Introducing the team
As our team begin preparing to travel again to support our partners face-to-face in Africa and Asia, we thought this would be a good time to briefly introduce them. We asked them to tell us a few interesting facts, like why they joined Amplifying Voices, a highlight from their work and about what they do when they’re not working….
Jon Hargreaves
As a lapsed pilot, Jon says that when he grows up he wants to fly aeroplanes. In the meantime he says he still has some important things he wants to do. Having worked in media in many different countries, Jon began collaborating with Dr. Ross James, founder of Health Communication Resources, to help disadvantaged communities and those facing crisis, find their voice through community-centred media. In 2013, along with his colleague Alex, Jon felt that so much more needed to be done to support these communities, that they set up Amplifying Voices as a charity in the UK. He says: In the last nine years we’ve worked alongside communities in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and the thing I’ve loved most is to hear stories of how individuals’ lives have improved as a direct result of our work. When Jon isn’t travelling or working at the organisation’s Sussex-based office, you’ll often find him paddling along the South coast in his kayak.
Alex Stout
From working as an engineer on aeronautical communications systems in Scotland to heading up a media network in the Middle East, Alex has spent most of his life troubleshooting technical issues and finding innovative ways to improve systems. Following this practical philosophy through to holistic mission, Alex and Jon partnered together and co-founded Amplifying Voices in 2013. Though he finds it challenging to select a highlight of the last nine years, It was particularly satisfying to get Umoja FM on air. For a hurting, neglected community, taking a local vision to a practical reality of setting up and training volunteers to run a local station, broadcasting in the local language, speaking about local issues was incredibly exciting. When Alex isn’t busy sourcing media equipment or project managing, he’s usually tinkering or driving his 1985 Opel Manta. As a modern classic car enthusiast, he frequents car shows all across England.
Stephanie Mooney
A busy mum of two young girls, Steph has always been involved in working with different community groups whether that is locally or internationally. She loves to be in conversation and relationship with people, hearing their stories, what they care about and working alongside them to deliver their community projects. Stephanie joined Amplifying Voices because: They engage with projects where the vision has been grown locally and they care about the voices that we don’t typically hear or value. Amplifying Voices approach recognises that these voices matter and when heard do bring positive change. When Steph is not working she is normally out and about with her family. In her limited spare time, she loves to read and is learning French. She was originally born in Montreal in Quebec, the French speaking part of Canada, and she wants to speak French fluently.
Iain Taylor
As a retired accountant, Iain continues to bring his wisdom and experience to the Amplifying Voices team through his role as administration manager. I joined the team because I sat in front of Alex at Maybridge Community Church and he asked me if I would be interested in helping out. Nine years later I am still interested. I love to see unexpected gifts arriving into our bank account- it’s always a highlight for me to get these monies into projects that will make a difference. Iain says he unashamedly collects map postcards and is passionate about football. Not many folks can say they watched England win the World Cup in 1966 in black and white from outside a TV showroom in Ross on Wye…. I can! Another little-known fact about Iain is that he once played in goal for Arsenal, which is a frightening admission for a Chelsea supporter.
Johnny Fisher
With an odd combination of career backgrounds – electronics, theology, and social action – Johnny likes making things better. But he finds that, unlike most electronic gadgets, people want much more involvement in decisions around improving their situations. He joined Amplifying Voices because I love the approach which really lives out a belief in our partners and their communities. The fix-it guy is still there – a highlight of the work is when partners ask us to get involved with things like setting up new equipment or doing a training workshop. Outside of work, Johnny enjoys walking his dogs on the moors or down by the river. During lockdown he moved to a very rural community in the Scottish Borders, which brought a number of new experiences and opportunities… like last winter when he joined a beating team at a local pheasant drive.
Alice Stout
Alice likes to describe herself as a storyteller – not in the sense of someone who concocts a fictional tale but one who can help tell other people’s stories that need to be heard. She loves to travel and explore different cultures, then write as well as share photos and videos that capture the essence of these people and stories. That’s how she ended up joining Amplifying Voices: Jon invited me to help document the progress of one project in India. Though I hadn’t visited the communities on the research trip, I could see the incredible impact of community centred media after seven short months. People were keen to see more change, and champion that change for themselves. That incredible story needed to be told, as do the other untold stories of transformation. Alice does enjoy writing in her spare time too, but when away from keyboards and screens she loves to take her little dog Riley on new adventures.