Hello! I’m Ali

Hello! I’m Ali (which is short for Aliyah). My deep interest is in mobilising the resources which will open up the social institution of Economics to presently disadvantaged groups. I want to help people to feel agency over their future and have an equal chance to live a full human life.

I’ve done this so far through designing new communication, interactions and services for social movements. I can do service and programme design from launch to scaling mature initiatives, coordination and direct delivery; communications design, strategy and partnership development; event management, workshop facilitation and research.

I have a history of getting visions and services off the ground, working in self-motivated roles. From 2016 - present, I’ve held core roles where I established an evidence base, strategy and mission-driven services in a startup charity, Economy, with the purpose of making economic public debate accessible to all.

Degree-wise, I studied English at Oxford University. But that’s actually perfect, as economics is a story we tell to make sense of the world, which needs more imagination. If I could have a go again, I’d study Economics or Service Design.

Background-wise, I grew up in suburbia in the South of England. I got into a private school on a bursary because I was clever in a schooly way, and then got into Oxford when a teacher who came to my mum’s pub helped me apply. My mum is a cafe manager, and my step-dad’s a double glazer. My dad’s an engineer, and went to university.

I still always feel like an outsider in social change. To get into new economics, I turned my life upside down and put myself in really hard economic and mental health situations. Mental health and helping others with it is a big part of my life, and I’m passionate about designing for mental health accessibility.

I love helping people feel happy and welcome. Three strange loves of mine are sweeping with a broom, gnomic greetings cards, and the round internet cat Pusheen.

Here’s my CV.

Here’s a blog I wrote about mental health and economic social change after my first Huddlecraft Huddle (I’m now on number 3)