Naomi Richards

Naomi grew up in the UK, where she attended many schools with different approaches to education. The theme of education and its potential has been a thread throughout her life. She holds a question about of the role of education as a means for fostering socially and ecologically responsible citizens. Naomi was a participant in YIP in 2018-19 after finishing school in Edinburgh. After this she studied Anthropology at SOAS in London, before returning to YIP as a volunteer during the covid pandemic, seeking meaningful in-person work and education. After this, she returned to the UK to study a Masters in Ecological Design Thinking at Schumacher college, whilst living and working in the world of food and climate justice in Bristol.

Throughout the last two years, her focus has been on community projects and cultivating ‘right relationship’ with one another and the wider earth, using food and growing as tools for connection and ways to bring people together around the challenges the climate crisis presents to us. She is, of course, passionate about food and cooking as well as growing and nature but also has a deep love and respect for the importance of the arts and creativity as expressions of being human and ways to create meaning in a complex world.

She now returns to YIP with a desire to support the development of whole and authentic young people who are able to stay with the challenges of today and enact their callings in an interconnected world.