Out of our comfort zone: embracing the new sabbatical

At The Mix, we value curiosity.  

It makes us great researchers and better strategists. This is why we created the MixSafari programme. It’s our version of the sabbatical.

MixSafari offers employees with three or more years of experience the chance to undertake self-designed research projects wherever they want around the world. The programme is fully sponsored by The Mix, and designed not only to reward long service and bring value to the agency – by gathering new knowledge and fresh perspectives – but also to support the professional and personal development of those taking part. 

It includes fully supported to work in that location for 3 weeks and 10 additional days of annual leave.

Here Lauren Clark, Lead Strategist, and Monica Kolesnik, Lead Project Manager, who will be jointly undertaking the MixSafari this year, talk about their reasons for applying and what they plan to do for their research.

Why we applied

Lauren: Having taken up the opportunity to spend three weeks working abroad in Spain last year, I learnt that getting out of my comfort zone challenges me and, at the same time, I really love it. 

I also discovered, that despite my best efforts when chatting with the (very patient) waiters and waitresses, checkout staff, gallery hosts and local police, that speaking Spanish is not my strong suit. 

It taught me to listen harder and to learn to look for visual clues and patterns, using them to navigate situations and decisions. I was constantly reminded that the impact of what we do extends far beyond our bubble, and how important it is to pop it.

Being somewhere else helps me think bigger, re-evaluate my priorities, and to feel inspired by the small things.

So, this year, as soon as I qualified, I applied, and succeeded!

With the bonus of 10 days of complementary annual leave to extend your stay, it's five weeks away from everything you know.  I’m looking forward to immersing myself in another new place in a way I could never afford to without the scheme.

I’m also excited to write my own brief - a rare opportunity in the agency side of the industry! – and for all the other unknown unknowns I’m sure I’ll learn during my time away. 

The topic to investigate is up to you, but through the pitch we had to be specific about the angle we wanted to take, and why we believe more knowledge about that topic in that particular place brings value and is, at least somewhat, commercially relevant to the agency.

What we’ll be exploring

Monica: Our MixSafari will focus on how people throughout the United States are engaging with, and their journeys within, sustainability.  

As the awareness of the effects of climate change and interest in environmental sustainability grows, Lauren and I were both passionate to explore this topic as part of our project.   

Within this space, I was particularly interested in community gardens across New York City. These gardens offer people a safe green space in an incredibly concrete and urban environment. Here they can grow food, plants, and learn about agriculture and environmental practices. We’re particularly interested in exploring the community here, and how these gardens connect people from diverse backgrounds, particularly as they spring up in many migrant communities around the city. 

Taking this as the initial source of inspiration, we’ve created a plan to speak to various people across the United States, not just in New York, but with differing degrees of engagement in sustainable behaviours.  

These days, it seems like almost every brand and business says they are engaging with sustainability to some degree. However, these initiatives and the language used aren’t always good at encouraging peoples to truly change their purchase behaviours and go greener.  

We want to hear about how ordinary people are changing their behaviours, what’s influencing this change, but also, importantly, what are the barriers to and what is stopping change.  

Through this project we hope to dive into a rich and colourful exploration of people’s sustainability journeys, learning more about behaviours and motivations within this space.

Stay tuned for more, as we will continue to reveal what we’re getting up to, how it’s going and what we’re learning.