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About

Diversity Voice is a registered charity in Somerset. We champion intercultural understanding and provide support and services to prevent marginalisation and work towards equality for all.

The charity was established in 2015 but draws on experience from 2008, when it was formed as an experience-led community group. Almost all of our team are multilingual and have experience of living and working in the UK as migrants.

Diversity Voice does not receive core funding and relies on income from project-led initiatives. We greatly appreciate all those who support our work.

A few (thousand) things we did in 2019/20

Our Team

Headshot of Natalie Dyson

Natalie Dyson

CEO: M-Th 9:00-17:00

As a qualified solicitor Natalie has had a wide range of experience of working with charity clients advising them on all aspects of governance and charity law and has experience of the operational side of running a charity through her work as Operations Manager at Spark Somerset. She also brings with her an extensive experience of high-level management of large and diverse volunteer groups, most notably as Chair of Coronavirus Community Help Taunton (for which she received a British Empire Medal), and founder of Homes for Ukraine Taunton.

Headshot of Anita Mosedale

Anita Mosedale

Operations Manager: M-F 8:00-13:30

Anita brings 30 years’ experience to the role, with experience in the statutory and voluntary sectors. She leads on partnerships with other voluntary sector groups.

Anita is our mental health awareness champion, and has also completed CPD training in dementia awareness. Anita also has responsibility for safeguarding.

Operations

Headshot of Aneta Prokop

Aneta Prokop

Operations and Social Media Co-ordinator

M-F 9:00-17:00

Aneta brings 8 years’ experience to her role in which she looks after admin for our HPC impact mitigation project. Aneta also looks after our social media.

Aneta is fluent in Polish and English and also knows Russian and German. She has a level 6 qualification in English Philology (linguistics), a level 7 qualification in English Philology (teaching methodology), and has certified English teacher and examiner status. She also has a Level 2 award in business administration.

Headshot of Eleanor Bell

Eleanor Bell 

Marketing & Events Co-ordinator / Welcome Hub Manager

 M,W&T 9:00-17:00

Eleanor brings 5 years’ experience, and as is a qualified marketer who has recently joined the team. She is hoping to bring fresh ideas and take a streamlined approach to our
brand helping us to engage further with supporting the local community.

In addition to her Marketing qualifications she has worked across a range of events including concerts, conferences and charity
balls. With this experience you can look forward to lots of exciting new events
being added to our calendar! 

Headshot of Suzanne Todd

Suzanne Todd

Office Administrator / Welcome Hub Receptionist

M- T -Th 9:00-15:00 W – 9:00 16:30

Suzanne is one of our newest members to the team and has worked with individuals and many nationalities during her 22 years working in the travel sector, where she has travelled to many parts of the world.

She has worked alongside the charity ‘Singing children of Africa / Educate the Kids’ and been a host mum to the children while they have been in the UK performing for the charity and raising money to build more schools / educational facilities when they return home to Kenya and their families.

Her travel and life experiences bring attributes to Diversity Voice and the team, and she is happy to learn new projects.

Community Team

Headshot of Joanna Mason

Joanna Mason

Community Worker

M- T -W 9:00- 17:00 

Joanna has gained a wealth of experience from living and working in Poland, America and England.

She has worked with many different people of various ages, nationalities and cultural backgrounds, as well as having a degree in Sociology and 9 years’ experience working in an educational setting. She is also fluent in Polish and English.

Joanna’s passion, range of experience and dynamic character will ensure that she has a positive influence at Diversity Voice

Headshot of Rosa Correia

Rosa Correia

Support & Development Worker

M-F 09:00-17:00

Rosa works across Somerset with Portuguese speakers. Over her 20-year career she has gained experience in the UK and Portugal in healthcare environments, education settings and social work, in which she specialised in family welfare for women and children.

Rosa has lived in Portugal and São Tomé and Principe. She speaks Portuguese and English, and has a level 6 qualification in social work. She has also completed training in mental health awareness for children and adults.

Interpreter Team

Headshot of Oksana Logvynenko

Oksana Logvynenko

Senior interpreter / Community worker

M-F 9:00-17:00

Oksana is a graduate in psychology, philology and management.  She has extensive experience in business management.  For many years she held the position of head of the HR department in large companies.

 Oksana is fluent in Ukrainian and Russian, English, German and Romanian.  She is purposeful, sociable, responsive, and it was these qualities that helped her join the Diversity voice team to provide support to people who came to England under the Homes for Ukraine program.

 

Headshot of Olga Rybak

Olga Rybak

Translator and Interpreter Ukrainian/Russian

M 9:30-15:00, T 9:30-15:00, W 10:00-15:00, Th12:30-15:00

Olga is a qualified teacher from Ukraine who has worked in the education field for 16 years, teaching children of all ages, as well as adults.  Has recently obtained Level 5 TEFL Certificate. 

She is an experienced interpreter and translator fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, English and German . She is very keen to provide support to people who came to England under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and is always happy to act with empathy, compassion and to be a welcoming,  friendly single point of contact for everyone. 

Headshot of Olga Kilikeieva

Olga Kilikeieva

Interpreter Ukrainian/ Russian

M-F: Varied

 

Olga was a student at a medical university, where she participated in international student exchanges. While working as a doctor she translated medical articles and literature.

Her work history includes working in a biochemistry department and Hematology department.

She also speaks Italian & English fluently, which she was able to learn during her time at the School of Foreign Languages and Interpreters.

 

 

 

Headshot of Katia Kuljomza

Kateryna Kulomza

Interpreter Ukrainian/Russian

T:10:00-5:00

Kateryna is a qualified teacher, with experience in teaching and supporting students from diverse backgrounds or varying degrees of ability. She has worked in childcare and in social media and marketing. She uses her skills to help individuals who came to England under the Homes for Ukraine program.

She has got her Master’s Degree in English Language and Literature. Kateryna is fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, English, and also knows German.

 

 

 

Wellbeing practitioners

Headshot of Myroslava Shvydchenko

Myroslava Shvydchenko

Wellbeing Practitioner

Tuesdays: 11:00 to 14:00, Wells Welcome Hub

Thursdays: 11:00 to 14:00, Frome Welcome Hub

Fridays: 10:00 to 13:00, Yeovil Welcome Hub

Myroslava Shvydchenko received a Master of Psychology degree. Myroslava organized festivals for women in Ukraine and has a certificate in art therapy and dance-movement therapy. She has also written a book on art therapy.

Headshot of Olga Kopa

Olga Kopa

Wellbeing Practitioner

M: 9:15 -12:45, Sedgemoor Welcome Hub

T: 10:00 to 13:00, Taunton Welcome Hub

Th: 10:00 to 13:00, Watchet Welcome Hub

Olga Kopa graduated with a bachelor’s in Practical Psychology from IAPM in 2006. At the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kiev, she earned a Master’s degree in psychology in 2007. Olga is also a Certified Life Coach and has Certification in Art-Coaching and Art-Therapy.

Headshot of Monika Jurgiel

Monika Jurgiel

Wellbeing Practitioner / Community Team Leader

 T, W, Th, F 9:00 – 17:00

Monika  holds a master’s degree in the subject of career advising. She has 14 years of experience working at the school as an EAL Coordinator and Teaching Assistant. In 2020, Monika received a Life Coach accreditation. She published the book “Thank you for my childhood” in 2022. Monika completed her accreditation as an addiction therapist in June 2023 and enrolled in an MSc psychology program. 

Monika provides essential mental health support to displaced people of all ages on Thursday from 12.30 to 15.00 at our Welcome Hub.

EAL Team

Headshot of Beata Igoe

Beata Igoe

Support Worker, EAL

M, T 09:00 – 15:30, W, 09:00 – 12:30, Th, 08:30 – 13:30

Beata has worked in education for 26 years and has experience teaching children of all ages. She works in Somerset’s schools and early years settings to help parents and children overcome language and cultural difficulties.

Beata has level 7 qualifications in Early Years Education and in English Philology. She is fluent in Polish and English.

Headshot of Yana Forrester

Yana Forrester

Support Worker, EAL

 

Yana has 7 years’ experience working with primary school children as well as supporting teaching ESOL pupils, interpreting and translating (native Ukrainian/Russian).

Her 20 years’ experience of working in customer oriented areas allows her to work well with vulnerable people. 

Yana has a B.A. (Hons) in English Language and literature. 

English Team

Headshot of Elizabeth Conlon

Elizabeth Conlon

English Teacher

M,F 9:00 – 13:00 

Lisa is a dual national British American and has taught ESOL in New York, Milan, London, and the Southwest. She facilitates language learning through real life scenarios, using role play, and theatre games for an element of fun.

Headshot of Sally Drew

Sally Drew

English Teacher

T, W 9:00-17:00

Sally works on our neighbourhood and workplace English language teaching projects for Sedgemoor Council and HPC. Sally has a wealth of experience in teaching English to children and adults in a wide range of language learning settings. She also brings notable experience from a prior career in international marketing.

Sally has lived and worked in Nigeria, Switzerland, Oman and the Netherlands. She speaks English and German and has a level 6 qualification in German, and level 7 qualifications in marketing and English language teaching for adults.

Meet our trustees!

Headshot of Sarah Payne

Sarah Payne

Sarah lives on the edge of Exmoor, just outside of Wiveliscombe in West Somerset. She became a trustee for Diversity Voice in 2017 after working with them as an English teacher for a couple of years. She first had contact with the organisation around 2008 when she was working for Somerset County Council’s (SCC) Children and Young Peoples Department in the area of Extended Schools Services and Out of School Hours learning and was overseeing the allocation of small grants to community organisations.

Sarah worked for SCC for over 30 years in a variety of departments working predominantly in finance, administration and education. She is now retired and is a Parish Councillor, trustee on her local village hall, trustee and Secretary respectively to a couple of sports clubs, and Treasurer for Diversity Voice. She enjoys tending her large garden, skiing, golf and Pilates.

Headshot of Mick Lerry

Cllr Mick Lerry

Cllr Mick Lerry started off his career in engineering before going to university and eventually training as a teacher. Mick moved to Bridgwater in 1976 to work at the then Blake Community School till 1997. As a member of the National Union of Teachers, Mick was then involved in employee relations throughout Somerset. Mick was elected to the Executive of the National Union of Teachers from 1997 until 2010, when he then retired.  

Mick was elected on to Bridgwater Town Council and Sedgemoor District Council in 2011. Mick is the Chair of the Trustees at Victoria Park Community Centre, and he is also a Trustee on Diversity Voice and Sedgemoor SEED. 

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