The awesome student team behind All of Us. By Jo, Charlotte and Ashley
At any given point in time, there are three wonderful care experienced and/or estranged students from the community in paid positions in the All of Us Community team. They are known as the ‘Community Catalysts’ and here they tell us a little about themselves…
Ashley
My name is Ashley, and I work in the Content Creation and Communications for the Community Catalyst team. My role involves creating and sharing content such as the monthly newsletter, managing our social media platforms, and helping connect people so important messages reach the right audiences.
I’m currently studying Psychology and Child Development at Leeds Trinity University. My studies have deepened my interest in how people think, learn and grow specifically around wellbeing, community and support systems. This ties closely into my role, as I’m passionate about using communication as a tool to bring people together and create a positive impact.
Outside of work and university, I enjoy spending time being creative, whether it’s working on personal projects or creating music. I love being outdoors and spending time in nature whenever I can and I’m always keen to try new hobbies or learning new skills! I’m always jumping into new experiences and constantly learning.
Charlotte
My name is Charlotte, and I am the Student Voice and Activism Coordinator for the Community Catalyst team. In my role, I help students across the country access opportunities to speak out and to connect with other estranged and care experienced students who share a passion for improving their community and experience. I am responsible for holding a monthly online meeting with student leaders across the country to discuss building and maintaining local communities. Additionally, I work on encouraging blog post submissions to reflect a wide range of student experiences and editing them for our website – you can submit a pitch here!
I am a Modern History PhD student at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, having previously attended King’s College London for my undergraduate degree in History and Political Economy. My PhD looks at the history of American conservatism from the Reagan era to the 21st century, analysing why different policies have changed over time. Outside of my PhD, I’m interested in keeping up with current socio-economic issues and debates and discussing them with my friends from home in the Northwest of England.
Joli
My name is Joli, but only my professors call me that. I go by Jo or, more recently, Joey.
For this six month block, I’ll be your Events and Meetups Coordinator. As one of the three Community Catalysts, I’ll be working closely with students to help set up more fun community stuff. I’ll also be looking around for fun events that students may be interested in and sharing them with everyone.
I’ve found that estranged and care experienced students tend to have a hard time setting up their own meetups or figuring out how they wanna help their community. I’ve also met some who don’t know any other students from a similar background! I think that’s quite shocking, and rather than that being because we are so rare (we are not… lol), it’s more likely that we have so many barriers to accessing each other! I want us, together, to figure out how we can navigate our weird world and still find community.
I’m from London. Spent half my life here, and half my life in Canada. I’m ethnically Arab, but I’m still figuring out if that’s something I identify with at all. I study Medicine at Queen Mary University of London (if you’re medical, that’s Barts!) and I’m in my second year. If I’m not in lectures, I’m hanging out with friends or hyping myself up to do laundry. I’m currently trying to touch grass more – harder than it sounds if you live in a concrete jungle!