Becky Young is a cultural strategist, community builder and producer working across music, culture and social impact. She is currently a Programmes & Strategy Consultant at EarthPercent, the environmental charity co-founded by Brian Eno, having previously served as its Head of Operations & Community.
At EarthPercent, Young works across programme development, strategy and artist community-building. Her role has recently shifted as the organisation enters a new phase, with Young helping to pilot a new artist development programme and support the growth of its artist community. As part of a small team, her work also stretches across operations, partnerships and communications, moving between long-term planning and the practical work required to deliver projects.
Her wider career spans grassroots music, festivals, nightlife and community organising. She has produced events for the Association of Independent Festivals, Bootstrap Charity and Mothership Group, and previously founded Anti Diet Riot Club, a body-positive community project that organised workshops, meet-ups and the UK’s first anti-diet festival.
Young’s connection to music also extends beyond her professional work. Growing up in a creative family alongside her younger sisters, singer Lola Young and theatre actor Meimei Young, she was surrounded by music and performance from an early age. She also DJs as Sloppy Spice, playing music rooted in London rave sounds and influenced by underground scenes and queer-led spaces.
Across her work, Becky is particularly interested in supporting women and marginalised people in music to build sustainable careers, stronger communities and greater influence within the industry.
What does a typical day at EarthPercent look like?
My role has just shifted from working as Head of Operations & Community to working part time as a Programmes & Strategy Consultant so days are a little different than usual right now, which I have to say I’m enjoying, as I really like variety.
Either way, I act as a kind of a bridge between a lot of the different work streams - strategy, designing and delivering our programmes, process building, operations and even comms - so what’s “typical” depends on what is priority at the moment. However, same as my colleagues - we’re a small team! - we all absolutely have to get our hands dirty with tasks of all sizes.
One minute I could be writing and sending partnership agreements, the next having meetings with incredible artists and creatives who want to collaborate, then setting up the space for an industry gathering at Brian Eno AKA our co-founder’s studio. Working at a relatively new charity means getting stuck in and being humble about it!
Right now, EarthPercent is at an exciting moment of change and I’m helping pilot a new artist development programme and resourcing the growth of the artist community we work with. So I spend a lot of time working on the strategy and operational plan for this while trying to make sure I give myself some time to actually THINK and cultivate new ideas, rather than just answering emails which is so time consuming.
EarthPercent is working on some exciting projects with artists and the wider music industry. Are there any current initiatives you'd encourage our community to get involved with or support?
One of the most fascinating and effective initiatives EarthPercent is involved with is Sounds Right (a global multi partner project led by Museum for the United Nations - UN Live) for which we project manage all the music and artist elements of. In short, it launched NATURE as an official streaming artist on all DSPs so that when human artists want to feature the sounds of the natural world they can credit “NATURE” as featured on the track and redirect royalties to the Sounds Right Conservation Fund.
So they can literally use their music to support Indigenous- and community-led conservation of key biodiversity hotspots. It's on track to raise millions each year for nature protection and meanwhile impacting the global conversation about how we value nature.
For someone who wants to work in cultural strategy, community or programming, where would you recommend they start?
Put on your own events! Doesn’t have to be a party, or related to your profession in any way; it could be a panel talk, or a film screening, creative workshop, a meet-up of like minded people. It’s the fastest way to learn how you like to bring people together and how to create/nurture community.
In the work I do with EarthPercent and beyond, you need to know that convening takes many forms and how you build the relationships between yourself and the people who are going to make the programmes and partnerships happen is so, so important. The practical requirements of being in total charge of an event teaches you a lot, so start there.
You've brought together communities around music, wellbeing and social impact. What's one thing you've learned about creating spaces where people genuinely feel they belong?
"Community" gets thrown around so much in corporate settings it's almost lost its meaning, but I've genuinely seen how powerful real communities are - how they nourish people, spark ideas and collaborations that wouldn’t have happened otherwise and create ripple effects that go way beyond just one person.
For EarthPercent, we’re noticing how in this time of deepening crisis, artists especially are seeking spaces and places that aren’t solely about furthering their career but connecting them with other artists who want to create art in response to the crazy world around us (as good art should!).
From Anti Diet RIot Club to our Artists 4 Earth community, I’ve learned that one on one relationships are key (whether it's you or other members of the community having space to genuinely connect) and that everyone shows up differently. Some want to sit back, absorb, learn from others before they get involved.
Some want to be heard and contribute from day one. You need to create space for both these types of engagement, knowing that people’s energy and commitment will shift over time anyway. Treating the community as one-size-fits-all is a mistake; a community is a sum of loads of individual people with different needs.
And honestly, it only works if you resource it properly. Community building takes real time and energy (and maybe funds), if you want it to be genuine and non-extractive!
You're also a DJ. How has spending time on dancefloors shaped the way you think about community and the kinds of spaces you want to create?
Dancefloors were (and still are!) a place of worship; I grew up Atheist and free parties, clubnights, raves, festivals…these were my temples - so much so I even spent my formative years going to DMZ night ‘Mass’ at St Matthews Church in Brixton! They showed me how complete strangers can move, sing, reach euphoric states together without needing much explanation or reason, and that that shared experience is very primal and very human which is why we seek it out.
They also taught me that ritual, awe, rhythm, play and of course music (and good or at least non-offensive lighting) are some of the potent ingredients for feeling connected, feeling belonging. All of this translates into community strategy too!
Outside of work, what's been inspiring you lately?
The World Cup! I don’t follow or really care about national/league football but I get absolutely struck down with the fever when international tourneys come around (men’s AND women’s of course!). As someone who is obsessed anyway with festivals and bringing people together, it’s impossible not to love it.
I love the theatre of it, the stories of countries and fans crossing paths, the magic on the pitch, the way it interacts/crosses over with international politics, the memories made watching games in someone's garden or local venues/pubs that put show it (shout out the Old Nuns Head that hosted Foundation FMs world cup viewing parties, they were wild!) and the intense energy you feel walking about London before and after an England match. It’s entertainment primarily but also it’s been inspiring to me as I’ve started working on projects that use music and culture to fight divisive and hate-fuelled politics in areas of the UK - there’s was some really thought-provoking stuff happening in and around that tournament.
What are you listening to at the moment?
I’m currently digging (virtually) and organising my tunes for sets at Boomtown - I’m playing the closing set at an art-punk, vermin-inspired cabaret and club venue called NACHTLICKER and so high-energy, silly vibes are on the menu. So anything from Tony De Vit, to JIALING, Henry King, KiKi, and POLO LILLI - a very wide spectrum of rave sounds basically.
Also; on the flip side of my music taste… ‘wish you nothing but the worst’ by Jacklyn is a right earworm at the moment. Just released by an independent artist and Brit School friend of Lola’s - it's very dramatic and I can’t get it out of my head.