Malaika
Garden and Youth Programmes Coordinator
Growing up in different countries around the world was not only a wonderful eye-opening enriching childhood but a privilege for which I am forever grateful. I learned about different perspectives and culture but also all the ways we as humans need each other and the natural environment, no matter how many oceans and borders separate us.
My fascination with human behaviour led me to study psychology at Greenwich University. After graduating and working for a while, I had a real drive to get outside of my comfort zone, outside of the norms that I thought I had to follow in academia. I had this overwhelming sense that I wanted to be useful with my hands, that I needed to be outdoors.
I volunteered at a southeast London community garden inside of which I learned a great deal about organic gardening. This led me to enrol in a Permaculture Design Course in Dartmoor. There, my life completely changed, as I met incredible people who were not only students but teachers in their own right, as everyone has unique life experiences that we all can learn from to grow together. Volunteering for organisations in the U.S. focused on food security have shaped my appreciation for projects that bolster food, community, and food growing in urban spaces. I completed an apprenticeship at Capel Manor College as well as an RHS course and worked for a London-based garden design & maintenance company for a few years. The skills and knowledge I gained there were invaluable and I am always excited to share this knowledge with others, but I am more excited by the fact that you never stop learning when it comes to plants and nature.