Sophia Parker
What I’m Currently Doing - I’m the founder of Little Village, a London-based charity that works to tackle child poverty. Our work operates at three levels: we provide immediate and direct support to families who are struggling by collecting up great quality donations of clothes, toys, and equipment and getting these items out to families who are struggling. We build community, making it as easy as possible for families to help each other with solidarity, and bringing people together across economic and social divides to look out for one another when times are tough. And we use our platform as a force for change, raising the profile of child poverty and working with others to tackle it head-on.
Previously - My driving passion is to find powerful ways of connecting people and politics, in order to give people back their voices and bring about greater equality. My career has taken a varied route as I’ve experimented with new ways of achieving this ambition, including stints in local and central government, and thinktanks including Demos and the Resolution Foundation. I set up the first UK-based local government Innovation Lab, and I’ve published a book and a wide range of policy pamphlets exploring the issues around inequality and poverty.
What Interests & Excites Me
Feminist leadership and tackling the patriarchy
Creative practices - dance, writing, art - and how they can bring us closer to our intuition and deep wisdom
Movement building
Framing, narrative and social change
Our relationship to the land
How to build our collective muscles of hope and imagination