Ep.76 Tomson Chauke | Bridging Cultures and Building Brand in Reading

This episode features Tomson Chauke, a musician, community leader, and founder of World Groove, discussing his mission to build bridges across the diverse communities of Reading. Tomson wears many hats, including running his band Limpopo Groove, working as a session musician, and hosting a radio podcast on B Radio.

The conversation centres on the work of his main project, World Groove CIC, which uses African drumming to help young people and young adults with autism find their rhythm. Tomson explains how this work creates a vital community where parents and carers also meet, share experiences, and form a supportive "tribe". He also mentions running the Sanctuary Strikers football team for asylum seekers and refugees as another way to connect people.

Tomson delves into his strategies for engaging diverse audiences, particularly through his vision for the World Groove festival, which aims to bring together the music and food of different cultures present in Reading. His workshops are designed to be simple and fun for everyone, using bodies, voices, and hands to create music and encourage interaction, effectively taking people away from their phones and back into shared human experience.

Finally, the discussion touches on the challenges facing community initiatives, mainly the lack of financial backup and the difficulty of finding suitable venues. Tomson strongly advocates for increased support, urging businesses to think outside the box and invest time, not just money, in helping community groups and struggling families. He concludes by emphasising the importance of kindness, paying attention to local needs, and sharing stories that inspire people in the community.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The Power of Time Investment Over Just Money: Businesses should view community support as more than just financial donations. Investing employee time—even just a few hours a month—in local initiatives like World Groove creates deeper, more authentic connections with the community you serve, leading to improved brand goodwill and local visibility.

Collaboration Requires Flexibility and Openness to New Ideas: While approaching a partnership with a vision is good, be prepared to adapt it. Instead of dictating terms, approach potential partners with an open mind and ask, "Can you try this?" or "What can you bring to the table?". This flexibility is crucial for staying relevant, attracting new talent, and finding unexpected mutual benefits.

Building an Inclusive Local Network: Tomson’s use of drumming and football to bridge cultural gaps provides a model for engagement. Businesses can leverage diverse local groups to expand their network and connect with untapped talent and customers, thereby learning more about the diverse community of Reading.

 

TIMECODE

00:00 Welcome to Tomson

00:24 Introduction to Tomson

00:49 Tomson’s focuses

01:30 Bringing people together

02:43 How Tomson breaks down barriers and brings people together

04:04 How Tomson started to connect people

06:01 Open yourself up to different experiences

07:20 How Tomson balances everything

08:18 Advice for people who want to start collaborating

11:07 Tomson’s audiences

13:07 How Tomson gets people engaged in an activity and having fun

16:17 What has peaked people’s interest the most about what Tomson does

17:54 What challenges Tomson has faced

19:26 Tomson’s key takeaways from the people he’s interviewed

20:15 Local stories are more relatable and need to be shared to inspire local action

21:37 Tomson’s plans for the future

23:58 How businesses can support the local community

27:06 Tomson’s final thoughts