Meet our Involving Young People Collective

I’m Sophia and I'm passionate about championing youth social action and co-producing projects that empower young people to influence change in their communities. As a mental health activist with Lived Experience, I’ve been involved in national youth panels, grassroots campaigns and co-designed policy consultations with local authorities. Outside of EF, I'm also a big fan of community art spaces and love attending workshops and going to gigs/the theatre.

What draws you to funding and what is your inspiration behind joining this work?

I was drawn to funding because I saw.how incredible projects were underfunded or entirely volunteer-led. I realised how transformative it could be if funders genuinely backed young people not just as beneficiaries, but as leaders, designers and decision-makers. I’m inspired by the potential of funding to shift power and enable young people to co-create solutions, especially those most impacted by injustice. I’m excited to gain an insight into the whole grant assessment process and to see the impact that funding can have.

I’m Joshua. Outside of my work with IYPC, I serve as an Advisor to Rastafari Movement UK Wellbeing CIC, where I support the strategic direction and development of our wellbeing and food services across the boroughs of Lewisham, Lambeth, and Southwark.

My broader work spans across research, education, and community development. I am a dedicated researcher with a strong interest in topics such as educational equity, youth violence, and sustainable development. These areas are at the heart of my mission to improve outcomes for young people and underserved communities.

In addition to my research, I am an experienced facilitator and have led workshops, training sessions, and community programs for a variety of organisations. I also work as an Educational Consultant and public speaker, engaging audiences on topics including Black empowerment, youth engagement, education reform, and community healing. I’m passionate about creating meaningful change and empowering others through knowledge, advocacy, and collaboration.

What draws you to funding and what is your inspiration behind joining this work?

What draws me to funding is witnessing the real, transformative impact it can have on communities - especially on young people. As a Youth Worker, I’ve seen firsthand how the availability (or absence) of funding directly shapes the scope, quality, and reach of our work. It determines whether vital programs run or are cut short, and whether young people get the support they deserve.

My inspiration for stepping into this space comes from wanting to shift the way we see funding. Too often, the grant writing and application process is viewed as overwhelming or out of reach - particularly for grassroots organisations and young changemakers. I want to change that narrative. I believe funding shouldn’t be a barrier, but a bridge - and I’m passionate about making the grantmaking process more accessible, transparent, and empowering for the next generation of leaders.

I am Louise! Outside of IYPC, I lead public involvement and engagement for a research study co-producing an online arts and culture platform that supports the mental health of underrepresented young people. I run an online platform that reaches millions of autistic people every month, where I campaign for a world that works for neurodivergent people, creating accessible neuro-affirming resources, amplifying lived experiences, and pushing for systemic change. I am based just outside of West London.

What draws you to funding and what is your inspiration behind joining this work?

I have seen the impact of youth-led projects and can see how important grant funding is in enabling change in communities. This has drawn me to feel passionately about directing resources to those driving change, to creating fairer funding models and ensuring that those with lived experience are at the centre of the process.

My name is Mel and I was born and raised in South West London, Brixton. I'm an Advocate for inclusive education and systems built on transformative justice principles.

A great passion of mine is music; singing has always come very naturally to me. Through music, I’ve connected with so many cultures, experiences and emotions. This connection led me to campaigning and organising very early in my life. I’m a political educator, who aims to normalise transformative approaches to the ways we teach, learn and connect to our collective and environment. I am deeply invested in building love, curating spaces to dream and promoting rest and recovery.

I would describe myself as multi-hyphenate… which is another way to say I am always doing too much! I’m deeply passionate about embedding care structures and practices in UK schools and have just completed a year long research on ways this can be approached. Facilitating has always been a great passion of mine, I spend most of my time coaching young people in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I’ve just released my debut EP: Green Sleep. (go stream it!)

Within the IYPC, I work on the values team - hoping to continue fruitful conversations on equitable and transformative practices in the workplace.

What draws you to funding and what is your inspiration behind joining this work?

I’ve been delivering radical social justice programs from a young age, and a barrier I usually came up against was the funding process. Funding opens access to learning spaces, resources and collaboration opportunities. However, it’s not the most straightforward process.

I believe that funding should be more accessible. This would require changing who makes the decisions, and the why. The power of funding must be given back to the communities it’s aiming to serve, with the permission to dream, care and promote joy.

My name is Shirley. I’m Angolan and currently based in London. Growing up in a multicultural environment, I naturally picked up multiple languages, so don’t be surprised if I slip a few non-English words into a sentence!

I’m passionate about removing barriers that prevent people from living meaningful lives, whether that’s through access to healthcare, informed decision-making, or opportunities to connect with their communities. I believe these are essential ingredients for people to grow up and grow old boldly. Within the IYPC, I’m part of the Values Team, helping to embed our shared values more deeply into EF’s work. Outside of this, I work in pharmaceutical regulatory affairs, building the knowledge and skills to help ensure that medicines meet real healthcare needs in the UK. I’ve always been drawn to the intersections of health, education, and community, and at any given time, you’ll find me working in at least one (if not all) of those spaces.

What draws you to funding and what is your inspiration behind joining this work?

My journey into funding began through earlier advocacy projects, campaigning for fair immigration laws, access to education, and informed health choices. Across all of them, one thing became clear: funding has the power to help communities build the structures they need to thrive. I’ve worked in funding before, but with limited scope and autonomy. What excites me about this space is the opportunity to be part of a collective that sees funding not just as a transaction, but as a tool for true systems change. I believe funding should enable people to design their lives with freedom, and honesty.

I’m Ines, a social impact change maker specialising in social sustainability and meaningful community engagement. Whilst I’m based in the West Midlands, my Spanish flare and passion continually extends from my heart into my work!

My main interest focuses on the intersection between climate and gender justice, with my climate advocacy rooted in systems change thinking and putting people and lived experience at the core. I have been able to develop these passions working on the Blue Spaces fund, as well as displaying my creativity as the Comms Lead in IYPC. Outside of the collective, I am a Communities Assistant for local government, a UK Youth Climate Coalition member, and a Steering Group member for Restless Development’s ‘Walking the talk’ campaign, focusing on boosting the adoption and implementation of Feminist Foreign Policies.

What draws you to funding and what is your inspiration behind joining this work?

I believe funding is such a vital part of facilitating social change – it legitimises what is worth caring for. Funders therefore have a crucial role in highlighting those voices and giving space for experimentation and creativity, bringing together communities for effective solution building. To me this is social justice, which is the basis of climate justice; I’m motivated to contribute to this work for this reason.

I am Chelbi and I'm based in Glasgow, Scotland. I am passionate about working to uphold the rights of children and young people. My main interest and much of my work outside of the IYPC aims to improve the lives of care experienced people through influencing change to public policy and practice within the care sector.

As a scientist, I have an interest in improving public health through promotion of upstream and downstream approaches. My voluntary work is mostly within a student society I am president of which facilitates dental students volunteering with the public to improve oral health in the community through engagement with schools, homeless support centres and foodbanks.

I have been volunteering and working to improve equality, diversity and inclusion within the education system in Scotland for nine years. I am passionate about improving education in the UK to be more accessible from early years education right through to university.

I have done a lot of work on the Involving Young People Fund this year, which is a participatory grant making project based in Barnsley and Wakefield. It has been a steep learning curve moving from working in grant making as a participant to working as a facilitator but I have gained so many valuable skills during this process. My confidence and ability to design, facilitate and create materials for sessions training young people age 16-22 has grown greatly this year.

Within my other work as a consultant outside of the IYPC, I am supporting on work in response to the introduction of the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill within Scotland. This is a major milestone in the delivery of The Promise Scotland and is the result of almost ten years of evidence gathering, reviews and consultations so it is a monumental moment for me as a care experienced advocate.

What draws you to funding and what is your inspiration behind joining this work?

I was drawn to a role in funding as I had always been involved with charities but never understood how their funding worked. Once I began to understand the grant making sector I became motivated to remove barriers to funding and create a more progressive funding space which is more accessible and encourages a wider audience of applicants. I’m passionate about making funding more accessible and allocated to areas of deprivation.

I work in Climate change, specifically focused on climate justice for a place-based programme of work. I have experience in research, policy, outreach, engagement and project management and delivery across local government, charities and think tanks. I also have a Masters degree in Climate change policy.

Outside of this I am a trustee on the Board of Directors of a Theatre, volunteer as a systems change organiser for a youth climate organisation, and mentor younger students who are interested in Climate change and Environmental issues. I have a background in Theatre, community engagement and social prescribing. In my free time I love the theatre, sports, animals, travelling, and food.

What draws you to funding and what is your inspiration behind joining this work?

My experience working with different charities and NGO’s drew me to working in funding. I got to see first hand how vital and enabling funding and grants are to developing and delivering incredible projects. This highlighted to me how vital it was to ensure funding is being distributed in inclusive and equitable ways to achieving change.

My name is Dan and I’m a Filipino Welsh youth organiser, facilitator and current Youth Power Coordinator at Restless Development, where I work on the Young Gamechangers Fund - a youth-led fund supporting young people to drive change in their communities.

As an alumnus of the Future Generations Leadership Academy, I spend a lot of time imagining alternative futures and holding space for others to explore what's possible beyond their realities. I’m drawn to work that brings people together - across differences and across generations - to build something more beautiful, more just, and more collective.

Outside of work, I stay connected to my community in more everyday ways - hosting dinners with friends where we share food from our cultures; writing songs and making music to process big feelings; I’m trying hard to make space for joy and reflection without always turning it into a project! These kinds of gatherings - low-key, personal, full of care - help me stay rooted and remind me why I do the work I do!

What draws you to funding and what is your inspiration behind joining this work?

I come to funding with a futures lens - seeing it not just as a transaction, but as a tool to invest in the world we want to live in. For me, funding isn’t just about money - it’s about what we choose to resource, how we resource, who we choose to trust, and what possibilities we choose to prioritise. It’s a reflection of what we believe is valuable and who we believe is capable of leading change.

My background as an immigrant shapes how I understand power, community and imagination. I’ve grown up seeing how much brilliance exists in communities that are often under-recognised - how care, creativity and resistance show up in everyday ways when people are connected and resourced. I’ve also seen how much potential gets blocked when systems centre risk-aversion and control, instead of trust and relationship.

That’s why I’m drawn to this work - I believe funding can be part of building more just, joyful and liberated futures. I want to help shift how decisions are made and who gets to make them. I’m inspired by the idea that funding can be a form of solidarity and a way to back those reimagining and building communities, and to make long-term investments in people and movements that are re-shaping what’s possible.

I’m Jayden. I am from Liverpool and currently studying BSc Archaeology at University College London. I’m passionate about tackling systemic barriers which young people face when it comes to accessing a quality education, fair treatment within healthcare, and long-term meaningful employment opportunities. I have developed these interests through being a member of various youth boards, such as the Fair Education Alliance’s Youth Steering Group, where we campaign for educational equity, and Youth Futures Foundation’s ‘Future Voices Group’ where we conducted research and worked with employers and local authorities to provide disadvantaged young people with fair access to employment opportunities.

What draws you to funding and what is your inspiration behind joining this work?

Having previously been a member of Youth Futures Foundation’s ‘Future Voices Group’, I worked closely with the organisation and their partners, which provided me with the opportunity to be a part of the funding process. I also took part in site visits where I got to see firsthand the impact the grants had on the communities accessing these facilities. This exposure to funding highlighted how much of an impact funders can have on the communities they are working with, and how the new opportunities they offer can empower young people.

My name is Aaliyah, I am 25 and based in the West Midlands but culturally Jamaican. I am a recent uni grad and right now I am focusing my energy on working with young people, harnessing my creativity and well being. I try to strive to be the person I want to brag about.

Currently I am on the youth board at Leaders Unlocked and work with other organisations that focus on amplifying voices of young people of colour. I have had the privilege of hosting and producing events for We Don’t Settle focusing on topics relating to both the LGBTQIA+ community and the Black community.

I am striving to find the balance in taking care of myself and creating change that benefits others.

What draws you to funding and what is your inspiration behind joining this work?

My inspiration was my curiosity. I wanted to understand the systems in place that have given me and many other young people the opportunities of a third space. As someone who has been involved with charity organisations from the age of 14, without funding I would not have had such personal growth outside of mainstream education.

Unfortunately, within funding it is not the most accessible experience. As a person with a passion to create accessible and inclusive practices in all areas. I believe with my lived experiences and background in diversity , equity and inclusion there can be changes. I don’t believe you have to be the smartest in the room to excel at this work. To me, lived experience and engaging in these communities and organisations that benefit from funding is very crucial. It creates a bridge of understanding. I believe that I can be that bridge and bring a different perspective on situations.

This is a very rare role for young people to directly shift and collaborate. It is a privilege to be in this room. I hope I can share my learnings and create a wave of change.

I'm Melvin Riley, a Responsible technology and digital equity activist, founder of the National Youth Technology Council (NYTC), Churchill Fellow, GCYLP Fellow, Content Creator Simplifying Tech for Society, international keynote speaker and facilitator. I lead the NYTC , the UK’s first youth-led tech-for-good platform building real-world solutions that challenge how digital and emerging technologies are developed and governed .We put youth voices at the heart of conversations around AI ethics, digital regulation, and technology design.

I’m committed to making emerging technology understandable and accessible for everyone whether that’s through keynote speeches, workshops, or the content I create. With over a decade of experience as a campaigner and political and social activist, I’ve launched and contributed to numerous national and international organisations driving meaningful change. My mission is to design a future where technology works for everyone.

What draws you to funding and what is your inspiration behind joining this work?

What draws me to funding is the transformative power it has to unlock potential, especially for youth-led and youth-specific projects. As someone who leads a youth organisation myself, I’ve seen first-hand how access to funding can make or break innovative ideas that come from young people who often lack traditional access points.

My interest also comes from wanting to better understand how the funding and grant-making sector works, not just for the success of my own work but to improve how we resource youth-driven change more broadly.

I bring a 360-degree perspective to this space. I’ve experienced the highs of receiving grants, the frustrations of rejection, and the responsibility of being in positions where I help decide how funds are distributed. This holistic view gives me a deep respect for the process and a strong commitment to making it more accessible, transparent and equitable, which is why I'm excited to contribute to IYPC.