year project made possible through funding from Kingston Council's Small Green Grant. It's run by Divya for Kingston Hive with inputs from a range of experts and community leaders at key points in the research, development and design phases.
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We'd like to express our thanks to Soumojit (Tisu) Ghosh for supporting the project in Year 1, and to Dannielle O'Shaughnessy for supporting the project in Years 2 and 3.
Divya Venkatesh is a creative designer and visual researcher with 14 + years' experience developing emotive and efficient visual communications for nature conservation and sustainable development organisations. She’s passionate about storytelling that uses joy to ignite people’s imagination and transform hope into positive ecological action.​