THE ADVOCATES
MORE THAN JUST DREAMERS
THE ELEVATOR PITCH
WHAT WE DO
What? The Advocacy Academy is a transformational Social Justice Youth Organising Movement for young people from South London who are passionate about creating a more fair, just and equal society. It’s the only one of its kind in the UK, but follows in the footsteps of a long line of youth movements who have changed the world.
Why? For generations young people have been leading the struggle against injustice and inequality. Our voices are needed now more than ever. It’s no secret that mainstream politics doesn’t represent or reflect us, so it’s up to us to change things for ourselves.
We will not be inheriting this mess. We will be fixing it.
How? The Advocacy Academy is home to the most radical, creative, and powerful youth-led campaigning in the country. Our calendar of programmes range in length from a few days to six months, and cover topics from intersectional feminism (The Sisterhood Academy) to racial equality (The Freedom Fellowship), and almost every issue in between. No matter what social justice programme you’re on, you’ll be trained to make real and lasting change, like the Advocates who came before you - they’ve convinced Lambeth Council to divest from fossil-fuels, secured genuinely affordable homes for local families, sparked a national debate on black representation in the media, convinced KCL to become the first University in the country to collect data on their Latin American students, worked with dozens of schools to adopt the Halo Code, and won a BAFTA for a film on colourism - all before finishing school.
Everyone who applies to join The Advocacy Academy is automatically considered for a place on our Flagship Social Justice Leadership Fellowship. This prestigious six-month course consists of over 400 hours of interactive workshops, speakers, debates and real-life scenarios, where Advocates develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to campaign for change for the rest of their lives. The Fellowship includes three residential retreats, weekly evening gatherings, and intensive campaign coaching.
No matter what programme you’re on, you will work with the UK’s top change-makers to lead grassroots campaigns in your community, deliver speeches in Parliament, take to the streets in direct action, and influence the biggest conversations of the 21st century - like immigration reform, gender equity, mental health, institutional racism, educational equality and affordable housing - and we fight to win.
We must be the dreamers and the doers that build a better world.
Who? You can apply to join The Advocacy Academy if:
We're looking for passion. Advocacy Academy membership is selective, but we’re not interested in the “usual candidates”. You don’t need to have good grades or leadership experience to become an Advocate, and we prioritise applications from working class people, people of colour, women, LGBTQ folk, disabled people, young parents, refugees and migrants, survivors, young carers and those not in education, employment or training. We ensure all our events are accessible to everyone.
Where? Our programme is delivered out of our Brixton Campus and in community spaces across London. We’re proud of where we come from, and so are our Advocates.
When? The opportunity to join the Movement only comes around once a year. All applicants complete our online form and submit 200 words, or a three minute video, telling us what makes them angry. This is followed by an informal afternoon of activities and conversations with our Alumni. Applications are currently open for our Class of 2022 and close at midnight on Sunday 7th February 2020. Click here to apply.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
THE ADVOCATES' CHARTER
I. A better world is possible. There is nothing inevitable about injustice and inequality.
II. It is our right and our responsibility to build that world.
III. We strive to continually improve ourselves, our communities, and our society.
IV. The lives of ordinary people matter.
V. We are one family. We love and support one another and stand in solidarity with each other.
VI. It is our right to define ourselves, and have our identities celebrated.
VII. We actively work to uncover, acknowledge, and overcome our biases.
VIII. We value experience, and do not do for others what they can do for themselves. Nothing about us without us!
IX. We prize conviction, and support each other to live our values in our everyday lives.
X. We value critical thinking and challenge. We approach discomfort, disagreement and difficult conversations with an open and curious mind.
XI. We practice the powerful combination of education and action.
XII. We work to create inclusive and supportive spaces where we can each be our best selves.
88% of young people feel that their voices are completely unheard in society.
- “Stand Up and Be Counted” Sky News Survation Poll, 2014
60% of young people don't understand how decisions are made about local or national issues.
- The Youth Citizenship Commission, 2009
Young people from poorer families are 30% less likely to participate in our democracy than their more affluent peers.
- "Young People's Participation in Social Action" Ipsos Mori, 2014
WHY WE DO IT
For Advocates
KNOWING | DOING | BEING | BECOMING
We see the dangerous impact that feeling disaffected can have on the confidence and aspirations of young people. Feeling unrepresented and powerless can lead them down a path of apathy and alienation.
Advocating for social change instills in a young person a sense of self-worth, giving them the power to change their own lives through improving the lives of others. They take the future of the world into their own hands and are no longer voiceless.
Knowledge & Insight: We broaden young people's knowledge of the world and the role they want to play in it, helping to extend their learning beyond the classroom. Our team of experts address real-world issues and the tactics that successfully effect change.
Skills: We know that many students leave education unprepared to lead in the real world. Academic qualifications do not always teach the skills they need to succeed. That’s why we focus on developing
three skills every leader and employer needs: Collaboration, communication & critical thinking.
Character: To make a difference, young people need healthy attitudes towards themselves and the world. They need to believe that change is possible and that they are capable of creating it. That’s why every element of our programme focuses on developing 6 key strengths: confidence, leadership, compassion, Grit, self-awarenes & hope.
Networks & Access: We know that young people from disadvantaged communities lack access to people with power and influence. We introduce them to powerful campaigners, grassroots organisers, politicians and Chief Executives (we could go on...) who expand their networks, deliberately choosing young role models to demonstrate that power isn’t always connected to age. And our participants join a small cohort who experience the year together, becoming a close-knit network of their own.
Action: In developing all of the above, our Advocates will embark on a path of life-long democratic participation. They take part in campaigns, vote in elections, advocate on behalf of causes, dream big for themselves and their communities, self-educate, and generally "become the change" they want to see.
For Schools
For Society
For the Community: We are developing a new generation of community leaders who work together to make their local areas better places to grow up and live. We believe that we must increase active citizenship and strengthen local networks in order to assure the future vibrancy of British democracy. Our Advocates generate a ripple effect, impacting their families, friends, schools and wider communities.
For Society: Civil society is dominated by the privileged few. Valuable voices are missing from the debate, leading to policies and provisions that fail to reflect the diverse experiences and interests of all our communities. Good policy needs everyone's input.
Our Advocates are these voices.
THE JOURNEY
A Tale of Three Camps & Weekly Evening Gatherings
~ All content is co-created with our Advocates & Alumni ~
Issues & Identity [Aug]
(The School of Social Justice)
Twelve days to introduce our four pillars: lobbying, campaigning, grassroots organising & direct action. Half our time is spent exploring "basic rights" like housing, homelessness & mental health. The other half looks at issues of identity - race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, class & disability rights. On the final day, our Fellows launches their own campaigns in Parliament!
Leadership & Movement Building [Oct]
Five days of intensive leadership development and mass movement theory, preparing the Advocates to design and deliver their own social justice workshops as pro-trainers.
Strategy & Tactics [Dec]
Four days of clever campaign planning and creative activism. Equal part theory and practice, Fellows learn what it takes to win change, and experience "action" as a community - from "establishment" methods like lobbying and e-campagining to the more "radical" fly-postering, stunts and street performances!
Weekly Evening Gatherings
Our Friday Evening Gatherings - entitled "Just..." - take a deep look into key themes that intersect with justice: JustCommunity, JustPolitics, JustSex, JustFaith, JustClimate, JustNews, JustArts, and many more. From exploring Brixton with Linton Kwesi Johnson to developing our cultural horizons with new writing at The Bunker theatre, these evenings cover key themes important to our Advocates that don't fit in our four residential camps.
THE LATEST
We put all our biggest news on social. Check out the latest on Insta & Twitter.
10 WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
Want to Help? We salute you!
1. We're always on the look-out for donors who are awesome enough to support The Academy financially.
2. Are you a policy wonk, campaigner, public affairs guru, Parliamentary Researcher, civil servant, or working in the social change world? We’d love to have you share your expertise by leading a workshop for our Fellows!
3. Are you the world's best teacher, youth worker or educator? Can you spare some time to help us make our sessions as interactive and engaging as possible?
4. Are you a social impact guru? Do you know the ins-and-outs of monitoring and evaluation? Would you help us develop an impact measurement system that kicks-ass?
5. Do you have any besties who work in restaurants, venues or businesses in South London who might give us a cheeky discount for our residentials?
6. Are you a comms genius? Do you develop websites? Do social media? How about write copy (better than this!)? Would you give up a few hours a week to help us craft our message?
7. Are you in touch with (or are you yourself) any slam poets, rappers or other cool creatives who might consider inspiring our participants through the arts?
8. Do you know about the £? Are you a savvy fundraiser, a grant writing guru or just another social entrepreneur who's been through it? We would love your wisdom.
9. Do you have a spare pair of hands? We'd love your help running our ambitious events - there's always much to do.
10. Have something to offer that we don’t realise we need? GREAT! Please tell us so.
PHILANTHROPY MANAGER
We’re seeking someone ambitious and disciplined, with a track record of building partnerships with new and existing donors. You will have a passion for social justice - driven to inspire people to see how their support can help build a more just society - and have experience finding new ways of sharing and telling the stories that need to be heard.
Please read the role description below, and send applications to Saba@TheAdvocacyAcademy.com by midnight on Sunday 17th January 2021.
counselling/psychotherapy placement
We are seeking honorary counsellors/therapists who share our social justice values to offer short-term (16 sessions) one-to-one psychotherapy to a selection of Advocates from early 2021. This is great experience for those qualified or in training who want to increase their client hours with some of the most inspirational young people in South London.
Please read our role description below and send a completed application form to Liz@TheAdvocacyAcademy.com by 8th January 2021.
SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT
Your donations allow us to create this incredible community of social justice leaders.
education not exclusion + no lost causes
siana bangura
no fly on the wall/sassy apparel
"I can't say enough how amazed and impressed I am by the young people I met at The Advocacy Academy! I facilitated the final workshop on Intersectionality and I feel like I learn a lot from them! These young people were having advanced, intense conversations about privilege and injustice - the types of conversations I am only seriously having now in my twenties and many people much older than them are still struggling to engage in.
Every single young person in that room was thoughtful, intelligent, and really passionate about making the world a better place. They all come from different backgrounds and different walks of life and each was very aware of their own privilege and how these interact with the things that make them and their friends marginalised in society. I was really inspired by them and filled with hope for the next generation."
charlie craggs
nail transphobia
"I was brought in to inspire the young people at The Advocacy Academy but I was definitely the one leaving inspired. They were all so intelligent, way beyond their years, and spaces like this are the reason why - spaces like this allow and encourage them to think more, do more and be more. I was smiling all day after meeting them because I know the future is in good hands with the next generation. Send my love to them all !"
hannah retallack & camilla stanger
UCL institute of education
"We can honestly say that The Advocacy Academy is one of the most dynamic, innovative, thoughtful and important youth projects we've ever come across. Having just delivered a workshop called 'Playing in the Waves: Moving with Feminist Theory', we were completely overwhelmed and inspired by the energy in the room, as well as by the extraordinary mix of young people all brought together on a Saturday afternoon to learn about gender and privilege and to advocate for social change. As the Advocacy Academy's mission statement points out, 'there is nothing inevitable about inequality and injustice' and it takes projects like this one to empower young people and to support them in changing the world."
andre anderson
freedom & balance academy
Working with the young people at The Advocacy Academy was a refreshing experience. The young people there are super switch-on, sharp, and ready to make a change in their worlds. After a few minutes of being with them I already felt at home. I feel that if there are any young people who will make a change in our culture, it's probably these guys. I'll definitely work with The Advocacy Academy if invited again!
yuan yang
rethinking economics
"Facilitating an economics workshop for the Advocacy Academy was a brilliant experience. It made me more optimistic for the future of our country to see such switched-on students grappling with real and deep issues of privilege and power. I'm sure they will go far, armed with the skills the Academy has brought them."
senior assistant head teacher jon wilson
lilian baylis technology school
“I just wanted to say thank you for taking Alex in and working with him over the past four days on your project. He has had a great time and I can tell already that he is already thinking differently. His speech in parliament yesterday was absolutely fantastic, as were the other students. Well done to you!”
tom ross-williams
the great men initiative
"Co-facilitating a workshop on gender inequality for the Advocacy Academy was thrilling. So rarely do you get to work with a group of young people so engaged, so up for debate and thirsty for knowledge. What's most inspiring about the advocates is that, when exploring a really complex idea such as hegemony, they access it from a deeply personal place. Being in a room with these young people is enough to renew your optimism for a year. You believe in change like never before."
kate hoey
mp for vauxhall
"I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the participants of The Advocacy Academy this summer. Their speeches exceeded my expectations, persuasively raising important issues ranging from foreign aid, to women's rights, to reinstating the EMA. They gave some of the best Parliamentarians a run for their money in tackling many of the biggest problems facing our society today. I was impressed with their depth of knowledge and commitment, and inspired by their personal stories and fearlessness in holding their representatives to account. The Advocacy Academy is both a transformative and much needed programme, and these young men and women are already well on their way to helping change the world. I very much look forward to meeting next year's Advocates."
“Delivering a workshop on disability rights was a huge privilege. I was so impressed with the work of The Advocacy Academy and especially with the young people. I have no doubt the support these savvy young social change makers received will have a positive, long-lasting effect on them and their communities.”
hanna naima mcCloskey
founder & CEO, fearless futures
"What The Advocacy Academy is doing is truly special and so needed. To support young people develop their consciousness in order to effect deep and powerful change - grounded in a strong sense of their power, privilege and social location - is so important. I'm so excited to know these young people are in the world, leading and learning courageously. We can sleep much more easily."
molly ackhurst
hollaback london
"Engaging with the Advocacy Academy’s young adults was an incredible experience. Their courage in sharing stories and experiences of sexual harassment and public invasions of space was so powerful, and not only did they share but they really engaged with the topic both eloquently and thoughtfully. They give me hope for a world where honesty and bravery are omnipresent, and co-exist alongside a true respect for the bodies of women, girls and non-binary people."
mayeni jones
bec news
"I totally enjoyed running a workshop for the Advocacy Academy. The conversations I had with the students, although tense at times, were insightful and thought-provoking. I'm inspired by how hungry for debate they are and I hope to keep working with the organisation again in future."
padraic x. scanlan
the london school of economics
"Talking to the young activists at the Advocacy Academy about the history of slavery, race, and capitalism was a moving and inspiring experience. It was inspiring to meet a group of such smart, motivated and curious young people on fire for change. Identifying and confronting power and privilege takes insight, courage and tenacity, and the people I met at the Advocacy Academy have all three qualities in spades."
marta owczarek
the brixton pound
"It was hugely inspiring to see the Advocates making sense of the links between money and local communities, and really energising to hear their insightful ideas during our workshop. I wish every student had the opportunity to go through a programme like The Advocacy Academy!"
natasha josette
the world transformed
"In party politics we are so used to key messaging and learned rebuttals. Believe me when I say the young people I met at The Advocacy Academy won’t let you get away with that. And why should they? The "Just Politics" night was an evening where we got to share experiences, explore questions from deep thinkers and inquiring minds, where I had to be accountable, and nothing short of authentic was going to cut it. Reckon they can all smell spin from a mile off! If you want to remember why we are in politics; why we are campaigning and fighting for a more equal society, for social justice, against injustice and racism in all forms...I would suggest checking out the Academy. This is political education at its best."
myles stacey
the conservative party
“The Advocacy Academy’s students demonstrate excellence in their analysis and understanding of political ideas. Their willingness to challenge, their communication and their respect for others marks TAA out as a leading place to develop all of us. It is a vibrant centre for debate and development. The students become alumni and invest their time back into the programmes, such is the effectiveness of learning there. The staff are remarkable - their energy and love to accommodate participants is second to none.”
jess thom
tourettes hero
“The work Advocacy Academy is doing to support and nurture young activists is innovative, exciting and essential. I was hugely impressed by the young people and their campaigns and felt very lucky to have an opportunity to talk to them about Disability justice and culture. I’ve been involved with Advocacy Academy for a number of years now and feel that the programme Advocacy Academy offers is unlike any other, it takes the lead from young people providing them with high quality, tailored support in an energetic and inspiring way, I have no doubt that the work Advocacy Academy does is life changing both for the young people and all those touched by their campaigns.”
staff
Amelia Viney
Pronoun: she
Founder & Chief Advocate
Amelia has a background in Youth Movement leadership, and cut her teeth in politics as a Parliamentary Researcher in Westminster and a civil rights lobbyist in Washington, DC. She is hugely passionate about bringing these two worlds together to empower young leaders to improve their own lives and the lives of others.
Saba Shafi
Pronoun: she
Managing Director
Saba has an MBA from Wharton and eight years of management consultancy experience. She kicked-off her career leading healthcare initiatives in refugee camps and diversity and inclusion programmes in graduate schools in the US. Saba is passionate about growing TAA. She would also like to go into space, if anyone has a ticket.
Liz Ward
Pronoun: she
Programmes Director
Liz is an educator, collaborator and activist, who first found her feet in Climate Justice after graduating in Zoology. She spent the start of her career travelling the length and breadth of the country, delivering workshops and speeches in schools, followed by managing a youth project in London, working with survivors of exploitation. She has been known to spit a few bars on the spoken word poetry scene and is still living off the glory of being signed to Everton Football Club U13s team.
Anneka Deva
Pronoun: she
Community Director
Anneka began her career running youth leadership programmes at national charity Envision, and has since gone on to hone storytelling and community-building skills at an award-winning brand agency, a tech startup accelerator, and the University of Birmingham. As a born and bred Brummie, Anneka founded and led TEDxBrum. She also hosted the first Enrol Yourself learning marathon for lifelong learners outside London, and has run an actual half-marathon (but won’t be doing that again anytime soon).
Imane Maghrani
Pronoun: she
Spark Programme Manager
Imane is a social justice educator who loves creating spaces where young people are heard, seen and supported to thrive. Starting her career in academia, she took a winding path through the private and non-profit sectors, picking up a lot of love for programme management, pedagogy and anti-oppression facilitation along the way. Her greatest passion is elevating the voices of young people around the world. She also sings (rather decently) and plays basketball (rather poorly), and her most important love language is fruit.
Tom Ross Williams
Pronoun: they
Alumni & Creative Director
Tom is an actor, theatre-maker and activist. Their passion is bringing together the arts and social justice. They have been a Changemaker with The Advocacy Academy for over five years. In their role as Creative Director they develop partnerships with arts organisation and find innovative ways to integrate arts into the Fellowship as both a tool for pedagogy and for change.
Darcey Williamson
Pronoun: she
Leadership Director
Darcey has over 10 years experience of youth work and social justice education, tackling many different forms of violence young people endure and co-running anti-gentrification projects. With an MA in Applied Anthropology and Youth Work, Darcey aligns her practice with a self-emancipatory, radical youth work paradigm. As Leadership Director, Darcey leads our Younger Changemaker Apprenticeship programme, training and supporting our Alumni community to develop the leadership practice and social justice education methods to become Changemakers.
Ellie Dundas
Pronoun: shx
Changemaker (Activist Youth Worker)
Ellie is a proud Black, queer feminist, activist, writer and cultural-political curator. Shx brings a tonne of hands on experience gained over six years of organising in radical and revolutionary activist spaces in Paris, London and across Europe. Ellie believes in the power of grassroots organising for collective liberation and systemic overhaul and continues hxr work in radical social change at TAA.
Rhianna Kemi
Pronoun: she
Changemaker (Activist Youth Worker)
Rhianna has a background in running incredible events and trainings for young people. She moved to Berlin in 2018 where she hosted a podcast and curated participatory events for diaspora communities. She is now studying an MA in Writing for Performance and Dramaturgy at Goldsmiths. She loves history and storytelling, and co-founded 'A History of Everyone Else' to run teach-ins about the British colonial past. She also records oral history interviews for 'The Nigerwives Project', to preserve the stories of women who migrated to Nigeria.
Laurence Palfreyman
Pronoun: he
Liberation Psychology Advisor
Laurence is a psychologist primarily based in the NHS. He's trained in a variety of models including CBT, psychodynamic, systemic, neuropsychology and body-based approaches to the impact of trauma. He is passionate about radical liberation psychology practices that position mental health problems as human responses to oppression and abuses of power. He believes that resistance and campaigning for social change is an essential part of addressing mental health. Laurence supports The Advocacy Academy through training, consultancy and advising on our in-house psychotherapy service.
Alex Johnston
Pronoun: she
Transformative Justice Advisor
Alex has an MA in Social Justice and Education and a plucky disposition. She is obsessive about transformative justice responses to harm and violence within the UK education system and brings her expertise to the curriculum and delivery of TAA's programmes as a trainer, consultant, and advisor.
artist in residence
Eddie Pile (pronoun: they) painted a botanical mural at our campus, inspired by a favourite alumni saying: 'They tried to bury us, they didn't realise we were seeds' (attributed variously to either a Latinx proverb or a queer Greek poet). Alumni nominated flowers for the mural that held personal or cultural significance.
Eddie also make zines. A zine - pronounced zeen - is a DIY self-published magazine/pamphlet/comic that allows anyone with access to print shops or photocopiers to share their ideas or artwork in a cheap and accessible way. They made a zine inspired by Advocacy Academy alumni campaign group Fill In The Blanks, called 'Five Things I Wish I'd Learnt At School About Empire.' You can read, print or share this zine for free from the file below! Alternatively, you can buy it from Eddie's online shop - if you send a screenshot of a donation to TAA when you order, Eddie will send rad little extra thank you gifts...
Eddie also creates resources for their own life as a non-binary/genderqueer person, please feel free to make use of these gender-neutral toilet signs or They/Them pronoun mini zines. The A4 page version can be folded into a tiny zine, a quick online search of 'fold a4 zine' will give you instructions and demo videos.
Insta | Twitter | Zine Store | Zine Audio
FACULTY
Patron Helen Hayes MP
Trustees
Acting Chair: Shivani Smith | Senior Consultant | Perrett Laver
Shivani brings over 18 years of strategy, marketing, operational, sales, fundraising, management and client facing experience gained in SMEs and charities. In her previous role, Shivani was Business Development Director at nfpSynergy, a company that provides research and consultancy services for charities. Prior to this she was Corporate Partnerships and Innovation Manager for Rathbone, which supports young people who are not in education, employment and training.
Shivani was also an Account Manager at C&E Advisory, a consultancy advising organisations on partnership working and before this she helped to set up The Twist Partnership, a not for profit organisation that delivers leadership development courses for schools, community groups and business leaders through cross sector partnerships.
Alongside The Advocacy Academy, Shivani's voluntary experience includes being a Trustee at StreetKids International and working as a Respite Carer for Volunteering Matters and Coordinator for the UNICEF Somalia Support Centre, Nairobi, Kenya. She was previously Deputy Chair of the board of trustees for Khulisa UK.
Sam Grant | Policy and Campaigns Manager | Liberty
Sam was a founding trustee of The Advocacy Academy. Sam started at Liberty in early 2018 and works on ending immigration detention, protecting the Human Rights Act, mental health and military justice issues. Before joining Liberty, Sam was Campaigns Manager at René Cassin where he engaged and mobilised the British Jewish community on immigration detention, discrimination towards minorities, and modern slavery issues.
Sam was previously a youth worker and community developer for Liberal Judaism, specialising in informal education and game theory. Sam received his Masters in human rights from the London School of Economics, blogs for the website Rights Info and volunteers for the Refugee Cricket Project.
Zoe Tyndall | Change Support Team | Hackney Council
Zoe has recently taken on the challenge of leading OxFizz, an educational social enterprise which has raised over half a million pounds for UK charities, and helped more than 1000 students from all backgrounds to reach their academic potential.
Prior to this, she was an Investment Manage at the Charities Aid Foundation, specialising in social investment. Zoe has experience working in international development in Haiti, where she held the role of Head of Portfolio and Monitoring and Evaluation for Yunus Social Business, managing investments worth $3m. Before moving to Haiti, Zoe spent three years at London-based research and strategy consultancy, BritainThinks, working for a wide range of private, public and third sector clients on consumer insight, stakeholder relations and communications. Zoe holds a BA in Modern History from Oxford University.
Layal Marten | Growth Lead | Founders Pledge
Layal Marten had a commercial background in sponsorship and large events in Australia before moving into the not-for-profit sector in the U.K. as a professional fundraiser in 2013. She is currently the Growth Lead at Founders Pledge, a charity that brings together a community of entrepreneurs committed to finding and funding solutions to the most pressing global challenges. Previously, she was Director of Major Gifts at Movember, before which she was the Director of Individual Philanthropy at Girl Effect and raised money for both arts and educational institutions. Layal is very proud to be connected to the incredible work that the Advocacy Academy does. She also wishes she had hobbies so she could have an interesting final line of her bio!
Thishani Nadesan | COO | Cleo AI
Thish is the COO of Cleo AI, a startup working to radically improving our relationship with money. She is a passionate believer that business and tech can be a force for positive social and economic change, and is proud to be troublemaking with the exceptional people from the Advocacy Academy.
Previously, Thish spent four years as a consultant with Bain & Company, helping financial services, engineering and social-enterprise clients across Europe and the US. She brings the board experience in business strategy and scaling companies – the art of getting stuff done. Thish holds a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford and an MA in International Relations and Economics from Johns Hopkins. She could also probably take you in a dance-off.
Rachel Diamond-Hunter | Executive Director | New Economy Organisers Network (NEON)
Rachel sits at the intersection of campaigns, culture, anti-oppression work and transformational leadership. She’s worked for over a decade in campaigning and politics including at 38 Degrees, at Nelson Mandela’s organisation The Elders, and working for an MP. She’s the co-founder of Jewish movement, Na’amod, is training to be a psychotherapist and is currently the Executive Director: Organisational Development at New Economy Organisers Network (NEON).
Natalie Armitage | Project Manager | The Ubele Initiative
Natalie is a seasoned professional in the world of advocacy with a career history that includes UK Charities, Foundations, British Politics, International Human Rights and specialised postgraduate research at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in South Africa on the concept of racial justice post-conflict. In the UK, Natalie is affiliated with The Gender and Development Network, UK Black Pride, MP Dawn Butler and a collection of activists mobilising to work on getting the true history of the British Empire on the national curriculum via The Runnymede Trust.
Natalie is proud of being brown, queer, and born in south London. Although extremely tired, she is proud to have survived the backlashes of consistently standing up to structural racism and advocating for herself and others, the entire way. Natalie currently holds daily free breathing classes as a trained Yoga teacher to support people’s mental health through the pandemic.
Michelle King | Co-Founder & Partner | Silent Way Partners
Michelle is co-founder and partner at Silent Way Partners, an Investment Management company grounded in a strong social purpose that has a culture of equality and client focus embedded at its core. Having spent over 20 years in Finance, Michelle brings her experience to the setting up and running of Silent Way’s business activities which promotes economic opportunity based on merit, not on race, gender, or class, and they stand up for sexual freedom. Michelle is proud that her company has a board representing 66% women, with 4 of the 5 founding members from minority ethnic groups. She is working to ensure that Silent Way Foundation partners with organisations and charities that aim to promote equality of opportunity for marginalised communities and to run a fund of impact investing of minority women founders. Michelle is passionate about music, a professional listener and amateur player, who also loves food, fitness and family.
Thalia Papanicolaou | Alumni Trustee
Thalia is currently studying International Studies at Leiden University. She co-organises the Climate Justice Collective, working on the issue of intersectional youth representation. She is also currently involved in ‘Influuenzers’, the Alumni response to the COVID-19 crisis, creating content related to the pandemic.
Constantinos Christou | Alumni Trustee
Since graduating the Advocacy Academy's 2015/16 fellowship programme, Costa has co-lead the Academy’s affordable housing work. He is the Organiser for the Housing Collective and has facilitated a number of sessions on the Fellowship programme. Professionally, Costa graduated from the University of Exeter with a degree in Politics and International Relations. He is currently on a research technology graduate scheme at Kantar.
Campaign Coaches (Class of 2021)
CHOKED UP: Lucy Brisbane McKay & Nads Vogel
BODY COUNT: Katie Spark & Molly Ackhurst
HALO CODE: Kimberly McIntosh & Precious McCarthy
NO FILTER: Sham Makhecha & Edi Whitehead
Campaign Coaches (Class of 2020)
ICONIQ: Katie Spark & Molly Ackhurst
FILL IN THE BLANKS: Azmina Dhrodia, Zainab Asunramu & Nadia Vogel
ICFREE: Kelsey Mohamed, Liv Wynter & Kennedy Walker
NO PAPERS PLS: Paulina Tamborrel Signoret & Lucy Delaney
Campaign Coaches (Class of 2019)
RE:ROOTED: Nonhlanhla Makuyana
FUCK YOUR FETISH: Sophie Yates Lu
STRAIGHTJACKET: Molly Ackhurst
LATINXCLUDED: Paulina Tamborrel Signoret
CRAZYTALK: Max Wakefield
NO LOST CAUSES: India Thorogood
Campaign Coaches (Class of 2018)
Ayeisha Thomas-Smith | Kennedy Walker | Babatunde Williams | Katharine Segal | Will McCallum | Danni Paffard | Ellie Mae O'Hagan
Past Changemakers
JJ Akinlade | Zahra Dalila | Josh Pugh | Gabriella Brent | Vanessa Faloye | Rachel Ellis
Advisory Board [Education]
Carole Kenrick | Inventor in Residence | Lab_13
Debbie Danon | Director of Education | The Unreasonables
Lily Eastwood | Director of Learning | Hackney Pirates
Jess Town | Head of Faculty | St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College
Michal Ish-Horowicz | Theatre Maker & Educator
Madeleine Fresko-Brown | Teacher | London Academy
Advisory Board [Advocacy]
Jem Stein | Founder | The Bike Project
Martha Mackenzie | Deputy Head of Government Relations | Save the Children
Olivia O'Sullivan | Innovation and Results Analyst | Department for International Development
Pete Jefferys | Senior Policy Officer | Shelter UK
Rebecca Viney | Diplomat | Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Dan Grabiner | Investor & Business Advisor
Sarah Lewis | Strategy & Communications Specialist
Ali Torabi | Brexit Lead | TUC
Just Some Of Our Activists In Residence
Abi Symons | Writer & Activist
Adam Francies | Educator
Adam Tyler | Videographer
Afrida Nahian | The Orchid Project
Alex Fergusson | Great Men
Alex Holland | Brew
Ama Josephine Budge | Editor & Curator
Amina Gichinga | Activist Musician
Amy Baron | Educator
Andre Anderson | Author & Creative Facilitator
Andy Ryan | Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Andy Kempster | Department of Health
Andy Soar | The Children's Society
Cllr Andy Wilson | Lambeth Council
Angela Awuah | Mental Health; The Arts
Cllr Anna Birley | Lambeth Council
Anni Movsisyan | Artist
Arkam Babar | Let Us Learn
Aurora Arista | IRMO
Ben DuPreez | Detention Action
Ben Jewkes | Drum
Ben Kirk | Henderson Global Investors
Caleb Femi | Poet
Camilla Stanger | Educator
Catherine Miller | Doteveryone
Ciaran Thapar | Hero's Journey & Journalist
Charlotte Fischer | Citizens UK
Charlotte Knowles | NewsPeeks
Charley Fone | The Changing Face Collective
Christopher Moore | The Clink
Chloe Hamilton | The Independent
Dalia Fleming | Keshet UK
Daniel Costen | MWW
Daniel Grabiner | Cloverhawk
Daniel Reisel | NHS Ethics Centre
Danni Paffard | 350.org
Danny Rothberg | Foreign & Commonwealth Office
David Brook | Theatre Maker
David Gilbert | The Changing Face Collective
David Rosenberg | East End Walks
Ed Bracey | Medical Research Council
Ettie Bailey King | School Consent Project
Finley Lawson | Research Fellow in Science and Religion
Francesca Albanese | Crisis
Francesca Zanatta | UEL Lecturer
Fredi Lorie | Women in Prison
Gabriella Brent | Family Drug and Alcohol Court
Gemma Maddock | Voice Coach
Hannah Green | Bank of England
Hanna Retallack | UCL Institute of Education
Henna Shah | Progress
Henri Imoreh | Theatre Director
Hibo Wardere | FGM Survivor & Activist
India Thorogood | Greenpeace
Cllr Jack Hopkins | Lambeth Council
Jacob Hajjar | Voice Coach
Jake Felix Goldhill | Photographer
James Asfa | Citizens UK
James Snook | Cabinet Office
Jamie Kelsey-Fry | Activist
Jason Grant | The Forgiveness Project
Jen Tyler | Theatre Maker
Jess Thom | Touretteshero
Jessica Tobert | Voice Coach
Joel Trill | Voice Coach
Jonathan Smith | Social Value Group
Jordan Bickerton | Brunswick Group
Josh Pugh | Educator
Josh Solnick | Youth Arts Facilitator
Joy Clark | Specialist Midwife
Juliet Whitley | Department for International Development
Kevin Smith | NEON
Kajal Odedra | Change.org
Karis Barnes | Educator
Lateisha Hanson | Artist
Lauren Davidson | The Telegraph
Leethen Bartholomew | National FGM Centre
Cllr Lib Peck | Leader of Lambeth Council
Ligia Teixeira | Crisis UK
Lisa Farron | The Organisation
Lisa Nathan | Impactt Limited
Lucy Curtis | The Changing Face Collective
Luke Waterfield | Save The Children
Luke Forsythe | Videographer
Madeline Crowther | Waging Peace
Madeline Fresko-Brown | Educator
Cllr Malcolm Clark | Lambeth Council
Mairi Hayes | Central School of Speech and Drama
Cllr Mary Atkins | Lambeth Council
Matt Bonner | Graphic Designer & Subvertiser
Matt Cole | Drum
Matt Hindle | Energy Networks Association
Melanie Pope | Scope
Michael Goode | Allied Bakeries
Cllr Mo Seedat | Lambeth Council
Molly Ackhurst | Birkbeck University/Hollaback
Nathan Pierce | Greater London Authority
Nick Arnold | Black Jeans Pictures
Owen Jones | Author & Journalist
Peter Bray | Voice Coach
Peter Brownell | The Organisation
Peter Dawson | Prison Reform Trust
Poppy Terry | Shelter
Rachel Ellis | Soul Focus Yoga
Rachel Griffiths | Theatre Maker
Cllr Rachel Heywood | Lambeth Council
Rachel Pierce | Shelter
Ralph Scott | Demos
Rebecca Falcon | Save the Children
Rebecca Livesey | Barrister
Sam Grant | Liberty
Sara Shahvisi | Fearless Futures
Sarah Wayman | The Children's Society
Sarian Kamara | FGM Survivor & Activist
Scott Leonard | The Champion Agency
Simon Bishop | Special Advisor to Justine Greening
Simon Gentry | MWW
Shadi Brazell | Helen Hayes MP
Shelley Masters | Educator
Cllr Stephen Canning | Essex County Council
Susanna Davies-Crook | Artist & Writer
Teju Adeleye | Journalist & Facilitator
Thomas Dekeyser | Subvertiser
Cllr Tim Briggs | Lambeth Council
Tim Hughes | Berry Palmer & Lyle
Tom Brookes | Team Up
Tom Ross-Williams | Theatre Maker
Tom Silverton | OMD
Tracy Frazuel | Greenpeace
Verna Rhodes | Central School of Speech and Drama
Victoria Showunmi | Education Academic
Will Heaven | Speechwriter to Michael Gove MP
Yas Necati | Activist
Personal Coaches (2016-17)
Katie Booth (Brittney)
Lucy Rimmington (Betty)
Adama Kamara (Ariana)
Alex Manning (Darren)
Amy Price (Celine)
Freya Godfrey (Elizabeth)
Hazel Morgan (Ashleigh)
Gaia Manners-Armstrong (Malika)
Indie Shergill (Samantha)
Joe Cox (Perreira)
Melanie Pope (Thalia)
Rachael Deacon-Smith (Kaitlin)
Rebecca Falcon (Sarah)
Vanessa Lefton (Zhané)
Katie Youens (Azal)
Sarah Pickin (Michelle)
Sophie Parsons (Erica)
Simon Kaye (Sam)
Tabetha Bhatti (Amal)
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