Episode Summary

“I'm teaching them how to use ChatGPT to write a letter to their landlord to tell them off about the mould in the corner of their child's bedroom.”

That single sentence from Williamz Omope cuts through the noise of the entire tech and coworking industry. This isn't about AI for productivity hacks or scaling a startup.

This is about using tools to restore dignity and agency to people the system has forgotten. With over 18 years in the trenches of community work in North London, Williamz is the founder of WO Consultancy, a Community Interest Company that runs job clubs with a radical principle. There are no rules for who gets help.

This conversation is a necessary dose of reality for any coworking operator who uses the word "community." Williamz draws a sharp, uncomfortable line between his job club—hosted at SPACE4 in Finsbury Park—and the official, bureaucratic support of a Jobcentre.

One is a system of gatekeeping, where you must prove your need and fit into a box to receive help. The other is a place of unconditional support, where your right to assistance is based on you showing up.

We get into the messy, human reality of this work. It’s a constant, uphill battle against a system Williamz calls "the powers that be," a system that expects people to fail.

He discusses the "tough love" required—inspired by his own mentors—to foster confidence, not dependency. This isn't about solving people's problems for them; it's about giving them the tools and the safe space to solve them for themselves.

For any coworking space owner feeling disconnected from the neighbourhood outside their door, this episode is a blueprint.

It's a story about what happens when a place designed for business becomes a place for all people, and it offers a robust, practical model for how your space can become a vital piece of civic infrastructure, one person at a time.

Timeline Highlights

“I want to be known for being disruptive in all the things that I do.” Why Williamz hates terms like "hard to reach": "I don't like using these terms because I just call it community."

The reality of digital inclusion: using ChatGPT to write a letter to a landlord about mould in a child's bedroom. The Personal Motivation: How a Tough French Teacher and a Persistent PE Teacher Shaped His Mission.

The stark reality of the system: "The powers that be... they expect you to fall to the wayside." The first signs of real community: when the regulars start telling you off for not being there.

How to Stay Motivated in an Uphill Battle: Taking Stock of How Far You've Come. The crucial difference between the Job Club and the Jobcentre: "Our support is ongoing."

The radical, unconventional core principle: "There's no eligibility criteria." The top three needs: A new CV, basic computer skills, and the confidence to use them.

The tough love approach: "I want you to sink or swim, but we're going to be the life raft right there."

The "easy win" for coworking spaces: genuinely engaging the wider community to bridge the gap.

Thematic Breakdown Sections

"You Don't Have to Prove Anything"

The most disruptive idea in this entire conversation is also the simplest. The Finsbury Park Job Club has no eligibility criteria. In a world of means-testing, gatekeeping, and bureaucratic hurdles, this is a radical act.

Williamz contrasts his model directly with the Jobcentre, where support is conditional. To receive help from the state, you must meet a specific profile: being unemployed for six months, being a refugee, or being over 50.

You must perform your need. At Williamz's job club, you have to walk through the door.

This isn't just a procedural difference; it's a fundamental shift in the power dynamic. It treats people with inherent dignity. It removes the shame and stress of having to justify your existence to "the powers that be."

By offering unconditional support, the job club becomes a safe space where people can be vulnerable enough to ask for help, whether it's changing an email on a CV or building one from scratch after a lifetime of work. It’s a tangible expression of trust in a system that, by default, is deeply distrustful.

For coworking operators, this is a profound challenge. What are the unwritten eligibility criteria for your community? Who feels welcome, and who feels excluded? Williamz's model proves that the most powerful way to build community is to remove the barriers to entry, offering help with no catch.

The Powers That Be (And Why They Don't Care)

Williamz refers to "the powers that be" throughout the conversation. It’s his shorthand for the faceless, impersonal system that dictates the rules but offers no real support for those who can't follow them.

This system "expects you to fall by the wayside." It builds a website for GP appointments or a portal for benefits applications and assumes everyone has the skills, confidence, and equipment to use it. There is no plan for those who don't.

This is the sharp end of digital exclusion. It’s not a theoretical problem; it’s a daily reality that locks people out of essential services, from healthcare to housing. The job club acts as a human interface to this cold, digital bureaucracy.

Williamz isn’t just teaching people how to click a link; he's translating the hostile language of the system and equipping them to navigate it.

This connects directly to the "unequal economy" described in the guest research. The system isn't broken; for a specific segment, it's working exactly as designed.

It efficiently filters out those who cannot keep up. The work Williamz does is a form of resistance, creating a lifeline for those the system would otherwise discard.

Tough Love is a Form of Respect

Williamz's approach isn't about coddling people; he describes it as "tough love." He wants you to "sink or swim," but promises to "be the life raft right there."

This philosophy was forged by his own mentors—a French teacher who encouraged him to pursue African Studies, and a PE teacher who insisted he attend training—who saw his potential and refused to let him fail.

He understands that real support isn't about doing things for someone; it's about creating the conditions for them to learn to do it themselves.

This is a critical distinction between charity and empowerment. By refusing to let attendees feel stupid, but still insisting they learn the skill, he is showing them the ultimate respect.

He is telling them, "I believe you are capable of this." For individuals whose confidence has been eroded by unemployment or a daunting, unfamiliar digital world, this belief is often the most important service he provides. It’s the foundation upon which skills like CV writing and online job applications are built.

From a Space in a Library to a Place of Belonging

Bernie asks Williamz to describe the community, and the answer is beautifully tangible. It’s when regulars have a rapport with specific volunteers. It's when attendees start providing peer-to-peer support to each other.

It’s when they tell him off for not showing up one week because they were waiting for him. This is what it looks like when a transactional space becomes a relational place.

This transformation is crucial. The job club, hosted in a coworking space like SPACE4, becomes a piece of civic infrastructure where belonging is felt, not just talked about.

As the guest research highlights, this is the core of the Coworking Citizenship Playbook: "belonging is a precondition to participation." You cannot expect someone to participate, to feel agency, if they first don't feel like they belong somewhere.

Williamz is creating that feeling every Friday. It’s not a line item on a funding application, but it is the most valuable outcome of his work. He’s building the social fabric that allows people to regain their footing and, from there, re-engage with the wider world.

The Real Meaning of Digital Inclusion

The story of teaching a mother to use ChatGPT to complain about mould is the perfect microcosm of Williamz's entire philosophy.

Most digital inclusion initiatives stop at teaching basic IT skills—how to open a browser, how to send an email. Williamz goes a vital step further. He's not just teaching the how; he's teaching the why. He's connecting the tool directly to a point of pain in someone's life.

This is the difference between abstract knowledge and applied power. The mother doesn't need to know the theory behind large language models. She needs to solve a dangerous and undignified problem for her family.

By framing technology as a weapon for self-advocacy, Williamz demystifies it and makes it immediately relevant. It's not about being "tech-savvy"; it's about getting justice.

This redefines what digital inclusion should be about. It’s not about ensuring everyone can consume digital services. It’s about ensuring everyone has the tools and confidence to advocate for themselves and hold power to account. It’s about turning digital literacy into an instrument of agency.

The "Easy Win" Most Coworking Spaces Are Missing

Right at the end of the conversation, Williamz offers the most direct piece of advice for coworking operators.

He points out that many local residents would never think to walk into a space like SPACE4 unless there was a specific, accessible reason to do so—like the Job Club. The space can feel intimidating or irrelevant to those who aren't in the tech or startup world.

The "easy win" is to create genuine entry points for the wider community. It’s about having "things that the wider community feel comfortable going to and attending." By hosting a job club, the cow