TED Community » Joanna Bevan

About Me

Joanna is currently a Community Mobiliser with Community Action:MK in Milton Keynes, working at the heart of grass roots community development and strategy implementation, as well being the Co-organiser for TEDxMiltonKeynes. She is the co-founder of the Global Ideas Company which helps facilitate knowledge and skills sharing from the Spanish speaking world. Born in Kettering, UK Joanna went on to study BA in Modern Languages and Management studies at Newcastle University. She now speaks Spanish, French, German and Catalan after spending time working in France and Spain. She has also studied Development Management at the Open University. Joanna has been involved with several International NGO’s including Casa Alianza who work with street children in Latin America and Powerful Information where she was part of the coordinating team of a project to bring 6 men and women (including 4 blind people) from Sierra Leone to Milton Keynes for a program of cross-education and exchange. Joanna loves running and hiking and is a trained sports massage therapist and marathon runner. She has been lucky enough to visit over 37 countries where she has collaborated in overseas projects such as HIV education in Ghana with Light for Children and Turtle Conservation in Costa Rica at La Tortuga Feliz project. Joanna has studied Permaculture Design at Sieben Linden Eco-village in Germany and has a great interest in the eco-village network and the Transition movement in a response to climate change. Joanna has been nominated for Milton Keynes Woman of the Year 2012.