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Region: Liverpool

Sector: Football/Community

Liverpool FC and England national team footballer, Trent Alexander-Arnold is the founder of The After Academy, a project designed to support young footballers who are released by football academies and may feel lost in their journey. With only a small percentage of academy players making it to professional level, many talented individuals find themselves needing guidance on their next steps.

The After Academy provides educational support, mental health resources, and career advice, helping individuals transition into new opportunities. His initiative emphasizes resilience, self-worth, and the importance of education, offering a pathway for young people to pursue fulfilling careers outside of football.

Region: London

Sector: Spoken Word/Satire/Social Media

Adesayo Talabi is a spoken word artist whose work is heavily influenced by her Yoruba and Caribbean culture. She wrote her first poem at four-years-old and has been writing as a way to challenge perceptions as poetry as a one-dimensional artform.

Famously known on social media as Simply Sayo the Kpoet, Adesayo's take on issues are second to none and garners your attention! Adesayo effortlessly weaves satire and social commentary into her storytelling and incorporating her sense of humour while also keeping it hilariously personal - and relatable to her audience - both nationally and internationally.

Region: London

Sector: Broadcasting/Media Production/Education

In 2016, Brent Colthrust founded THE NEW BLXCK: an invite-only, private, underground podcast studio based in East London. His vision was to champion and amplify the voices of Black British creatives who are often under represented in mainstream media - and he is doing that!

THE NEW BLXCK is now a broadcasting and media production company, that is also a hub for creativity, education, and
empowerment that, through the mediums of podcasting, traditional broadcasting, mentorship, has sought to make it easier for future generations to live authentically, whilst being continually recognised and rewarded for its creativity.

Region: Bristol

Sector: Activism/Climate Change

Dominique Palmer is a climate justice activist, speaker, storyteller, writer, model and global speaker. She is also a graduate of Political Science and International Relations. She is part of Climate Live, and a founding member of the Youth Climate Justice Fund. She became an environmentalist after discovering how air pollution was impacting her community and started her journey in climate action.

Palmer is a winner of the prestigious Planetary Health Award, and in 2023, was honoured as a ‘Young Leader’ at the Green Carpet Fashion Awards. She was also named in Forbes 2020 Top UK Environmentalists List for her work.

Region: London

Sector: Female Empowerment/Mentor/Youth/Reform

Ebinehita Iyere founded Milk and Honey - a creative and expressive safe space for young women to thrive and take ownership of H.E.R (Healing, Empowerment and Resilience) - in 2017. As well as working at Juvenis and MAC-UK, Ebinehita is currently training at IATE as a Child and Adolescent therapeutic wellbeing practitioner.

Ebinehita works with young people who are affected by the youth justice system advocating for their healing and rehabilitation and moving away from crime. In addition, Ebinehita is a partnership reference group member on the London Mayors Violence Reduction Unit.

Region: London

Sector: Mentorship/Youth Financial Literacy/Entrepreneur

Ella Weinberg, or, Ella Ensures, is an award-winning finance expert and entrepreneur who supports clients in their financial journey by safeguarding their success and pathway to achieving generational wealth.

Recognising a niche to be able to communicate financial information through social media and podcast platforms, Ella has developed a successful, award-winning business that caters for the community. Her clients range from celebrities, 9-5'ers, large businesses, starts-ups and entrepreneurs. Ella has also partnered with schools and colleges to deliver financial literacy and she is the chairman of Greenwich universities generator advisory board which supports budding entrepreneurs.

Region: Wolverhampton

Sector: STEM/Entrepreneur

Fungai Ndemera is an award-winning successful multi-entrepreneur, angel investor, business mentor and STEM ambassador. She is also the founder of The Flame Lily Health and CheckUp Health app which allows its users to book remote online consultations and monitor personal health indicators using AI-driven technology. Fungai started the CheckUp Health app after noticing a shortage of doctors, and the impact of Covid-19 on chronic patients especially for those from global majority backgrounds.

Fungai now advocates for representation within the healthcare industry and hopes to help inspire the next generation of tech role models, especially for females from diverse backgrounds.

Region: Manchester

Sector: Fashion/Community

Ibukun Baldwin runs the label, Bukky Baldwin. Flipping the script on the ethics of the fashion and textile industry, the label focuses on the importance of community and providing employment opportunities for marginalised groups. The brand values individuals in need at its core and are committed to using creativity as a tool to bring about positive socio-economic change in the UK.

Ibukun is helping to train the region's homeless and refugees. Based in Manchester, Bukky Baldwin has been recognised for its efforts and was chosen as one of five creatives to win at the Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Entrepreneurs

Region: London

Sector: Literature/Community

Dopereaders is a vibrant community-focused initiative dedicated to uplifting Black communities. Created by Kuuku ‘Que The Wolf’ Quakyi, Dopereaders raises the awareness of book lovers from all walks of life who want to celebrate Black culture and narratives through the power of literature.

One of their signature events is the Black Book exchange which aims to support Black authors in a shared communal space. The aim being to celebrate our stories and nurture a love for reading, which they hope will inspire future generations to dream, learn and lead. Dopereaders have set up free community bookcases at their local train station and hospital so residents and patients can broaden their horizons.

Region: London

Sector: Social Issues Activist

Kwajo Tweneboa is a highly respected social media housing activist. After watching his father die from cancer while living in unfit housing, Kwajo has become a vocal champion for improving the conditions of the UK’s poorest tenants.

Kwajo fearlessly uses his platform to challenge some of the country’s biggest housing providers and advocates for the housing needs of the poorest British residents and citizens - who are victims of the housing crisis - at local and national government level. In July, his first book, Our Country in Crisis: Britain’s Housing Emergency and How We Rebuild was published.

Region: London

Sector: LGBTQIA+/UK Black Pride

Phyll Opoku-Gyimah is the nucleus of the award-winning celebration and protest that is UK Black Pride.

Widely known as Lady Phyll – partly due to her decision to reject an MBE in the New Year’s Honours' list to protest Britain’s role in formulating anti-LGBTQIA+ penal codes across its empire –she was also the executive director of Kaleidoscope Trust, an organisation working to uphold the human rights of LGBTQIA+ people around the world; a community builder and organiser; an Albert Kennedy Trust patron, and a public speaker focusing on race, gender, sexuality and class.

Region: Bristol

Sector: Environment/Activism/Youth

Manu Maunganidze is the project director for Nature Youth Connections and Education CIC (NYCE). With a keen sense of social justice, Manu has worked as an educator, community organiser, environmental campaigner, adviser to environmental organisations and artist for over a decade.

Manu’s focus is on matching the nature-based and human skills and resources of the adult world with the energy and unbounded potential of urban youth. NYCE have a firm belief to empower young people to have a deeper connection to nature equipping them with skills to improve their current and future lives.

Region: London

Sector: Financial Education

Timi Merriman-Johnson aka Mr Money Jar is a qualified financial advisor, award-winning content creator and founder of Mr Money Jar, a UK-based financial education company. He offers practical financial education through digital content, events and one-to-one coaching. In addition to this, Timi provides insightful political commentary on matters affecting British society at large.

Timi’s Mr Money Jar covers topics such as personal finance, investing, getting on the property ladder in a concise way and regularly educates his followers on these important subjects.

Region: London

Sector: Financial Education

Nathaniel Mortley gave up a life of crime to become a chef. As a teen he spent some time in prison. While inside, Nathaniel developed a passion for food where he got his start working with prison cooking charity, Clink.

Upon serving his time, he continued his culinary passion and worked his way through the ranks, working at Westminster University, the Shard and having management positions at luxury Michelin-starred kitchens. Now, Nathaniel has got a permanent residency at the Greyhound Pub, Peckham – and has plans to create a charity to employ ex-convicts - and help them turn their life around.

Region: Liverpool

Sector: Youth Work/Football

Since he was 19, Richard Braithwaite aka Mr Silky Skills’ passion for youth work has been recognised as being unique and welcoming to all walks of life. Having worked at a youth club, Richard stepped out of his comfort zone and took up the challenge to create his own community events such as the Ramadan football event – which was launched by football legend John Barnes.

Under his Mr Silky Skills brand, Richard has helped young people work with brands such as Nike, Adidas and Puma - and continues to inspire youth to recognise and achieve the greatness that’s within them.

Region: London

Sector: Music/Representation/LGBTQIA+

Mwice Kavindele is the creative force and artist behind Sadie Sinner The Songbird. Founder and curator of The Cocoa Butter Club, a platform that allows people of colour to explore their sexuality and sensuality. Sadie legacy is creating productions and space "where the melanated are celebrated". She is committed to empowering and nurturing the talents of Black people – and specifically Queer Black People.

Sadie also facilitates workshops and university lectures about reclaiming and redistributing the narrative of racially, gender and sexuality othered bodies. The Cocoa Butter Club has grown tremendously and will be opening another branch in Sydney, Australia.

Region: London

Sector: Black British History/Arts/Education

Sofia Akel is an award-winning historian, producer, and lecturer of Black British history, recognised by British Vogue as a Force for Change, Adidas x GUAP's 30 under 30, and The Evening Standard's 'Changemakers to Know' and more. Her work has been spotlighted in the international press, including Channel 4, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ and Al-Jazeera.

Akel’s career places Black communities as protagonists of our own narratives, bridging academia and creative industries. In 2021, she founded and lectured on her university’s first Black Studies module, 'Creativity, Resistance and Joy in the Capital', which fused arts, music, and literature to explore Black British history.

Region: London

Sector: Broadcast Media

Tobi Kyeremateng is a BAFTA Award-winning film and television producer, and has produced work for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, British Vogue, Netflix and more. In 2018, she created the 'Black Ticket Project', an initiative set up to address the lack of accessibility to cultural spaces for working class Black people.

In 2020, she was nominated by Clara Amfo as a Next Gen Trailblazer in the Evening Standard, and in 2022 was included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Europe list for Arts and Culture. In 2023, she received the Netflix New Talent Award at the Women In Film & TV Awards and was announced as a TV Collective Breakthrough Leader in 2024.

Region: London

Sector: Youth/Culture/Marketing

Tumisha Balogun operates at the dynamic crossroads of music, culture, and marketing. With over seven years’ experience, Tumisha co-founded Tag Agency UK - a full-service creative agency dedicated to bridging brands with youth culture - with Alvin Owusu. Tag's mission is to create worlds and compelling narratives that drive business outcomes while actively investing in culture and communities.

Starting as a community group, Tag has achieved remarkable success in empowering young people in East and South London. In three months, they delivered impactful workshops and seminars to more than 2000 young individuals and partnered with Google and Facebook on their annual development programme.

Region: London

Sector: Writer/Publisher/Advocate

Winsome Duncan is a neurodiverse woman with a vision of getting her wider community to write books and tell their legacy stories. She’s the CEO of publishing house, Peaches Publications and a not-for-profit social enterprise the Look Like Me Book Challenge C.I.C. that raises the voices of the Black community which includes children aged 7-18 years old.

As a creative, educator, writer and publisher she has more than 15 years of experience in the industry. As an author, Winsome has written 26 books, which includes her recent number one superhero Caribbean smash hit community book 'The Popcorn House'. Winsome works persistently with budding authors and entrepreneurs to help them realise their book-writing dreams.