I give my attention and energy to generate conversations with others. I am passionate about designing experiences to facilitate personal and collective transformation and I believe in our ability to create communities that host conscious human connections. I practice the idea that the most urgent and important work is play, fun.
What I Can Offer
Organisational sustainability
I work to help small and medium socially-committed organisations to develop sustainability strategies.
Creative Research Design
I design research processes for groups to learn and un-learn together. Hire me to carry out cool research.
Co-learning/
creating
I am interested in collaborating with others to accompany new visionary projects and initiatives. Reach out!
Writing & Storytelling
I love writing. I know the rules of academia, butI push and pull. Contract me for report writing and editing.
Solidarity Economy
I'll be a committed co-learner in explorations of how to strengthen economies of solidarity.
Workshop facilitation
I use theatre, creative writing, and experiential education to surface different ways of knowing.
Working together is an opportunity to witness each other’s beauty. I search for and express my gifts wildly, in doing so I allow myself to see the gift in others.
I seek to explore with all my senses: the methodology I love are inspired by movement, theatre, rituals, games, food, smells, and sounds. I believe in magic. I can be very analytical and to figure out if I have understood correctly, I like to summarise what I hear.
Featured Research Projects
Resourcing Youth-led Groups and Movements
In a year long research with CIVICUS, I listened to what activists, donors, youth allies and other enabling organisations said about realities, trends and potential solutions for mobilising funding and non-financial resources for young activists, especially in the global south. Out of this research, I wrote a playbook featuring stories of youth organisers. Each story is accompanied with reflective exercises for donors and youth-led groups/movement.
Money, Culture, and Change
I have finished a PhD with the Institute for Development Studies (University of Sussex) researching the financial sustainability of youth-led groups and organisations in Medellin, Colombia. For this project I engaged 10 leaders of grassroots, youth-led CSOs, over the course of 10 months, in a process of self-reflection (first person inquiry), and collective analysis, and exploration of their organisational cultures and practices (second person inquiry).
From rhetoric to action
I was a co-researcher in a process that sought to take a new approach to understanding child and youth development. We wanted the findings to be grounded in the political, social and economic contexts that affect children and young people’s lives.
Climate change in Cuba
I spent 7 months in Cuba working with 10 young researchers, and 75 young people from 3 cities. This action research process sought to open a space for young leaders to connect with each other, and create synergies.Check out the interactive experience
Foresight in international development
I co-edited an IDS Bulletin on Foresight in International Development. This issue of the IDS Bulletin focuses on the role of foresight in policy-oriented international development research and seeks to draw attention to the opportunities and challenges associated with the wide range of foresight approaches and methods that help individuals and groups to think about and prepare for different possible futures
For Fun
Cowbird
Cowbird is a public library of human experiences. Check out my personal stories here.
Chasing Tomorrow
I co-edited a poetry collection capturing young people's vision of the world in 2030.
Publications
Articles:
Resisting in our free time
'Resisting in our free time: the state of civil society today'. Open Democracy, Transformation.
Recomposing the fabric of affection
'Recomposing the fabric of affection.' Open Democracy, Transformation.
Journal Articles:
Playing with Participatory Action Research (PAR)
Gioacchino G., Williams, K. (2016). 'Playing with Participatory Action Research (PAR): The role of digital and audiovisual tools.' Journal of EPolitics.
You defend what you feel: ‘Presencing’ nature as ‘experiential knowing'
Gioacchino, G. (Forthcoming). You defend what you feel: ‘Presencing’ nature as ‘experiential knowing'. Action Research Journal.
I have worked with
Fiammetta Wegner
Gioel is an infinite source of energy, positivity and ideas. She draws outside the box and always looks for creative solutions. She dedicates herself completely in a human and professional way and she has an awesome capacity to nurture other people and help them be their best.
Khuyen Bui
Gioel is a force of nature, not to contend but to flow with. Her passion and enthusiasm for the work is contagious. In her ever optimistic presence, any project move forward even in unlikely circumstances. Her ability to see the opportunity before it becomes visible, coupled with her bold initiative and creative soul, has inspired many others to join her. I'm one of them.