Jonathan Hodge

Jonathan has worked in the community and voluntary sector in Northern Ireland for over 15 years starting his career working as a regeneration coordinator in the former mining towns and villages in the South Wales Valleys.

Since then he has worked in a number of roles dealing with issues as diverse as economic development, regeneration, mental health and the arts.

He currently divides his time between working for a community-based addiction charity in Northern Ireland and working closely with loyalist and working-class Protestant communities in the Greater Shankill and East Antrim areas.

His postgraduate research at Ulster University into identity, class and representation had a particular focus on conflict and film in Northern Ireland.

Jonathan’s fellowship focused on identifying approaches that enable loyalist communities to better use political, civic and legal structures to affect change around decisions which impact on them.

His fellowship looked at how other groups and communities have successfully influenced decisions or affected change from a position of marginalisation.