In 2008, in the midst of my degree at Central St Martins, my friend and fellow student Oliver Hemsley was stabbed and left paralysed. In response, I organised an exhibition called Art Against Knives to raise money for his care. I galvanised support from the biggest names in the Art and Fashion world, from Tracey Emin to Banksy and drove a national conversation about youth violence that got everyone from Vogue to The Guardian talking. 

But words were (and are) not enough. I was committed to understanding how you leverage support at this scale to address the root causes of youth violence. My approach was to listen to young people with direct experience and put them in the lead. In 2011, I set up Art Against Knives as a charity to do just that, driven by their mission; for every young person to create their own future, free from violence.

I spent 12 years leading the charity, renowned for it’s high impact, innovative community-led interventions that have transformed lives, affected systems change locally and informed social justice policy nationally.  

Holding this role for over a decade was a privilege - I’m most proud of the fact that it remains standing, fuelled by an incredible team, including staff whom I first met as participants on projects over a decade ago.