In this episode, we spoke to Katie Cosgrave, Senior Programme Manager at youth leadership charity RECLAIM. Like Frontline, RECLAIM exists to break down barriers in society for children who face disadvantage. Katie is proud to be working class, and is motivated every day to work with young people from similar backgrounds so that they too are proud of their roots. She talks about the importance of challenging young people to overcome imposter syndrome and draw strength from their experiences. Finally, Katie shares some of the challenges faced by working class young people, and how RECLAIM is supporting them to lead change and have their voices heard.

In this episode, we spoke to Liam Hackett, activist, and award-winning founder and CEO of Ditch the Label. After 10 years of ignoring it, Liam, alone in his bedroom, took to the internet to post about his experiences of being verbally and physically bullied. Overnight, hundreds of people came together, united by their experiences, which led to Liam starting to find his voice and confidence. The community continued to grow into its thousands. Liam shares how he grew Ditch the Label into a leading global youth charity. He talks about fear of rejection, and how to overcome this. Finally, Liam shares his top tips for listeners who are interested in starting their own initiative to bring about change for children.

In this episode, we speak to Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang, a former teacher, care leaver, and founder and Director of Lighthouse. Lighthouse is a social enterprise pioneering a new model of children’s home. The new approach aims to radically improve outcomes for looked after children by focussing on education. In recognition of his work in this area, Emmanuel was voted one of The Big Issue’s Top 100 Changemakers for 2020. With the often negative portrayal of children’s homes in the media, he talks about the need to take a dramatically different approach. Finally, Emmanuel shares what he thinks it takes to bring about real change for vulnerable children in society.

In this episode, we speak to bestselling author and mental health campaigner, Rachel Kelly. In her early thirties, Rachel was diagnosed with severe depression after suffering two major depressive episodes. They have since become defining events in her life, and she draws upon these and her life experiences to support others. Beth and Rachel discuss mental health and identity, whether a diagnosis is helpful for recovery, and how to approach difficult conversations about suicide. Finally, Rachel speaks about the benefits of healthy eating and shares her favourite recipe from her book ‘The Happy Kitchen: Good Mood Food’.

In this episode, we speak to former British diplomat and Director of charity Inter Mediate, Jonathan Powell. Beth and Jonathan talk about how leadership is required from two very different perspectives; politics and international conflict, and of social work. They may seem worlds apart, but Jonathan highlights the importance of decision making, relationship building and trust, key for both.

In this episode, we speak to artist and rapper, Ric Flo. Born in Nigeria, Ric grew up in London and Bournemouth and spent time in foster care. Ric uses his experience in the care system to encourage positivity and build confidence in young people. He talks about the workshops he runs to give young people in care the space to use creativity and write lyrics as a means of expression and communication. Finally, he talks about role models, the importance of better representing children in care and not relying of stereotypes.

This week we speak to disrupter in chief, digital citizen, and Architect of Stories, Pamilerin Beckley, from The Haven – a Wolverhampton based charity, supporting women and children who are vulnerable to domestic abuse and homelessness. With domestic violence on the rise during lockdown, Pamilerin shares how The Haven have embraced all things digital to continue to provide and enhance service delivery, keeping everything centred on the needs of the women. Finally, Pamilerin talks about the importance of empowering the girlchild, and calling out sexism and gender stereotypes. Her energy is contagious – listen and get inspired!

This week we speak to Arshad Mahmood, Director of Planet Mercy UK – a national charity that is working to reduce food poverty and improve youth services, community cohesion and skills for life. In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, Planet Mercy UK led an outreach project which distributed over 8,000 food parcels to families and individuals across Greater Manchester. Born and bred in Oldham and the son of migrant parents, Arshad draws upon his life experiences, as well as his faith, to support others. He shares what inspired him to set up the charity, the challenges he’s faced, and what drives him to continue the important work that benefits so many. Enjoy!

This week we speak to Beth Vecchione, social worker, Frontline fellow and founder of Care to Dance – a social enterprise that is using dance to improve the wellbeing of children in care in the North East. Beth speaks about the importance of building a community where young people can form meaningful relationships, grow their confidence, and talk about their futures. During lockdown, Beth and the Care to Dance team have kept the momentum going by sharing TikTok dances, as well as weekly check ins on Instagram. Finally, she talks about the importance of making young people aware of their resilience during this time. Enjoy!

This week we speak to the brilliant Joujou Bola, a writer, poet and mental health social worker on the Think Ahead programme. JJ talks about how the pandemic has impacted mental health, taking a closer look at how it’s affected men in particular who tend to have weaker social structures and are less likely to seek support when isolated. JJ hopes that the crisis has opened up eyes to the social inequalities of society and the importance of being able to seek support. Finally he speaks about self-care, and how looking after ourselves is incredibly important. We hope you can take a moment to pause and listen.