{"id":4852,"date":"2020-05-11T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T07:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/?p=4852"},"modified":"2020-05-03T18:49:40","modified_gmt":"2020-05-03T17:49:40","slug":"staff-showcase-josh-cass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/faithbeliefforum.org\/staff-showcase-josh-cass\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Showcase – Josh Cass"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every Monday we’ll highlight the wonderful staff we have here at F&BF. This week we meet Josh Cass, Our Fundraising Manager<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Your name and job title:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
\nJosh Cass, Fundraising Manager<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What made you initially interested in interfaith work?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
\nFor the past 12 years give or take I have been working for\u00a0<\/span>organisations<\/span>\u00a0exploring questions of identity, conflict and belonging in\u00a0<\/span>one way<\/span>\u00a0shape or form. Over the years though I have been drawn towards questions of religion.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why do you feel it\u2019s still required in our world? What motivates you?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
\nI believe that interfaith done well has the potential to be\u00a0<\/span>really radical<\/span>. It has the potential to challenge and explore questions relating to power (and powerlessness) and privilege in incredibly profound ways. It has the potential to enable the most unlikely relationships to emerge and consequently the most potential for change. Furthermore, it is uniquely well placed to challenge simplistic us and them narratives which dominate the popular imagination.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How did you first hear about F&BF?\u00a0<\/strong>
\nHaving worked on these questions for a relatively long time, I have known of F&BF for most of that period. However, I first worked with them when I worked for an organization called the Encompass Trust<\/a>; I led a project which brought together a diverse group of young people (Brits, Americans, Indonesians, Palestinians and Israelis) and we took a tour of the British Museum put together with and by people at the 3 Faiths Forum (as F&BF was then). Ever since then (that was about 12 years ago) I have been in touch with the team.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

How would you explain what you do to someone completely unfamiliar with our work, and what is your\u00a0favourite\u00a0aspect of your job?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
\nWe are an interfaith education charity. We work with young people\u00a0<\/span>in particular to<\/span>\u00a0develop the skills and confidences to talk about their own faith or belief identity so as to more effectively navigate our increasingly complex and fragmented communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/span>favourite<\/span>\u00a0aspect of my role is getting out and talking to people about the work and working collaboratively with partners to apply interfaith methods to new contexts and questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is the most common misconception about your job? And what is the truth?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
\nAs a fundraiser, I think the most common misconception about my job is that I don\u2019t\u00a0<\/span>have an understanding of<\/span>, or connection to the delivery of the work (our work in particular, and interfaith more broadly). However, I really like working with colleagues on questions of project design, thinking through the challenges and opportunities, and working together to develop new methods and approaches as appropriate.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What didn\u2019t you\u00a0realise\u00a0about interfaith until working at F&BF?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
\nThat interfaith existed! I grew up in the Jewish communities of North London and if I am honest it was (is) very easy to stay within that community\u00a0<\/span>ones<\/span>\u00a0whole life. F&BF is so important because it is a bridge for people to step out of their communities in a safe way which\u00a0<\/span>honours<\/span>\u00a0and celebrates their faith identity.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What are you most proud of during your time here at F&BF?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
\nManaging some amazingly talented colleagues; working with colleagues to push the\u00a0<\/span>organisation<\/span>\u00a0into some new spaces (specifically Barking and Dagenham<\/a>); helping to think about how our work connects to Human Rights work via the Freedom of Religion or Belief agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What floats your boat outside of work?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>
\nCooking; going to the theatre (alas, not so much\u00a0<\/span>at the moment<\/span>); swimming (again, alas, not so much at the moment!)<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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