Tears. Breakthroughs. Bold ideas. And a vision brought to life.

I promised an update, and here we are.

After six intense weeks, the Leo Burnett UK Team TIE journey with Barefeet Theatre in Zambia came to an end.

And what a journey it’s been.

Despite it being one of the busiest times at the agency (!), a cross-functional team – a strategist, designer, producer, and account person – carved out the time to step into a completely different world. And they helped the Zambian NGO Barefeet Theatre not only unlock key thinking, but also deliver a simple, beautiful solution that cracked a challenge which has held them back for years.

So what did they do?

Barefeet uses performance and creativity to transform the lives of street-involved children. Their work is extraordinary and deeply impactful (over 30,000 young people reached!). But they need a louder voice.

The Leo Burnett team built a strategy to help Barefeet Theatre finally achieve long-term financial sustainability.

They created a beautifully art-directed and compelling articulation of Barefeet’s impact, as well as a clear strategy for making the “Barefeet Village” a reality. This multi-use community space will reduce costs and generate income, enabling them to scale their impact even further.

The powerful new impact report will help Grace and her team tell their powerful story with clarity, strength and passion. And it’s a tool that could unlock over £40,000 in funding, while opening doors to UK businesses, donors and NGOs who could partner with this incredible cause.

The Leo Burnett team also saw how their everyday skills could drive real, human impact, and got them all seeing themselves and the world from a different perspective.

• They stepped out of the familiar.
• They stretched their minds.
• And they remembered what creativity is really for.

This is what Team TIE with TIE Leadership is all about.

Bringing together people from across a business to connect with purpose, solve problems that matter, and grow as leaders.

Thank you Leo Burnett, Walker Hill, Charlie Rudd and Carly Avener for the belief in this process …and continuing Leo Burnett’s involvement with TIE since 2007!

Thank you Grace and Chibwe from Barefeet for trusting us and being open to the magic that is TIE. And thank you to Sara Gill, Charlie Crosthwaite, Scott McKinnon and Natasha Meisel who gave this project your all. You made something incredible, and you made all of us cry.

You all rock.