Kasia
Craft Enthusiast
In a world dominated by technology, now more than ever is the time to help the younger generations reconnect with their roots and teach them about the natural world." Kasia
Kasia feels very lucky she grew up with her gardener, forager and seamstress Baba Yaga of a grand-mother. Being the “Dzikus” (The Wild one) of the family, her first memories are running barefoot, watering the flowers in her Nan’s allotment whilst eating an onion and berries, climbing trees or playing in the stream by the meadow.
She comes from a long line of craftsmen, gardeners, foragers, farmers and preservers who kept their love, passions and traditions alive despite their numerous physical displacements over the generations due to political changes.
Being the eldest of the family, she has always been surrounded by children in one way or another: baby-sitting as a teen, being an au pair in Glasgow, co-creating and being in charge of kids’ birthday parties at the restaurant she was working in in France while studying for her HND in International Commerce… After which she came to the UK where she joined the (YHA) Youth Hostel Association Activities Team and started her induction as a Sea Cadets Instructor but (before deciding that she / ultimately she) couldn't unfortunately pursue those paths due to changing circumstances.
When she became a mum 13 years ago, she became even more passionate about “free-range” parenting, nurturing, breastfeeding, educating, teaching and learning. She promised herself she would do all in her power to provide those gifts to her free-spirited, wise and wild daughter, who also loves running barefoot and climbing trees.
From the suburbs of London leaving a promising career in Media Relations and Marketing in London, to a few months in the Welsh Valleys with her daughter’s grandparents and great-grand-parents connecting generations and cultures, Carmarthenshire was the next destination.
Llanelli was quite a unique experience, like (as was) Glasgow was.
Whilst her daughter attended a Welsh primary school, she started working for the Polish-Welsh Mutual Association as a caseworker, translator and interpreter. Some of her duties were to provide support, advice and assistance to Polish and Eastern European residents regarding their housing options as well as advise them about financial assistance and welfare benefits. She reconnected with her Polish roots and became very involved in the whole Polish community.
She worked closely with Women’s Aid, Shelter Cymru, Bawso, Llanelli Women's Aid and other relevant agencies to assist clients who were threatened with homelessness due to domestic violence and other forms of harassment.
When the Association closed due to lack of funding, she worked for 2 years as a Housing Options Advisor for Carmarthenshire County Council where her main duty was to prevent homelessness. She used her expertise gained in her previous role to carry on her work with the Polish community whilst also developing strong working relationships with internal and external partners, ensuring a focus on housing options and prevention of homelessness e.g. Women’s Aid, Bawso, Shelter, Nightstop, Housing Benefit, Supporting People, Local Members, the Mediation team, Citizens’ Bureau Advice…
When she moved to the Forest of Dean 5 years ago, she co-created and implemented the after-school Gardening Club in Woolaston Primary School, which was a finalist for the RHS School Gardening of the Year competition in 2017. She experienced first-hand the benefits and valuable lessons it brought to the pupils and their parents/ carers and the vast amount of educational opportunities it provided. She also volunteered as a Teaching Assistant during Art classes and the after-school Art Club, with a focus on children with SEN.
She has implemented and been involved with children's activities at the Folk on the Lawn festival in Tintern for the last 10 years, as well as being in charge of the merchandising stall and helping with greeting and promoting the artists taking part in the festival.
She has always wanted to get involved with the Rewild Project, after hearing about it when she moved to the Forest. After attending a wool spinning class, she started volunteering in the New Leaf Project whilst taking part in the activities. She helped on a few occasions with the Home Education sessions, becoming part of the Summer Activities team and is hoping to get involved with the School gardening clubs project. It was at Rewild that she discovered how much she enjoyed wool spinning and green wood carving, and is hoping to learn even more about permaculture,foraging, preserving, weaving, textiles…
With a strong interest in Polish and Slavic music, traditions, herblore and folklore as well as Paganism, Buddhism, alternative medicine and therapies, and meditation, she is about to start a course in Herbalism and hopes to do a Level 3 in Forest School next year and get back into Photography.
She is also a freelance Travel Guide Writer for her brother’s French alternative travel website, vanupied.com [1] and a freelance translator and interpreter (Polish, French, English), specialising in Healthcare, Housing and Social Services.
Her ambition is to build her own eco-house using traditional and recycled materials in respect of the environment and have the opportunity to open and run her own Forest school to teach about sustainability, ecology, biodiversity as well as help children hone their personal, social and technical skills.
Having moved from one place to another (like her diaspora of a family did for generations) to provide her daughter with the best opportunities available whilst keeping her connected to her multinational roots and embracing her multi ethnic influences, drawing from these diverse experiences and traditions, combined with a strong interest and passion for children and education, she hopes to show her daughter that, no matter what, when there is a will, there is a way and to believe in her dreams. One of them is to learn Cyrillic and finally meet members of her paternal family, who have been living in the middle of a forest in Belarus for generations.