Meet Liz Allum
We have to consider working together, embedding the ethos of respect and understanding at all levels of our work, and that means including the voices of everyone, in all areas of the curriculum, the resources we use, the images we portray, the examples we give, the people we celebrate and the language we use.
Hi, I’m Liz. I’m very lucky to be part of the fantastic team at Global Learning London, working as a freelancer on a range of projects, but primarily delivering Philosophy for Children and broader facilitation and critical thinking sessions across schools and community projects.
A few years ago, as I left a theatre rehearsal to run a local peer to peer creative session for mothers, with my baby tied to me, someone described me as having a ‘portfolio career’. I prefer to think of it as being bad at saying no to things!
During my 15-year career as a global education trainer and facilitator for RISC, the development education centre in Reading, I also ran a theatre company with my wife, making large scale outdoor theatre infused with social justice themes and messages. Now, I work as a freelance global education trainer in partnership with organisations across the UK.
I run Dance Reading, a regional charity that supports access to the arts, to build a thriving dance scene and to get our local communities moving. We are leading the way on representation in community and professional dance. I also run a perinatal mental health support group, founded, led and run by womxn, for womxn to talk openly and honestly about their experiences. We talk endlessly about the pressure and injustice of gender inequality in our society and our lives. I write for and about theatre, for national press, and for theatre companies, both creatively and the boring stuff, funding applications and marketing text. Oh, and a brief stint as Cultural Development Officer for Reading Borough Council as well!
Across all the different sectors that I work in, I seek out the voices of those less represented, those marginalised, those who face the most barriers to access the same platforms and decision makers that I, as a white, middle class woman, have access to. I have a particular passion for challenging gender stereotypes, as a cis Queer woman, and that has only been further fuelled by the arrival of my son four years ago. My wife and I were always passionate about challenging these stereotypes and representing families of all shapes and sizes, as well as all ethnicities, abilities, and ages in the books he read and the games he played. It’s not easy, sometimes it feels like we are holding back a flood. As debates around Trans rights, and women’s rights rage, and we continue to see an increase in violence against Trans people and women.
We have to consider working together, embedding the ethos of respect and understanding at all levels of our work, and that means including the voices of everyone, in all areas of the curriculum, the resources we use, the images we portray, the examples we give, the people we celebrate and the language we use.
Across all my work, whether it’s creating large scale outdoor theatre or programming a month long dance festival, I seek to ask questions about representation. Where are the voices that aren’t being heard? Who do they belong to? Why are they silent? Where does the power lie?
Perhaps think back to your own education, how many female scientists did you study at school? How many LGBT political leaders can you name? How many black female artists, mathematicians, inventors, footballers. To build the world we want to see, we have to make sure that everyones voice is heard and represented. I want my son to grow up thinking it’s strange if a list of high achieving individuals doesn’t include 50% women, and to speak up and ask where the Black voices are in this meeting.
Whether we are considering our commitment to ensuring that Black Lives Matter or whether we are marching for reproductive rights or lighting candles on Trans Day of Remembrance, we are, and should be, saying one thing: that respect cannot leave anyone out, and as Dr Maya Angelou said “The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free”. And every one of us needs to say to our children, children, this is your world, come out, stand up, earn it.
Liz is one of our Global Learning London associates. You can find Liz on Twitter at @Liz_Allum
Dr Maya Angelou said
“The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free”