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Jessica Oddy

Equity-Based EiE Consulting 

Welcome, and thanks for visiting my site!

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I founded Equity-Based EiE Consulting in 2021 to support organisations, academic institutions, and individuals to design and deliver research and projects rooted in equity-based design thinking, anti-racism, and decolonial and feminist-informed principles. 

 


I invite you to take a moment and look around to learn more about my background, experiences, and approaches.

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Embedding Equity in Research, Evaluation and Programme Design

I founded Equity-Based EiE Consulting in 2021 to support organisations, academic institutions, and individuals to design and deliver research and projects rooted in equity-based design thinking, anti-racism, decolonial and feminist-informed principles.

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 See my previous commissioned Workshops, Lectures, Blogs, Podcasts, Research and Policy Reports 

Why Equity-Based Design Thinking? 
 

Equity Based Design thinking 101

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At the age of 18, I participated in a widening participation university access course. This was a government initiative in the United Kingdom to get more young people from socially and economically marginalised groups into higher education. Without a doubt, this opportunity changed my life by giving me the knowledge and drive to aim higher and pursue my dreams. This was my first encounter with a program designed to support people at the margins and as a participant, I gained so much from the experience.

Recognising the power of education, after a couple of years working as a youth outreach worker in historically deprived areas across the UK, I trained as a secondary school teacher, teaching Global and active citizenship to support young people to become agents of change within their own communities.

 

 I loved how young people were passionate about redesigning their communities, addressing inequities and using knowledge and action research to highlight inequities and demand change. My experiences as a teacher led me to a career in the international development and humanitarian aid sector where I spent a decade designing education in emergencies programs with and for children, young people and adults in situations of displacement, conflict and on the move.

I have worked on designing social-impact programs, research and evaluations across the world. I have had the opportunity to work with community-based, and refugee-led organisations, non-profits, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, academic institutions, as well as coaching and mentoring people setting out on their careers in the non-profit sector.  

Along the way, I have gained :
 

  • Experience as a senior consultant supporting organisations with designing and embedding Equity-Based Frameworks in Programmatic Design and Research.

  • Ten years of experience in the Education in Emergencies (EiE) sector in a variety of strategic and senior leadership roles for organisations such as Save the Children, War Child and LWF. 

  • International experience designing and leading qualitative and mixed-methods Participatory Action Research, digital storytelling, and arts-based evaluation, research, and programme design.

  • Associate Lecturerships designing face-to-face, hybrid, and blended learning experiences for Foundation and Undergraduate courses including Education Studies Socially-Just Action research methodologies.

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What is Equity-Based Design? 

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Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 highlighted that the world needs to change. Non-profit, international development and humanitarian aid sectors need to be redesigned, to be radically inclusive and create programmes and research that includes and centres those most affected by crises. Far too often, the people with the closest proximity to the problem, are furthest from decision making, policy-setting and programme design. Not only is this ineffective, but it is unfair. ​

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I launched Equity-Based EiE Consulting in 2021 to support peoples, organisations and institutions design equity-driven, radically inclusive and socially -just programmes and research for a more equitable world. Our methods are drawn from participatory action research, design thinking and years of experience working in the non profit sector. 

 

 

If your role involves designing programs, projects, research or evaluations, then you are a designer, and you need to centre equity within your work. 

 

Through our suite of online courses, workshops and lectures Equity-Based EiE Consulting can help you design culturally sustaining, ethical and equity-centred programs for effective and socially just outcomes.

 

 


I have led research and evaluations and published peer-reviewed articles for a wide range of organisations and institutions. Please find below a sample of research studies. For more examples, check out my linkedin

Blogs and Podcasts 

 

Upcoming Conference December 2022 : Participate Collective on Education, Decoloniality and Emergencies (CEDE!) Conference

 

Listen to Episode 2: Education in Emergencies — Rethinking Development (rethinkingdevelopmentpodcast)

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Listen to Oddy, J. (2021, August ) A conversation with humanitarian researcher Jessica Oddy, [episode 12] in Linnea Rademaker Action Research: Global Conversations https://open.spotify.com/episode/4gXiocDT3meR3E9dL6Kq5i

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Blog Oddy, J. (2021) We need to start having conversations about Race, Power and Privilege in Education in Emergencies | Française | Espanol 

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Blog Oddy, J. (2021) Why Equity-Based Design Thinking is Key to Decolonising EIE | INEE Arabic  French Spanish Portuguese

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Blog Oddy, J. (2021,) Examining Race, Power, and Privilege Dynamics within the Education in Emergencies Sector. REACH Harvard, Harvard University. Available: https://reach.gse.harvard.edu/blogs/migration-displacement/series/examining-race-power-and-privilege-dynamics-within-the-education-in-emergencies-sector

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Newsletter: Rethinking Education

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Commissioned Policy & Research Reports for Non-Profit Organisations 

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Oxfam IBIS (2020) Reframing Literacy in Humanitarian Contexts

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Save the Children (2019) Accelerated Education Programming, Children, Families and Teachers experiences in Uganda

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NORRAG (2019) NORRAG: Participatory Research with Refugee Children in Uganda

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Academic Conference Paper Presentations 

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Oddy, J., Fernando, A. & Francie, J. (2021,  April 22nd). The Personal Statement as an Intersectional, Decolonial and Transformative Epistemology. Enquire Conference 2021: Researching Social Justice, University of Nottingham. Available at: https://sway.office.com/YE15t0Jsrwzq5n2o?ref=Link [Accessed September 6, 2021].

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Oddy, J. (2021, 12th April) How structural functionalism and colonial legacies dominate the Education in Emergencies sector. British Sociological Association.

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Oddy, J., Doná, G., Squires, C., Lounasmaa, A., Jabiri, A. (2021, 15th April) Building Durable Futures in Conflict and Exile: Critical pedagogies and young refugees’ higher education trajectories in displacement and resettlement contexts. British Sociological Association

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Oddy, J., Fernando, A. & Francie, J. (2021, 12th February). The Personal Statement as an Intersectional, Decolonial and Transformative Epistemology. Pedagogies in Programmes for Displaced and Marginalised People: Critique and Practice, Refugee Education Initiatives (REIS). Available at: https://www.refugeeeducationinitiatives.org/upcoming/workshop3pedagogies

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Oddy, J. & Doná , G., Lounasmaa, A., Squire, C. (2020, Nov 20th).Decolonial pedagogies and young refugees’ higher education trajectories in conflict and exile. PRIO. Available at https://www.prio.org/News/Item/?x=2626

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Oddy, J., Doná, G., Dudman, P.  (2020, 15th July) Digital Education Storytelling Launch  Living Refugee Archives. University of East London Available at: https://www.livingrefugeearchive.org/exhibitions/digital-storytelling/

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Commissioned Guest Lectures

 

Oddy, J. (2021, Oct) Decolonising Education in Emergencies and Humanitarian Aid?, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Langara College, Canada

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Oddy, J. (2021, Oct) Centering Equity-Based Design Thinking in Programmes and Practice, Open Society University Network (OSUN) Working Group for Forcibly Displaced Students.

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Oddy, J. (2021,  May, October) Race, Power and Privilege in Education in Emergencies Sector. Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Swarthmore College, USA.

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Oddy, J. (2021,  Feb) Race, Power and Privilege in Education in Emergencies Sector. Department of Public policy, University of Chicago- Harris School of Policy, USA.

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Oddy, J. (2021,  April) Equity-Based Design Thinking in Humanitarian Aid, School of Social Sciences, University of East London.

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Oddy, J. (2021,  April) Equity-Based Design Thinking and Educational Programming in Greece, Refugee Ed.

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Published Book chapters 

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Lounasmaa, A., Harewood, M., Masserano, E. and Oddy, J. (2021) ‘Strategies Against Everyday Bordering in the University: The Open Learning Initiatives’ in Cantat, C., Cook, I. and P. Kumar Rajaram (eds) Opening Up the University: Teaching and learning with refugees; Oxford: Berghahn

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Let’s Connect

I’d love to hear from you.

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