Emily Halban, Co-founder of A Space Between, an Art-in-Health not-for-profit, LGB 2001
Emily Halban
La Grande Boissière, 2001
Co-founder A Space Between, an Art-in-Health not-for-profit
England
Learn more about me :
- Website
- Instagram: @aspacebetween.co.uk
I live in Cambridge with my three children (ages 11, 9 and 8 - two girls and a boy) and two dogs (a black labrador and a fuzzy dachshund). Alongside my co-founder - and Ecolint alumna - Tianna Moquette, I (we) run every aspect of our not-for-profit ‘A Space Between’ full time. This involves copywriting, concept development, fundraising, programme design, programme delivery, Hospital and Community Centre liaising, growth of reach, social media, impact reporting…
I also am a full-time work-from-home mama to Eloise, Aline and Zebbie; I love to long-distance run in my spare time and dream of writing another book one day.
It is difficult to pin one favourite memory of Ecolint, having attended the school from Kindergarten all the way through to 13th grade! Just digging down to pull one out is making me feel very nostalgic. Sitting with friends in the warmth of the Greek theatre on a sunny Kermesse day, maybe?
I think all of us lucky enough to have spent any time at Ecolint will have been moved in ways that last a lifetime. Ecolint instils in you an urge to leave this world just a little bit brighter, in whichever small way you possibly can; it pushes you to consider perspectives far beyond the bounds of conventional education and tells you that you are part of something far greater than yourself. My time at school left me looking to reach out, offer a hand, put myself in others' shoes and imagine solutions to any given problem when all signs may point to there being none. This impact without question informed the work I do today and I can only hope it shows through in my day-to-day as a friend, a daughter, a sister, a wife and, perhaps more than anything, as a mother.
If I could do it all over again, I think I would want to rewind my three final years and readjust the pressure I put on myself. I would want to make sure I didn't cut myself off from my friends as a result of that pressure. There is a gentle way of feeding the drive by giving it your very best, without losing yourself in the process. I wish I had had more tools to guide me along that fine line back in the day.
My words of wisdom for Ecolint students: make the most of all the extraordinary opportunities Ecolint offers. Soak in the kindness, compassion and deep mutual respect that permeates the school walls. Be creative; be adventurous; dare to make mistakes. Cultivate friendships; ask questions; carve out time for self-care; be fully present and mark memories to last a lifetime.