Emma
Paper Garden Manager
I was lucky to grow up with the plants. They coated my windowsills and bedroom walls. I was drawn to the tiny creatures that lived in the worlds of green. They called me to places of history, how we have changed our relationship with them over years of colonisation and urbanisation, and ultimately to being outside. I have been learning how to approach and balance the acknowledgement of the world's injustices against people, plants, and the other animals that weave their way through the earth and brambles. I have found a place in the Global Generation where I can play my part in tackling those intersecting injustices, educating and empowering those I work with to find their balance and their passions.
I am continuously learning from the imaginative minds of the children and young people we work with. My MSc in Community Based Regeneration encouraged me to develop a reflexive painting practice to explore how I find authority to speak about injustices against the earth and people as well as how to approach climate change when working with the young people who inspire me to keep fighting.
When not growing food or spotting feathered friends I travel to my home town of Sittingbourne, to work with Community Interest Company Raybel Charters. There we are developing green community space and restoring a Thames sailing barge, both useful tools for discussing the meanings of migration and "home" with the groups we work with.