Meet Sophie Hartley!
This week we’re getting to know the Interfaith Childhoods team.
Sophie is a recent addition to the Interfaith Childhoods team and she currently lives on Wurundjeri land.
Sophie is excellent with communications and has been helping us coordinate our social media. Her recent project has focussed on developing the Vital Arts Instagram Live series (which everyone should tune into). She's a valuable addition to our team and we are so lucky to work with her. Sophie is a PhD student currently researching climate activism in Australia and her interest in digital governance and practices has lead her to be an excellent communicator and community organiser. (Thanks for interviewing all of us Sophie!)
We asked Sophie a few questions:
Is there one experience from the project that’s stood out to you?
“Because I’m quite new to the project and we’ve been in lockdown since I started, I’ve been really enjoying looking back through the archives that we have. I love seeing the way the kids imagine such creative futures through their art. Particularly in how they see things like climate change."
Can you tell us about a scholar or book you’re enjoying at the moment?
"One of my favourite reads for this year has been “The Mushroom at the End of the World” by Anna Tsing – but I also just finally read Chanel Miller’s memoir “Know My Name”, which was incredible."
Have you picked up any new skills/pets during lockdown?
“I’m desperate to adopt a cat – but there’s stiff competition out there at the moment !"
Have you always been in academia/research? What led you here?
“My background is community organising and activism support. I worked for the WA branch of Amnesty International for a few years, supporting local activists, and then went on to work for a social inclusion not for profit in Perth called Befriend before moving to Melbourne to start my PhD. I really loved working on the ground with activists and volunteers, but felt like I wanted to understand how we do what we do better”