East London

Introducing Marzena

I am very excited about working for the organisation that recognises the potential and talent of diverse communities that make the fabrics of our society.

I am very passionate about building relationships between people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds and developing their leadership. Leaders are made, not born and by equipping people with the right skills and resources we enable them to make their lives better for themselves and their communities. In my past I worked as a community organiser and campaigner with diverse grassroots organisations developing social actions and local and national campaigns such as the Living Wage campaign, Refugee Welcome and affordable housing.

Near Neighbours is a great vibrant organisation and I hope to help develop projects and mentor people in the areas I care about most, working with vulnerable women, supporting migrants and refugees and giving young people from BAME backgrounds equal opportunities.

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO FOR NEAR NEIGHBOURS?

I’m Marzena, the Near Neighbours coordinator for east and south-east London. I am also a member of the Centre for Theology and Community (CTC) team. A charity in east London who is the Near Neighbours’ partner in the area.

CTC’s vision is to equip churches to transform their communities – through the practices of community organising theological reflection and prayer. It seeks to build relational power in the most deprived and diverse communities, by encouraging neighbours to focus on their common concerns and aspirations.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE IN THE PAST?

I have been involved in grassroots community organising and campaigning work for over ten years. Before that I used to work as a teacher, translator and a book designer. I started my community work by volunteering for the homeless charity in Shepherds Bush where I live because I wanted to feel part of my local community and help people who are most vulnerable. I then got involved in community organising through my work with Citizens UK seeking way to effect change on a systemic level and develop people’s agency and leadership.

I was part of the team which grew the Living Wage campaign from a local to a national level and was involved in organising local and national accountability assemblies where grassroot leaders negotiated better deal for their communities with people in power. Other projects and campaigns included: Refugee Welcome campaign, City Safe campaign creating places of safety for young people, affordable housing and media accountability campaigning challenging anti-migration rhetoric.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO WORK FOR NEAR NEIGHBOURS?

I am very passionate about working with people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds. I come from Poland where I was raised in a close-knit community and that feeling of connection and belonging is something I needed to recreate for myself and my family in London.  Working for Near Neighbours enables me to help others build new relationships across difference and help people develop sense of belonging and agency in their own neighbourhoods. Small grassroots organisations are best placed to connect people, respond to their needs but also give people joy and have fun together.

WHY DO YOU LOVE THE AREA YOU WORK IN?

London is a very exciting and energising place to live, work and play. I come from a place that was very homogeneous and it is the diversity and endless opportunities to meet people from all over the world that made me choose London as a place to live. I love learning about other people’s life stories and traditions and exploring their music, culture and if you are a foodie like me, there is no better place to be and enjoy best curries, Jamaican patties and Chinese dumplings.