Groundswell Project

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Groundswell is about building empathy in communities. Helping neighbours find out that they are more the same than they are different.

When we understand each other it becomes harder to mock and hate and easier to band together on the things that matter

03/10/2026

What helps someone walk away from extremism?

In our recent webinar, Brad Galloway shared his own experience of involvement in the far right, his journey out, and what he has learned through his work supporting disengagement.

A few key takeaways:
• People can be drawn into extremist movements through a need for identity, belonging and connection.
• Leaving is rarely a single moment. Personal experiences, relationships and changing circumstances can all play a role.
• Supportive, non-judgmental relationships can make a real difference.
• After leaving, people can face a “void” as they rebuild their identity, relationships and sense of belonging.
• Supporting someone means looking beyond ideology and helping them find positive alternatives and a different path forward.

Thank you to Brad for sharing his experiences and insights with us. The webinar is now available for streaming on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/mdJUt8yjT5Y or via our link in Instagram bio

02/10/2026

Groundswell is delighted to be supporting the Chrysalis Family Centre with its new weekly Food Pantry. The initiative has been set up to help locals suffering with the cost of living to fill up a bag with bakery items, fresh fruit and vegetables, dried items, eggs, milk and much more, in return for a small £3 or £4 donation. Every other week they also provide culturally appropriate food for some of the communities who live in the area. Head down to the centre from 11am to 3pm any Friday to find out more

30/09/2026

Are we within touching distance of a future where we lose control of AI? That’s one of several questions that our Managing Director Ghaffar Hussain considered when he spoke as part of a panel at the Global Eradicate Hate Summit in Pittsburgh earlier this month. Here he considers two important concepts that we need to remember when using AI. Watch more of his contribution to the panel via our link in Instagram bio or at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPkBijl6f9g

21/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who came together at Barnwood Community Garden in East Finchley yesterday to remember our inspirational founder Hadiya Masieh. It was fitting that the gathering took place on the International Day of Peace, a day that was always special to Hadiya during her life. Friends, family and Groundswell colleagues were joined by local dignitaries including the Mayor of Barnet, Cllr Zahra Beg. We planted an olive tree and unveiled a plaque so that others can come and enjoy a moment of peace in a garden that meant so much to Hadiya

15/09/2026

At last year’s International Day of Peace event held by Groundswell at the Barnwood Community Forest Garden in East Finchley, our inspirational founder Hadiya Masieh planted a tree to mark our hope for a better tomorrow. This Sunday, we return to the garden to remember her on this special day and unveil a plaque in her memory following her untimely passing earlier this year. Please join us from 12noon on 20 September for a celebration of her life

11/09/2026

Today marks 25 years since events in the USA which changed the world we live in forever. 9/11 - which took nearly 3,000 innocent lives in 2001 and led to further tragedy and loss in the years that followed - is a date etched on the memory of everyone who lived through it, wherever they were in the world. It marked the start of a new epoch, the beginning of America’s ‘War on Terror’ and brought into sharp focus for many the terrible impacts that extremism can lead to if left unchecked.

Groundswell has many years of experience in counter-hate and tackling extremism and its on days like today that this work takes on ever greater importance. The enemies of, and challenges to, freedom may have changed in the last 25 years, but the ideologies that drive this hate are the same as they ever were - and we must all redouble our efforts to fight that through training, engagement and raising awareness of the message that love must always overcome hate.

Today we remember the thousands that died on 9/11 and their families and friends who continue to live with their grief every day. We look to the future, but learn from the past

09/09/2026

Only two weeks to go until the first webinar in our autumn webinar series!

We spend a lot of time talking about how people become radicalised. But what happens when someone wants out?

Join us on 22 September for a conversation with Brad Galloway, Coordinator of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism and former far-right activist.

Drawing on his personal experience, frontline intervention work and research, Brad will explore what helps people disengage from extremist movements, the role of trusted relationships and what can support people to build new paths forward.

📅 22 September
🕡 6:30pm UK
💻 Online
🎟️ Free to attend

Register via the link in our Instagram bio

08/09/2026

Next week, our Managing Director Ghaffar Hussain will be travelling to Pittsburgh, USA, for one of the world’s foremost conferences on tackling extremism.
Ghaffar will be part of a panel at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit on Tuesday 15 September discussing the role of AI in enabling - and preventing - violence. He will be speaking alongside experts from OpenAI, Mythos Labs and The Soufan Center, and will be highlighting some of Groundswell’s work in this area.
The summit is known as one of the most important dates in the tackling extremism calendar, with former speakers including George W. Bush, CNN host Fareed Zaharia and several leading North American politicians.
Find out more and register to attend or watch the livestream via our link in Instagram bio or by visiting eradicatehatesummit.org

07/09/2026

We’re still on a high after the success of last week’s Bank Holiday extravaganza in Luton which saw around 150 people coming out to enjoy Groundswell’s second-ever Peace Out Fest.
The event was organised to help people focus on both their physical and mental wellbeing with activities including a sound bath, art therapy, music therapy and laughing yoga attracting locals from a range of communities to attend.
We want to say a big thank you to our Community Connector in Luton, Laura Conder, for spearheading the day and making sure everyone left feeling better than they came in!

18/08/2026

We’ve been running more workshops in Nairobi, Kenya, to help teach young women about the financial freedom that Bitcoin can bring. Our Financial Freedom Officer Kanika and Managing Director Ghaffar joined the group online from the UK to talk through key principles and spark debate. A further session will be held with this group before we choose three more budding entrepreneurs to benefit from a Bitcoin business loan to get their ideas off the ground. A big thanks to our adviser Hanan, based in Kenya, for co-ordinating the in person session and promoting Groundswell’s work

Address

Groundswell Project, Kemp House, 152-162 City Road
London
EC1V2NX

Website

https://groundswellproject.org/

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