Hello! I'm Jo, the new administrator for Write to Freedom - I joined the team in December.
I work behind the scenes helping the organisation run smoothly and I'm likely to be the one that answers your emails if you get in touch with us, and other tasks like keeping the website fresh and up to date, writing occasional tweets, managing systems and basic accounts.
I come to this role with a lot of previous experience in supporting the running of small organisations working for positive change. I have a deep love for the outdoors and wild places, and believe in the significance of connection to nature for everyone. It is one of the aspects of Write to Freedom that drew me to join the team, and something that I'm really glad to be supporting.
I have a long love of and heart connection to Dartmoor, having previously lived in south Devon for 15 years – always somewhere close to the river Dart and the last few years on the edges of the open moor. Dartmoor, and especially the wild Dart Valley remains one of my favourite places in the world - I find such a magical energy there, and the continual flow of the river so connecting.
I left Devon 3 years ago to seek some further afield adventures, beginning with a nomadic year and a half that led me to various stunning places around the world, and eventually to Greece, where I now spend a lot of my time. The main work in my life at the moment is as a long term volunteer, working with the refugee community. This part time role with Write to Freedom supports me practically to be able to continue this.
I came here just over 2 years ago, at a time when the arrivals of mainly Syrian refugees by boat from Turkey was at its height. I went to the island of Lesvos to help run a kitchen tent in an unofficial camp there, where we served up to 6000 meals a day as people passed through on their journey into mainland Europe. I expected to stay in Greece for a couple of months, but connecting to the situation very personally, and the massive ongoing need I experienced, I decided to move to Athens to be part of starting a longer term and more sustainable grassroots project. A collective of us set up the Khora Community Centre, offering vital services and solidarity to some of the thousands of people stuck here.
It is one of the most amazing things I have ever been part of – I am constantly challenged, inspired, exhausted and heart-opened by what I experience here. I write occasionally on my blog about my experiences here and the wider context of Athens. Devon always pulls me back every few months for a spell of nature resourcing, and I'm looking forward to attending my first Write to Freedom residential this spring.