When good friend and fellow activist Sarah Corbett invited us to take part in her ‘craftivist’ workshop last week, Ctrl.Alt.Shift jumped at the chance to get stuck in and learn more about this uniquely creative brand of DIY activism...

The Craftivist Collective is a network of people passionate about exposing the scandal of global poverty through creative campaigning and eye-catching public stunts. Since they began in 2008, the Craftivist Collective have successfully hijacked a number of public spaces and events, turning their socially-conscious messages into delicately crafted handmade treasures that aim to put global issues in the spotlight.

 "In the name of love, brighten up someone’s day and remind them of our global community and inspire them to get stirred up to think about how the poorest people in the world are being affected by climate change, despite having contributed the least to the problem"

From planting mini banners bearing messages about the shocking conditions in sweatshops at London Fashion Week, to a John-and-Yoko style bed-in quilt stitching session in Liverpool, the Craftivist Collective are making waves all over the UK, and beyond.

As CAS stumbled down the stairs into the basement of cult jewellery brand Tatty Divine’s Covent Garden store, we were confronted with a merry little scene. The basement was packed full of eager, smiling craftivists, dutifully working away on the Collective’s latest stunt; special Valentine’s Day letters to be left in public places, with adorable handmade key rings designed by Tatty Divine tucked inside the envelopes for the lucky finder.

The purpose behind the stunt is best articulated by the Valentine’s Day letters themselves, which spell out their quest for more love on this planet a little something like this:

'Every year February 14 comes around and provides us with a beautiful opportunity to show someone we care about them; most of the time we direct that love at just one person. This year I want to encourage you not to limit that extraordinary capacity we have to just one person, but to love the world. Join us in hijacking Valentines Day and show that the world is your valentine.

I don’t want your box of chocolates, card or flowers. Actions speak louder than those. In return for my love letter and gift to you please show your love by taking action:

In the name of love, brighten up someone’s day and remind them of our global community and inspire them to get stirred up to think about how the poorest people in the world are being affected by climate change, despite having contributed the least to the problem'

Ctrl.Alt.Shift had a whale of a time cutting, snipping, and narrowly avoiding catastrophe with a small (but scary) handheld shrinking device. We left the workshop feeling satisfied that we’d done something creative and fun to help spread important messages, encouraging our fellow Londoners to love their global neighbours as well as their local sweethearts this Valentine’s Day.

'We left the workshop feeling satisfied that we’d done something creative and fun to help spread important messages, encouraging our fellow Londoners to love their global neighbours as well as their local sweethearts this Valentine’s Day'

The 'craftivist' session also got us thinking about how effective and fun it is to fuse creative activities with social activism, and made us realise just how much you can achieve when you throw together a bunch of people and some simple materials in a room together. (Note to self: tea and cookies also help the process along... )

"We hope that this fun crafty project will remind people to show their love for the planet and everyone on it affected by climate change this Valentine's Day," Craftivist Collective founder Sarah Corbett explains. "Climate change is causing drought and floods for our brother and sisters in the poorest parts of the world where the least carbon emissions are emitted- we shouldn't igmore this injustice, but show our love and support their fight. We hope these cards and gifts provoke people into thinking and talking about this issue in a non-threatening, loving and creative way."

The letters and key rings will be planted in public places all over London on February 14. If you see a cheeky red envelope jammed into a cash machine or stuck to a bus timetable, you’ll know that the Craftivists have been doing their bit to spread the love a little further at this most starry-eyed time of year.

To learn more about the Craftivist Collective click here

If you’ve had any ideas for creative activism that you want to spread, tell Ctrl.Alt.Shift about it at

Words: Eva Baker
Photos: Tatty Divine and Craftivist Collective