Profile

I am maybe not what you would consider a ‘traditional geographer’. I started my career with an international development charity, supporting local partners in their efforts to ensure children had access to quality, sustainable education in Kenya and Tanzania. I then spent some time working with adults with learning disabilities and autism, before starting my current position as coordinator of a project which aims to support children, young people and families to reconnect with nature and take positive climate action. This role probably aligns most closely with my degree: Natural Hazard Management with International Development Studies, where I got to explore the intersection between people and planet, particularly, the complex factors which combine to influence how people and communities experience events such as hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes, and their capacity to respond and recover.

As corny as it sounds, I have always wanted to ‘make a difference’, which also led me to get involved in a number of volunteer roles including supporting children’s charities, delivering projects within local schools, helping to organise LCOYuk 2019, and volunteering overseas in medical, orphanage and female empowerment projects. Each experience has given me opportunities to develop new skills and a greater understanding of what I want to do, as well as being able to give back to some incredible organisations and communities.

Within this project, we have developed Youth Climate Forum and Youth Rangers Groups, which provide a space for local young people to raise their voices on what they feel climate action and green spaces should look like in their communities, and develop their green skills by helping to transform local community green spaces.

We also deliver after school eco education and volunteering programmes, as well as community events during the school holidays, and we are working on 3 community green space projects where we are supporting local communities to improve green space for them, and for nature.

I coordinate this project, which means that I oversee the daily operations and get involved with delivery, as well as compiling data, writing reports for our funders, and supporting within the management team of the organisation I work for.

The thing I love about our project is that I never experience the same day twice! I can usually do a mixture of working from home and in-person delivery, so my days can either be quite admin focused (to prepare for, and follow up on, the activities we have been running, and project-level reporting and management), or very practical. My best days have been working with groups of young people and supporting them to lead on what they want the project to be, which has involved: planting micro-woodlands; a ‘soundtrack to nature’ music project; a surfing and social action day; trips to local nature reserves; clay projects; sailing; and much much more!

As I am a project coordinator, I also have wider responsibilities within my organisation. I support within our safeguarding team, and I am sometimes on call outside of working hours, and I am also the Chair of our organisation’s Environment and Sustainability Committee, and our work towards the ‘Investors in the Environment’ Awards. I also support with fundraising events and social media content, and organise staff wellbeing days (with an environmental focus, of course!)

*I am hoping that this is helping to show just how many transferrable skills you develop as a geographer, and how you can apply them in lots of different ways once you get into the workplace!*