Day 7 of #100DaysOfHustle: Introducing Chelsea!
‘Ello ello ello!
A bit more about you?
Well, I guess you could say that my route into this project and the OH! Catalyst programme is unconventional! Primarily, I am a Community Psychologist working towards completing a PhD, and I specialise in LGBT relationships and domestic violence. On a wider scale, I am interested in many different areas of community.
I work as a Research and Training Consultant and deliver bespoke training on LGBT domestic violence, inclusive sex and relationships education, and sexual consent. I’ve previously worked across different levels in the charity sector, including a project funded by the European Commission on domestic violence in lesbian and bisexual women’s relationships (www.bleedinglove.eu) and as a campaigner in Bosnia for sexual violence survivors of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica. Working to raise the voices of those who are left out of mainstream narratives of injustice is something I feel connected to.
At the moment, I am interested in exploring the capacity for good that merging tech and psychology can provide, so I am learning to code! Oh, I also live and work in Manchester and assume my place as an honorary Liverpool resident each Tuesday at Catalyst ;).
So, why the new direction?
I genuinely have an insatiable appetite for learning. It’s something that those closest to me like to mock endearingly, but it drives me in most things that I do. I like to learn about people, to explore concepts and ideas, to challenge my assumptions.
I chose to explore the digital industry recently because I find that psychology, tech, marketing and design are so interwoven and prevalent in everyone’s day to day life… and many of us don’t notice that or its value. I used to be so ignorant to how digital and marketing psychology encourages people to develop a positive sense of self, until I met someone who completely knocked my misconceptions out the park. One of the great things about doing a 180 U-turn on my former views is realising that the charity sector has a particular digital skills gap, and that there are solutions. It makes me feel inspired, and I pay much more attention to what organisations try to communicate through colour and brand now.
What’s the future looking like for you?
Colourful and ambitious. I feel like my options and opportunities are expanding all the time.
What will you be doing during #100DaysofHustle?
I am mostly committing myself to coding! I am currently getting to grips with JavaScript on Codecademy, but some of the other coders on the Catalyst course have recommended some great courses for other languages like C# on Udemy.
Aside from that, I am investing time in learning and reading more about data science, marketing psychology and programming. I want to build good personal and professional relationships along the way too. Liverpool has such an open and down-to-earth vibe and I have met some truly interesting people already, just over the last month! Ultimately, I am expanding my skill set, connecting with others, finding community, and growing.
What have you done today?
Playing around with some design concepts for an app I would like to build, alongside developing my skills in quantitative stats. I’m currently working with a data set on SPSS, exploring far-right political attitudes across the EU, particularly young people’s attitudes to LGBT rights in the UK. Working with data and analysis this way really helps to engage me logically and supports my learning with code.
