Valentina grew up in Venezuela, where she attended a very progressive school with a strong community mindset, focused on innovativion with spaces to explore leadership and creativity. In university she studied Business as her BA and supported a local surgery to organise their accountancy as part of her community service module, which made her develop a passion for community work. 

 

She moved to Brighton, England to improve her English and end up staying in the city for the last 7 years. During this time she studied a Creative Communications Diploma, worked at a local Digital Marketing Agency, has volunteered with the council befriending a Young person in care and won a scholarship from Santander Universities to do her Masters in Community Psychology in the University of Brighton. 

 

In 2014 she was trained in Community Organising through the UK’s National Community Organisers Programme while hosted by Brighton Students’ Union. She strongly believes in people’s capacity to be agents of change.

 

For the next 2 years Valentina was organising with students and the wider community, encouraging people to take action on their ideas and concerns. They ranged from street parties, meditation sessions and history book clubs to supporting residents to win back and transform a pub into an inclusive community space. This saw Valentina winning a £14,200 grant from the Cabinet Office to use and learn more about Community Rights and community organising methods. This resulted in local action informing policy change in the heart of government.  

 

As part of a team of Community Organisers she has experience designing and delivering training as well as doing one-to-one mentoring with volunteers.

 

Her next challenge was to bring together her experience in community work with her business background through connecting her community organising skills with the area of Corporate Social Responsibility. After moving to Madrid, Valentina set up Sopa Madrid, working to gain funding and recognition for local social enterprises. She now works as a Community Organiser for BCorp Spain.

 

She is fluent in both English and Spanish, she loves cats , FOOD, travelling, meeting people from different cultures and nationalities and minions.