The Conflict, Security and Development Group

David holds a BA (Hons) from University of Reading in Film and Theatre and an MA in Human Rights from University of Sussex where he took courses in Refugees and Rights and Rights and Development at the Institute of Development Studies. He joined CSDG in 2007 to work on Youth Exclusion and Vulnerability in sub-Saharan West Africa.  

Following several years as a newspaper reporter in London, David worked for UNHCR in Hong Kong during the Vietnamese 'boat people' crisis and then in London for the British Council for Refugees during the early years of the Pinochet regime in Chile. In following years he moved into campaign copywriting, directing theatre and national provision for youth arts and media where he specialised in work with and for young people at risk. He was the founder editor of REACT, the journal of young people, performing arts and media and central to the development of NAYT, the National Association of Youth Theatres.  

As a freelancer he worked in Youth arts, professional theatre, film and TV across the UK as well as in the USA, Russia and Greece. He worked with the Arts Council of England to set up apprenticeships in the arts for young people in London. During the 90’s he gained support from the European Social Fund for a London-based vocational media training project for people with disabilities, before becoming director of the Cockpit Theatre in London where he developed a tradition of work with refugee artists from Eastern Europe and the Middle East.  

His chief interest is the relationship of culture - small and big C’s – to social change. 

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it