Past Projects
Scottish Forestry Research Projects
Review of courses and resources delivered by Scottish Forestry and OWL Scotland
Feasibility Study into establishing a National Tree Planting Day for Scottish Schools
Selkie Collective
Women’s Circle Journeys - Pilot Project with funding from Scottish Forestry Communities Fund and Rural Communities Fund, supporting Women’s Wellbeing in rural communities through nature-connection and nature-based crafts, art and mindfulness practices.
WEST COAST OWL GROUP - FOR WESTER ROSS AND SKYE
Constituted Group under the Outdoor and Woodland Learning Scotland Umbrella (OWL Scotland). Establishing a network of providers, supporters and groups all working towards sharing good practice of Outdoor Learning and Learning for Sustainability.
I was Secretary (Feb 2021 - Feb 2023) and co-initiator with the Steering Group and West Coast OWL Members .
Go outside Cards
For the Skye and Lochalsh Climate Feis, West Coast OWL produced a series of activity cards with Gaelic translations for local teachers/practitioners.
CATALYST 2030 - COLLABORATOR AND MEMBER
Collaborating on Membership Co-Development using Theory U ‘Case clinic’ Soul Labs and co-designing Open Space Workshops as safe and brave spaces for exploring the complexities of meeting the SDGs, learning systems thinking and entrepreneurial innovation.
The Feral Rose
Arts experimentation with… Wayfinding | Becoming | Decolonising | Going Feral | Placemaking | Indigeny | Myths & Stories | Wild | Undomesticated | Knowing & Knowledges | Ethics | Meaning-Making | Naturecultures | Playthinking | Emerging | Earthing | Worlding | Futures | Nomads | ‘World-making’ | Response -ability | Commons | Ceremony | Re/enchanting | Re/imagining | Utopias | Ourstories | Urban & Rural | Environments | The ways before and the ways to come | Kin | Cycles | Patterns |
THE PROJECT IS ENTANGLED WITH MANY OF MY BROADER WORKS IN FACILITATION, TEACHING, MUSIC, ART AND STUDIES … EVEN THOUGH THIS PART OF THE WORK HAS COME TO A CLOSE, THE JOURNEY CONTINUES AND WILL EMERGE IN CREATIVE PROJECTS THAT I AIM TO SHARE OVER THE COMING YEARS.
““Aak ngamparam yimanang wunan … ‘being like our place’. I think this is a good way to start if you want to begin to discern the patterns of creation and rejoin our custodial species.””
The Alternative UK
A/UK to support as an artist and facilitator during the Plymouth Friendly and Enquiry stages of the ‘Citizens Action Network’.
A/UK are a political platform who want to seed and cultivate ways of being citizens that elevate creativity, connection and community grassroots participation. If ‘politics’ is broken, what’s the Alternative?
Feminist Fusion
A community-arts project, showcasing the work of female artists in all disciplines (music, theatre, visual, performance, poetry) and includes public conversation to explore patriarchal oppression and feminism. Led by Anairda I provided project support and participated as a performer, artist, activity lead and sound technician for events and workshops.
I also piloted ‘FF Chats’ with Anairda and fellow artist Gabi, which was an informal Facebook Live discussion circle of women to explore intersectional issues facing women throughout their lives (for example: personal, relational, socio-cultural, professional, ecological).
Most recently I was honoured to join a small group of Plymouth women to perform the ‘Vagina Monologues’ for V-Day 2019.
Feasibility Study
I worked with children, young people and a local community group to research attitudes and behaviours towards waste, which included recycling habits, purchasing choices and if a food waste system would be practical and used by people living in Plymouth.
The CLASP Network
Chair and Network Coordinator/Administrator
Communities Learning About Sustainability in Plymouth - collaborative constituted network. We supported knowledge-exchange, project support and ideas sharing to enable new creative projects and joined-up specialisms across ecological, sustainable, socially just and wellbeing practices. I coordinated the public bi-monthly events; public workshops; a monthly newsletter; case study research; signposting and cross-seeding projects through Awards for All funding.
Natural Connections Demonstration Project (NCDP)
I collaborated with the Plymouth Hub and Plymouth University research team through two participating schools in the NCDP. I worked with Plymouth City Council and fellow local teachers to edit and produce the ‘Plymouth LINE Directory’ - Learning in the Natural Environment.
‘Sowing Seeds’ of ideas and ethos through Outdoor Learning…
I was responsible for project coordination, student design workshops and securing funding for five schools who worked with us on developing their outdoor learning areas and outdoor curriculum. Co-Director Andy Blackwell led on site development, student workshops and construction.
Sustainable Schools Advisor and Community Catalyst
| Founder | Director | Managing Director |
Advisor and project manager for several schools in Plymouth to embed child and student led sustainability projects. The role also involved collaborating across schools, colleges, local council departments, grassroots community groups, arts groups, university faculties and academics, local businesses, social enterprises and activist groups.
By 2015 the CIC offered:
Green Works: Sustainable Schools Advisory Support - supporting the embedding of outdoor education, waste education, energy education, citizenship education, eco-literacy and global-literacy based practical projects and workshops.
Sowing Seeds: Outdoor Classroom Development led by myself and Andy Blackwell - funding sourcing, collaborative design development with students and staff, building outdoor areas and implementation of design plans
Future Leaders Training led by Michelle Virgo - community funded sustainable development training to support collaborative and individual agential change at a grassroots level.
Consultation Projects, which included editing and coordinating the Plymouth Outdoor Education Directory with Plymouth City Council; contributing to local events, networks and University of Plymouth conferences.
The CLASP Network - Communities Learning About Sustainability in Plymouth. The eclectic network functioned as a catalysing virtual and ‘real’ space for sharing project news, new ideas through ‘Creative Conversations’ and as a learning exchange across different organisations, groups and businesses.
Through CLASP I liaised with a wide range of other transformational projects, including REconomy Totnes, Transition Town Totnes, Land Trusts, Cooperatives Movement, Permaculture - Community Gardens, Devon Convergence, Food Plymouth, Skills-Share and Time-banking Projects, as well as, collaborating across a growing network of social enterprises and innovative sustainability projects in Plymouth.
Our work ended in Nov 2017 after five years of ‘eco knowmadic world-making’ with our colleagues, friends and community co-creators.
Five Nations Network
Small-Scale Research Initiative: Citizens Across the Nations
‘Who am I, What does nationality mean?’
The project involved a collaboration between three schools from Northern Ireland, Wales and England. Teachers used web based media and creative workshops to explore the significance of a range of concepts including nationhood and nationality and to develop young people's vision of their ideal Citizenship curriculum.
The conference to close the research process worked with young people from England and Wales to create a Youth Curriculum of what they wanted to learn about: Identity, Politics, and Sustainability. The results were presented to the Education Committee at the UK Parliament as part of the wider work of The Five Nations Network and the Association for Citizenship Teachers.
Sustainable Schools Pilot
2012-2013
What could a secondary school do in one year? Well, I found out that they can reduce electricity use, recycle better, lower water consumption and energy use for heating, whilst increasing biodiversity on campus, extending outdoor learning and community inclusion, and supporting local wellbeing through the arts, sciences and activity links with feeder primary schools.
Sustainable Schools Pilot 2012-2013: Using the 8 Doorways Sustainable Schools model I worked with the leadership team, business manager, staff, students and external providers to establish a:
College Paper Recycling Scheme
Energy Reduction Scheme
Water Conservation Scheme
Reduced food waste and supporting the canteen in promoting their reduced food miles for fresh produce and nutritional meals
Gardening Project
Pond Restoration Project
Outdoor Classroom Area
Woodland Learning Area
Collaborative Arts Projects - Theatre Productions, Garden Installations
Year 8 ‘Social Enterprise’ Day creating eco and social benefit businesses.