My involvement with PIRC focuses on reshaping elements of the curriculum through an accessible, decolonial lens and dreaming up new ways of bringing PIRC’s wealth of resources to those who are ready to make some magic with them.

Narrative change happens to be the ‘golden thread’ that ties together the various elements of my professional journey, from challenging dominant narratives through spoken word artivism, music, writing on marginalised topics for platforms including the Huffington Post and Elephant journal, to consulting for NGOs and commercial brands and decolonial comms and thought-practice. So I’m very much looking forward to the natural connections, insights and developments I anticipate will emerge through this work.

Outside of office hours I enjoy making music, hyperfocusing on my latest research interest(s), getting messy with my little ones and experimenting with ways to divest from colonising systems, inside and out.

#freepalestine #freecongo #freehaiti #freesudan #decoloniseeverything

Mina Jack (neutral or masc pronouns) is a trans and non-binary activist, politician, consultant, thinker, and artist from the Mediterranean.

They’ve been working on developing campaigns, raising awareness, and doing communications on LGBTQI rights, green politics, electoral campaigns, and roller derby for just over a decade.

Want to have a chat about media ethics with regards to LGBTQI representation, and non-binary, fluid and liminal framing in communications? Just get in touch, MJ loves distractions.

Sho is a freelance communications coach for activists. He has advised groups from anti-corporate farmer collectives in the Philippines, to abortion rights campaigners in Mexico, to trans groups in Eastern Europe – with everything from messaging to media relations.

Originally from London, based in Amsterdam, his side-projects focus on demystifying comms: like a “Bluffer’s Guide to Framing” and a YouTube channel about communications for activists.

I’m one of the newer PIRC team members and I am a Community lead at PIRC. My work centres around the upcoming Narrative Leadership Programme PIRC is developing and I will be supporting participants on this programme, with their wellbeing and learning. I have an academic background in international politics and racialisation.

Previously my work has focused on anti-racism, inclusion, climate justice and leveraging diaspora knowledge within global solidarity. Through all my work I try to weave in my knowledge of interconnected struggles for liberation. Care, rest and imagination are my north star in working towards a more just, equitable and caring society.

Outside of work, I love eating ethnic food (iykyk), cooking for my loved ones, watching depressing shows, video essays and going to concerts!

#blackjoy #qtibpoc #timhortons #mywife #enjoyment #ilovemusic #iwillnotstandforrenassainceslander #imjustlivinglifelikeababygal

Elena is a facilitator, writer, researcher, community activist, and leader of organisational development. For over a decade she’s been creating spaces for groups to explore and develop narrative; designing and leading framing projects; shaping organisational strategy and creating new organisational infrastructure. She recently joined KIN as a co-director, seeking to create spaces for liberation, healing and joy for black activism. She’s also an aspiring artist, tarot dabbler, Octavia Butler fan and parent of a toddler who likes cats more than people. Originally from East London, raised in Manchester, now fully rooted in the rolling green of mid-Wales: her ideal landscape for radical imagining.

James is a freelance trainer, facilitator and strategist with over twenty years of experience working with environmental and social justice organisations. He’s an associate at PIRC and NEON where he helped develop and train on the Movement Builders programme. James has always had a passion for music and produces in the soul duo Equals and for the alt RnB group GRAMN. 

I worked with the lovely people at PIRC for over 3 years. Facilitating and creating toolkits was my main area of work (and still is, but I am now Framing Matters)!

I am really keen on putting framing into practice. The theory is fascinating but can sometimes be disconnected from our everyday work. Making framing something everyone can do, no matter what their role or sector, is really exciting to me. (I probably need to get out more!)

I also think that training should be fun and memorable, but that makes me sound a bit more enthusiastic than I am in real life.

While at PIRC, I wrote the Framing Nature Toolkit and co-wrote Common Cause for Nature.

Workshops Lead & People Group

I’m the workshop lead at PIRC, and a geek for learning that centres participants—their experiences, knowledge, skills and creativity. I’m really excited about leading on designing and delivering our workshops with this at the forefront, and doing my own learning along the way. I’m also part of our people group—looking after staff wellbeing, care and workplace culture. Some things I’m particularly interested in are reframing trans liberation and how we talk about borders.

I have a background in grassroots campaigning, youth peer support, journalism and domestic and sexual abuse support work. I’ve designed and delivered workshops to adults and young people on a range of topics, from self care to drag king workshops. Outside of PIRC, I help run a queer poetry night, like to bake all sorts of vegan cakes and will occasionally make an appearance as my drag king alter-ego, Turkish popstar Tarkan. I’m also a muppa to three cats, who like to join our zoom meetings.

Skills & interests

Curriculum Lead

I joined the PIRC team in 2018 as a group facilitator, trainer and participatory organiser, with a background in community theatre. I now support the development of our narrative-change curriculum and learning resources.

I’m passionate about developing creative, care-centred, and engaging tools and approaches to help strengthen and nurture us in our work for social change.
I’m also super into our flat structure, and all the experimentation and learning that we’ve done to evolve this since 2015. I have coordinated our People, Programming and Direction work at different points since joining the team.

Previously, I’ve worked on climate justice, human rights and community organising locally, nationally and internationally, and I’ve developed training, group-working support and political education resources for a variety of different groups working on social, environmental and economic justice.

Outside PIRC, you’ll find me organising drag cabarets, swimming in rivers, reading on the sofa, hosting friends & community gatherings, playing boardgames and supporting local protests and picket lines.

Skills & interests:

Poppy is the youngest member of the team. What she lacks in experience she makes up for in enthusiasm. Dividing her day into long periods of dozing interspersed with short bursts of high energy activity, Poppy has quickly fitted into the working culture here at PIRC.

Skills & interests:

Finance Lead and Resources Group

I lead Finance and the Resources group at PIRC, looking after our funds,  facilities and legal obligations.

I arrived at PIRC in 2009, following a decade working in public sector administration for the Welsh Government and Legal Aid amongst others.

Outside of PIRC I’m a director of a successful community business and trustee of a small local charity. My experiences in each of these roles bring insights to PIRC and vice versa.

Prior to moving to mid-Wales in 1998, I have lived in London, Surrey, and Leeds—where I became immersed in environmental and social activism—as well spending three years working in Greece on sea turtle conservation.

Skills & interests:

Rich supports the design and production of PIRC’s materials and resources.

His main work outside of PIRC is RadHR: a space for social change organisations to share the nuts and bolts—the policies, processes and stories—of how to organise based on our values and challenge oppression within our groups.

He previously worked as a staff member at PIRC for 15 years, working in almost every core group, coordinating fundraising, and holding the Production role. He also led PIRC’s work on Common Cause between 2010-2015, exploring the role of values in social and cultural change, facilitating hundreds of workshops and trainings across the third sector and civil society in the UK and Europe; as well as coordinated PIRC’s earlier climate work, bridging between the scientific community and campaigning NGOs and authored the Climate Safety report.