Hello, my name is Ben Bartosik.

I have a hard time describing myself—never been very good at reducing who I am to a single line. Someone else once wrote my bio as empathy with a dash of anarchy. I think that works.

I work in the not-for-profit world, primarily focused on brand, communication, and storytelling. I also lead teams and manage other people in this space. My life interest is in helping people take action towards making meaningful change.

In a former life I worked in the church. You could probably say I was formed by it—so much so that I did a masters in theology and church leadership. In 2016, after just over a decade working in it, I left the institutional church (I was very burned out and disillusioned by it), and I haven't gone back. But my roots remain. I still think (and write) about the church quite a bit.

Why a website?

This site is my little space on the internet that isn't controlled by billionaires, algorithms, or AI. I promise I'm not trying to sell you anything or recruit you to my new MLM scam.

It's just a quiet place where I can think out loud and make connections between the things that interest me and the problems that I dwell on, all with the aim of trying to move the needle forward on making this world just a little bit better.

CV

2023 – Now | Brand & creative manager at a national charity.

2019 – 2023 | People & opps director at a remote brand studio.

2016 – 2019 | Comms director for a Toronto charity.

2005 – 2016 | Youth programming at a York Region Church.

+ BA in history, an MDiv in contextual theology/urban church leadership, and a formal mentorship by a legendary former executive director of one of Toronto's oldest and most well known care services for those experiencing poverty.

Favourite Things

Folk music and folk tales and pop culture deep dives and vegetarian meals and Godzilla and woodworking (or trying to at least) and social history and technology criticism and walking anywhere and strange books on niche topics and horror movies and board games and Belgian beers and mushrooms and Prince.

Statement of Faith

I grew up evangelical but I no longer identify with that term.

Dorothy Day once described her life as one having been "haunted by God" and I think that's a pretty good summary of my own faith.

My Patron Saints

Quietly inspired by the lives of Dorothy Day, Bernadette Devlin, and Sinead O'Connor.