Advisory Board

Rupi Kaur (she/her)

Poet, Author, Artist

When people with ideas get together: magic happens. Together- their ideas begin to grow. They develop roots. And limbs. Thoughts and minds of their own. That’s why gatherings like this are so important. In spaces like this, you get to test the waters with what you’ve been working on. You get the opportunity to leave the world behind and selfishly focus on the ideas that have been floating around in your heart. And be inspired by the magic floating around in the hearts of others. The result is productive and satisfying. A beautiful collaborative birthing.

Riz Ahmed (he/his)

Actor & Activist

We are all many things. We all wear different labels throughout our day and our lives in order to navigate a world too often separated by barriers of convention, tribe, conformity, fear, and commerce. As a Londoner and someone who works across various creative fields I know that the most unexpected and inspirational things happen when these false borders fall away, when juxtapositions are allowed to grow into hybrid forms. This spirit of multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural collaboration, learning and creation is the spirit that guides our retreat as we challenge one another to confront the barriers we face to both collective and individual growth. 

Fahamu Pecou (he/his)

Artist

The creative spirit is not one of isolation, but community, collaboration, and cooperation. Jericho is not only the fertile ground, but the sacred space where ideas germinate, blossom, and bear the fruit that nourishes our collective spirit.

Shiva Balaghi, Ph.D. (she/her)

Historian & Art Curator

Creativity is the catalyst that brings forth epiphanies. Sitting in a darkened theater watching a play, passing through a museum filled with beautiful paintings, following the silent rhythm of a poem: those are the moments that free my mind. And it’s through that creative imagination that I arrive at an epiphany – a purity of vision, a profound understanding, and a sense of seeing things not just as they are but as they could be. My engagement with artists drives my scholarly work, but it has also become my way of being in this world.   

Jacob Collier (he/his)

Musician

A space for ideas to co-exist without pressure for them to exist at all is a rare thing indeed. Jericho is the soil from which this magical formlessness can create form on its own terms, giving sanctuary to ideas as they interact and combine, without pressure, with the weight of the world behind it - the world as we all imagine it to be possible.

Arvind Gupta (he/his)

Innovator

Innovation, specifically, in the field of Biotech, is a means for change at a massive scale for human and planetary health. It is my mission to help the world uncover it's power, and share the message that we have the solutions to impact climate, economic growth, clean air, water, food supply, disease and more with scientific discovery, and a deeper understanding of the code of life. We have only scratched the surface in our efforts here. It is an honor to be involved in the Jericho Fellowship along with a community that is committed to expressing the best gifts humanity has to offer. 

Tania Boler (she/her)

Innovator

As a women’s health expert, I’ve seen firsthand the ‘otherness’ of womanhood. What happens when people aren’t heard, respected, and more specifically, aren’t given the tools to address their physical and emotional wellbeing. Femtech is a vehicle for empowerment — breaking down the mores and taboos surrounding women’s health while addressing intimate issues across every life stage. And we’re only just realising what’s possible.

I’m honoured to be a part of the Jericho Fellowship, surrounded by others dedicated to fueling progressive change. Together, this collective unites in cognitive diversity to demand a hopeful, better future for all.

Marai Larasi (she/her)

Activist & Educator

This is a rare privilege, and a gift. Our work as activists can feel like it exists in echo chambers or it takes you into spaces that are adversarial, hostile and lacking ‘common ground’. I am drawn in by the potential magic of just building ‘community’...across difference. There is a preciousness that happens when we come together to think, breathe and share.  Ancient knowledge can be excavated and [re]called, new ideas can emerge, new connections can be forged...and brave futures can be reimagined and created. Beautiful...let’s do this!

Dr. Rebecca Hammersley (she/her)

Doctor

As a psychiatrist, I hear about very different perspectives and interpretations of life’s experiences. Trying to help people make sense of these is, in a sense, a search for therapeutic epiphany. This fellowship is a vehicle to help promote thought and understanding amongst a diverse group of people.

Kour Pour (he/his)

Artist

At last year’s Jericho, I jumped into an inflatable pool of ice and stayed there for 2 minutes. I stretched out my jetlag in a blindfolded yoga session and awakened from an outdoor meditation to the sound of live violin and cello. I took copious notes in lectures on topics including ancestral roots, spirals, lab-grown meat and the science of maybe-ness. I hugged some trees and I hugged some people. 

Lee Rose (they/them)

Maker.. by any medium necessary

How does the walking dead dear dream? I'm a product of my ancestors creativity, innovation, passion and spirit. Activism must be our nature as we are born on battlefields. Survival is a path carved out in bloodlines, etched in stones, rooted in texture and yet blooming in colour. Creating spaces such as the one Jericho facilitates is to continue to build communities creating out of the rocks builders of our societies continue to refuse. Let's reclaim our rightful place on this land, thriving rather than surviving in these echo chambers. May the quilt making continue. Bless.