Marietta is an expert in learning design. She is also an inclusive and creative facilitator and is the author of a range of publications. She has been a freelance consultant for 17 years, a Senior Associate of Yvonne Field Associates for 10 years and has recently joined REOS as an Associate. She has substantial experience of helping organisations translate the principles of equality, diversity and social inclusion into good practice.
Marietta has facilitated learning programmes on a range of topics. In the past two years she has written a resource handbook and co-designed a training course for the Food Standards Agency - ‘Working effectively with minority ethnic food businesses’. This has been delivered to professionals across the UK. Whilst working for Goldsmiths College she co-designed and facilitated an accredited youth mentoring training programme for diversionary voluntary sector youth services. Marietta is a qualified assessor and internal verifier for learning and development NVQs and has worked as an external verifier for an awarding body. She has designed and led conferences, training programmes, partnership/network development and participation events. She is strongly committed to enabling inclusive processes of reflection and learning to create positive change within individuals, organisations and communities. She designs activities with diversity in mind – from learning styles to age to disability.
The range of learning resources Marietta has written involved consultation and piloting with young people, community groups, professionals and educators. Publications include a pack for Amnesty International UK on the prevention of violence against women and a resource on global refugee issues for Refugee Week and the Department for International Development. Materials are designed to engage and develop young people’s creativity, critical thinking skills and empathy. Resources also aim to develop the confidence and knowledge of teachers and youth and peer workers so that they feel able to explore challenging themes with young people.
Implementing participative evaluation projects to help public sector services develop inclusive, effective services is another area in which Marietta has wide experience. Building rapport and creating a safe environment in which people feel valued is crucial. For instance, the approach used for the London Arts Refugee and the Arts Initiative was designed to support the learning and development of refugee community organisations (RCOs) and to challenge mainstream arts organisations to build innovative partnerships with RCOs. As evaluator to the Barnet Children’s Fund she and a colleague worked with a range of public and third sector organisations to develop user participation and involvement.
Prior to becoming freelance Marietta was the Training and Development Manager for a 250 place youth training programme at Waltham Forest Training Agency. This was preceded by working as a Youth Training Co-ordinator for City and Hackney Health Authority. The first part of Marietta’s career was spent as an English teacher and youth worker. She then worked with young people at an alternative education project before moving into training management.