Beating the Odds: How Coventry Youth Activists Built Their Power
At Coventry Youth Activists (CYA), we believe that sharing our stories can create real change. On January 16th, Joey & Thomas spoke at the Connecting For Good (CFG) gathering to share how we challenged a giant—Facebook—by tapping into the power of our ecosystem.
What is an Ecosystem in Community Organising?
An ecosystem is a group of people and organisations working together to make change. Just like in nature, where plants and animals need each other to survive, a community ecosystem helps people support one another and grow stronger.
In an ecosystem:
🔹 People help each other – No one works alone.
🔹 Everyone has a role – Some plan events, some share stories, and others give support.
🔹 Connections make us stronger – The more people involved, the more we can achieve.
🔹 It’s about long-term change – Not just one campaign, but a movement that lasts.
Speaking Up and Taking Action
CYA has been fighting against online disability hate. We demanded answers from Facebook, but they ignored us—no responses to emails, tweets, or messages. Even creative actions didn’t get a reply…
So, we didn’t give up. Instead, we used “healthy agitation” and took action!
We staged a tea party protest outside Facebook’s London HQ. With teacups in hand, we made noise. Our hashtag #SipInSolidarity became a movement. Over 100 people joined in person, and many more supported us online. Businesses even paused their advertising on Facebook in solidarity.
The result? Facebook finally agreed to meet us in Coventry!
Tapping Into Our Ecosystem
This win didn’t happen alone. Our ecosystem—organisations, groups, and individuals—stepped in to amplify our voices. Their support helped us push our campaign to a national level.
But the tea party also took a lot of energy. Small groups like CYA can’t do it all alone. That’s why a strong, connected ecosystem is so important. When we support each other, no group has to carry the weight of change alone.
CYA celebrating winning the Shelia McKechnie David & Goliath award
Time For Reflection
After hearing our story, the rounds questions asked: “What stood out to you - How did that story make you feel?”
This helped people to reflect and share their thoughts. It made us think about the power of creativity and how we can challenge the way things are.
People said:
"We need lots of creativity (like CYA) to help people become curious and change their perspective."
"It’s not a protest, it’s a creative action has made me think how we can do things differently with our camapign."
“Don’t give up - work together”
We used our ecosystem to take on a big challenge. We worked with different people and groups, shared ideas, and supported each other. Having a strong ecosystem helped a small group like ours take on a big giant and get results!
