02. Grassroots of Change, with Elina Moraitopoulou

In this episode, we discuss with Elina Moraitopoulou, an interdisciplinary researcher and educator working at the intersection of academia and civil society, to explore the overlap of education and public spaces. We dive into grassroots actions and how an environmental organisation operates to establish connections locally and intersectionally. We explore Mamagea’s approach to educational commons in relation to green spaces and communities. Elina contextualises these themes and reflects on the dynamic reality of co-creation and the need for planners and designers to take on adaptive roles. Through the lens of care and educational commons, we consider pathways to systemic change. Elina shares her perspective on critical hope, suggesting that connecting across struggles and mobilising our capacities to raise awareness and overcome injustice is where hope lies.Elina's work explores how education can support socio-ecological transformation and just futures. Her PhD focused on young people’s emotional orientations to desired futures of education in the UK through participatory memory work. Her research includes the educational commons and their role in reimagining youth participation and cultural production in museums, as well as participatory monitoring and evaluation design. Elina holds an MSc in Interdisciplinary Approaches to Research and Education and a BSc in Biology. She is a postdoc researcher at the University of Manchester’s School of Social Sciences, co-developing a theory/praxis of radical care for urban social transformation. She has coordinated educational and citizen science projects and works as a scientific coordinator and educator at Mamagea Environmental Organization.Learn more about Mamagea: https://mamagea.gr/Elina’s suggested readings:Nolas, S.-M. (2021). Childhood publics in search of an audience.Emejulu, A. (2018). Crisis Politics and Intersectional Solidarity.Puig de la Bellacasa, M. (2017). Matters of Care. U. of Minnesota PressHaraway, D. (2016). Staying with the Trouble. Duke University Presshooks, bell. Teaching to Transgress. Routledgebrown, adrienne maree (2017). Emergent StrategyPeople and references mentioned:Mamagea (min 0:51)Neapoli-Sykies Municipality (min 11:41)Cob-Building with Earth (min 11:43)Neapoli’s Environmental Reforestation Group (min 11:43)Neapoli’s 5th High School (min 11:46)Bell Hooks (min 43:26)March to Gaza (min 44:47)CreditsHosting: Mary Sutherland & Evgenia VamvakousiPost-production: Evgenia VamvakousiVisuals & Media: Aleksandra KurkierewiczProduced by: Critical Hope, a podcast by POLIS, the student-led platform for Urbanism and Landscape Architecture at TU Delft, www.polistudelft.nlInstagram: @criticalhopepodcastMusic: Miguel Ángel Justicia (@archivo.devocional) and Some Dirt (https://somedirt.bandcamp.com)