Cat’s Cradle Education and Organising are a registered charity in Scotland (SC052364).

We run community education and organising programmes, and help other organisations to do the same.

We have received funding from the Network for Social Change and the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust, and donations from trades unions and trades councils. This funding has been vital for our work so far, and we’re very grateful for the support we receive.

  • Dr Amy Tait

    is our director. Amy is an experienced educator and an expert in practical applications of radical pedagogy.

  • Andrew Awad

    advises on many of our programmes and our development. He is an experienced Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner and works in adult and child education.

  • Dr Bilkis Lawal

    got involved in our work through teaching on our World School programme. She works on our education programmes, and organises events.

What’s our Organising Philosophy?

Our organising philosophy is inspired by many traditions, including the pan-African tradition, Latin American liberation theology, and the pedagogical ideas of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal.

  • In workplaces marked by isolation and competition, people need support to build relationships with each other and make a powerful organisation. Strong organisations allow their members to explore shared experiences, pool resources, and build collective agency deliberately over time.

  • At Cat’s Cradle, organising is inseparable from learning. We’ve developed embedded methods that allow every meeting to double as an educational space. These are a practice of collective learning, where problems are identified and explored by the group, not predefined. Members learn to strategise together, reflect on past actions, assess risks, and develop tactics from experience. The organising culture this creates is is adaptive, critical, and sustainable for the long haul.

  • Instead of importing frameworks, Cat’s Cradle begins with the cultures, memories, and political traditions people already bring. Our method helps groups uncover their own organising legacies. These materials shape the group’s identity and action. This is the infrastructure of serious organising.