Our people

Lab is an author and autistic advocate and is excited to have a career in this sector to impact the future of young people. They have achieved an A level in Health and Social Care and Level 2 in Counselling. Having their voice heard, being involved in change, and participating in the decision-making process are what really drive their passion. Lab wants to make a genuine impact on mental health and LGBTQ+ services.

Luan is a Disabled, Neurodivergent, LGBTQ+ young person who has been a recipient of various youth services and is excited to use his positive and negative experiences to make improvements by highlighting the importance of accessible youth-led projects.  He became an adviser for the Blagrave Trust to advocate for those currently excluded from vital services by lack of access. Luan strongly believes all young people no matter their race, religion, gender identity, sexuality, or disability should all have equal access to services.

Tyrese wants to use his life experience to help others by becoming a youth worker and influencing others and helping young people in communities. He is currently volunteering with Yellow Brick Road Projects to learn how to mentor other young people and has been enrolled on NYA Youth Work Level 2 programme which is supporting his dream to be a full-time youth worker.

Victoria is currently a student at Richard Taunton Sixth Form College and a volunteer at No Limits as a Youth Ambassador. She became an adviser for the Blagrave Trust to be part of the positive change within her community. She believes in providing better support for young people by making youth services as accessible as possible so that those who need them can get the help they need with ease and with as little stigma as possible. She is also excited to have the opportunity for her voice to be heard.

Montaser is currently at university and recently started his first job in the UK. He loves playing football, he can speak 3 languages and currently has a part-time job at Harbour Project where he works with young asylum seekers and refugees. He is passionate about supporting young people who have been through the asylum process and supporting newly arrived young people. He has been recognised by Wiltshire Council and was given a Star Award.

Harrison works for the music charity Readipop with at-risk youth in and around Reading, where he has lived all his life. Harrison understands where the young people are coming from and wants to help give them many opportunities and avenues that were not available to him.

Osama is a Syrian refugee who arrived in the UK in 2018 and lives in Kent and works as a youth Ambassador for Kent Refugee Action Network. He is doing Computer Science at Christ Church University. Watching movies, doing sports, and swimming is what he enjoys the most. Osama applied for this role as he wants to make an influential change in our community and help in giving opportunities for the young change makers to draw their future and spread their passion.

Katie is the Founder of Avocados Advocacy, a legal advocacy service and independent community for anyone with care experience. She became a young advisor for the Blagrave Trust as they were the first organisation that ever funded Avocados Advocacy - giving her organisation a chance to start up and grow. Katie wanted to be a part of giving this opportunity to other young people with new, innovative ideas. She feels very privileged to be a part of such a special team.

Jordan is a Business Analyst from London. He founded Crossroads In 2020, a campaign focused on educating people and helping them reach out to their politicians and demand change. His interest in working with the Challenge and Change fund stems from his passion for empowering people to enact radical change in their communities. He is keen to align himself with programmes that will lead to a long-term positive shift in the conditions for young people.

Tom currently studies Natural Sciences at Durham University whilst also working with the UK Youth Climate Coalition where he campaigns for climate justice and works to make our leaders more accountable to young people. He has previously worked on multiple campaigns to empower and inspire his generation and is passionate about creating meaningful societal changes which are necessary in order for young people to thrive. This is what has led Tom to The Listening Fund which he believes is the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Sophie is a history student and disability activist from Norwich, who will be heading to university in York. She is passionate about raising awareness for disabilities and chronic illnesses, particularly her own, Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder, and writes a blog on the subject. Sophie applied for The Listening Fund Advisory Panel as she wanted to develop skills she had learned during her time as a member of her local Youth Advisory Board. Outside of this, she reads a lot of books and volunteers for charities.

Samuel is a student at King’s College London. He manages a small production collective led and for young people called ‘Creation Foundation’. He is also working on an anthology of stories of young people who have had challenges accessing higher education due to the UK’s exploitative immigration policies. The anthology will be prefaced with policy suggestions. He was attracted to the listening fund because of its desire to try new radical ideas and share its findings with the rest of the sector. He says he shares the same zeal for impact as The Listening Fund.

Nicole is a musician from the North of England and enjoys playing multiple instruments, as well as writing and producing her own music. She also performs fire dancing, plays table tennis and loves to watch ice hockey. Nicole applied for this role as she wants to actively make a difference to local communities and give young people the best opportunities possible in order to prepare them for the future.

Neha recently completed a geography degree and is now working as an environmental data analyst at Thames Water. Her interest in working for The Listening Fund stems from her passion and experience in youth volunteering projects, from environmental conservation projects to creative arts festivals.

Natasha has been working in the youth sector as a fundraiser for the last 3 years and has recently joined the board of Trustees at The British Youth Council. She is passionate about social change and strongly advocates for more to be done to move young people into positions of power and influence. Natasha believes being an advisory panel member at The Listening Fund is the perfect opportunity for her to harness her existing skills and experience, to help philanthropy better respond to the needs of young people.

Liddy is 23 and lives in Newcastle. She is passionate about youth participation and has been involved in national youth voice projects with Girlguiding and the Methodist Church. She has also worked and volunteered with young people in a variety of settings and countries. She is very excited to be working with The Listening Fund and is looking forward to gaining a deeper understanding of charity funding in this role.

Lauren has volunteered with education charities based in Nottingham which support children and young people and has previously worked in various social media roles. She is currently Fundraising & Communications Officer for Birmingham Settlement, a charity helping people facing socioeconomic disadvantage. Lauren is excited to be working with The Listening Fund, their values align with hers as she is passionate about challenging power dynamics that exist within philanthropy and supporting young people’s experience to be heard and valued.

Jaiden Corfield is an award-winning activist, campaigner and change leader from North Manchester. Jaiden has worked with multiple organisations on trying to create more spaces for them to lead alongside young people and this is something that attracted him to The Listening Fund. He was attracted by the Fund's clear commitment to be built by young people for young people and after his work co-designing Rekindle school and co-leading at Ashoka he realises the importance of youth leadership and is excited to be a valued member of the advisory panel.

Antonia is reading Human Social & Political Sciences at the University of Cambridge from October 2021. She believes this would have been impossible without the help of university access organisations such as Leading Routes, IntoUniversity, Zero Gravity, Target Oxbridge, & Project Access. She participated on the Advocacy Academy Social Justice 2019-20 Fellowship. This led to her co-founding ‘Fill In The Blanks’ to mandate the teaching of colonialism on the national curriculum. She is keen to support initiatives that have transformative potential which put the individuals they are trying to serve at the forefront.