Introducing our Next Generations Champions

SOIF is delighted to announce the second cohort of Next Generations Champions. This leadership group of 16–30 year olds is part of the National Strategy for the Next Generations Programme, which seeks to develop a refreshed, more participative and future-facing National Strategy for the UK. The group will shape a series of ongoing dialogues about the future role of the UK in the world.

Our champions are based in increasingly diverse locations around the UK; in Canterbury, London, Durham, Edinburgh, Bristol, Liverpool, Trefeglwys (Wales), Newport, Cardiff, Bangor (Northern Ireland), Oldbury, Manchester, Northampton, Glasgow, Belfast, Mytholmroyd (England), York, Falmouth, Plymouth and Brighton, with select voices from outside the UK, and a broader community covering most of the country and internationally.

From January 2022, our first cohort of champions worked with the Bond UK Futures Dialogues to reimagine the international development ecosystem for 2045. Read their report or read a blog about their artefacts for the futures of international development.

Our new cohort of Champions will be designing and hosting visioning conversations with their local communities all around the UK. This project, called Our Community Futures, is delivered in collaboration with Teach the Future and Shout Out UK. The champions will receive training on futures thinking and political literacy as well as support to develop their own community visioning exercises.

Our ambition for the Next Generations Champions is to develop an evolving group of young people who are thought leaders across various sectors and who can feed foresight-informed perspectives into decision making across multiple issues and fora.

Second Cohort of Next Generations Champions:

Andrew Hamilton

I am Andrew Hamilton, an 18 year old. I am the UK Youth Parliament member for North Down and a Disability Rights activist campaigning for a future of equality for disabled people in society. I have successfully lobbied the minister for communities to release £1.5 million in employment support funding for disabled people in Northern Ireland. I also got the cinema industry to implement Audio description, so cinemas are more accessible for people with visual impairments. I am a co-author of a UN report documenting the NI executives progress at implementing the UNCRPD.

Ella Kenny

I am studying maths, economics and politics at A Level. I’m in the Welsh Youth Parliament and have used my platform to campaign against sexual assault, the climate crisis, and to uplift marginalised voices. My background is important to me as a working class woman, it drives my passions.

Lauren Wheeler

I’m currently studying for a Masters in International Health Management at Imperial College London. Having been heavily involved social action from an early age, I’m passionate about youth voice and love having the opportunity to speak out on behalf of future generations as one of SOIF’s next generations champions. I’m really excited to be working with the organisation on another programme to promote the importance of involving young people in policymaking on an international stage.

Maymunah Hussain

I am a motivated and committed individual with an ambition to improve the health and wellbeing within my community; by taking this first step, I firmly believe that I can uphold a national and even global initiative which will see greater prospects for the future of all citizens.

Mehnaz Laryea

I am a coach working with clients to bridge the business transformation skills gap in the tech industry. I am a strong believer in active citizenship and am heavily influenced by learnings from my former career in the humanitarian sector, where I worked internationally with displaced populations and communities to strengthen their capacity for change. I am excited to continue my leadership journey through Our Community Futures and to discover new ways in which I can bring about change in our rapidly changing world.

Mohamed Abubaker

I am Mohamed, a (kind of) young, Black British Muslim, suffering from a life-long condition, from a lower socio-economic background, raised by a single mother, and the eldest of five kids. I currently work as a civil servant, and I am passionate about boxing, fashion and writing. I envision a future where our communities are thriving for all and not a few and made up of role-models in a variety of disciplines. I hope that through this programme I will meet such individuals who will inspire me to develop real change, and I’ll do my best to inspire those around me too.

Nirushan Sudarsan

I’m a Cardiff University Law and Politics graduate and am passionate about social action. I was a Peer Researcher with Race Alliance Wales conducting research into the topic of Racism within the Welsh Education system and have worked on campaigns with Citizens Cymru Wales focusing on tackling inequality, poverty wages and discrimination in the communities of Cardiff. I sit on various boards and forums including as a Co-chair of Grange Pavilion, trustee for WCIA, trustee with Youth Cymru, Steering Group Member for Race Alliance Wales and being Director of the Grange Pavilion Youth Forum, and being part of TEAM Panel at National Theatre Wales.

Sally Hamilton

I am an International Development graduate, a social justice activist focusing on policy reform for access to medicine, gender equality and racial equality, and a community safety development officer specialising in violence against women and girls, and counter terrorisim with my local council. I am committed to providing a platform and representing the needs of those underrepresented.

Sonia Marwaha

I’m 16 years old and live in Newport, South Wales. I’ve been in the Welsh Youth Parliament for almost a year and am part of its Climate and Environment committee. I’m currently studying Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Religious Studies at A level and I’ve been part of the Eco Council for four years. I’m very passionate about the environment and spent a few days at the Ecological Futures Camp with the Black Mountains College working on climate related projects. In my spare time I enjoy reading, running, dabbling on the keyboard and hiking, and often attend protests.

Tania Nana

I currently work at Diversity Business Incubator as their network developer, assisting and supporting their vast network of partners, community groups, businesses and so much more. In addition to that, I am passionate about girls and women empowerment and I want to create a platform that ensures these voices are heard and acted upon whether old or young. We as girls and women don’t need to find our voice, we already have a voice, and we just need to feel empowered to use it, and people need to be encouraged to listen, which is why I would like to create a platform and a space where these could take place freely and easily.

First cohort of Next Generations Champions:

Amaleehah Aslam Forrester -24

I’m a psychology graduate, gender equality activist and experienced youth worker, currently working at UK Youth, empowering young people and supporting their social action projects. As Lead Outreach Worker at Integrate UK, I deliver gender and racial equality educational workshops nationally. On social media, I share my journey exploring female empowerment.

“I would like to be part of the political conversation to better the UK’s work around preventing violence against women and girls and support for under-represented communities in the UK.”

Find Amaleehah on Twitter or LinkedIn

Eshe Barzey -23

I am an open-minded, politically-inclined individual seeking to make the world around me a better place. I feel that business and the private sector’s engagement is integral to long-term, sustainable economic growth. As a result, I have positioned myself within the financial services, whilst maintaining a keen interest in current affairs and the ways in which public policy and private sector forces can work for the social benefit of all.

Find Eshe on LinkedIn

Felix Schofield -17

I’m an IWill Ambassador and a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament. I care a lot about our planet and I hope that we can make the UK the best it can be for future generations. I’m approachable so message me if you have any worries!

“We are the future of this country and we have to be the ones able to guide it.”

Find Felix on Instagram or Twitter

Huzaifah Mulla -20

I am an Undergraduate in my penultimate year, studying Philosophy Politics and Economics at King’s College London. I am a keen believer in young individuals having a platform to offer their intuitive ideas to institutions that can push forward these ideas regarding the issues our country faces in the political sphere.

“The state of the globe is in dire straits for everyone to see, but it can only be seen by eyes which choose to see.”

Find Huzaifa on LinkedIn

Hana Mohamud -17

I am a dedicated young individual who is striving to ensure young voices are heard and acted upon. I am also very passionate about a range of issues from climate change–where I helped out with spreading awareness to my peers about COP26 and sharing ways we can reduce our carbon footprint in our everyday lives–to helping out in my local community during the pandemic to ensure that no one felt isolated and alone.

“Involving communities is of utmost importance as it allows other young people to feel represented and encourages them to speak up as well.”

Find Hana on Instagram

Hannah Paylor -29

I’m from Northern England, but I now call Edinburgh (Scotland) my home. My background is in anthropology and social research, and I try to bring this framing and learning to my work on collective wellbeing in policy at Carnegie UK.

“I’m committed to learning about the evolving contexts in which social change takes place and to using this learning to advocate for more thoughtful, long-term policymaking that safeguards the wellbeing of current and future generations.”

Find Hannah on Twitter or LinkedIn

Jude Wilson -17

I’m a 17 year old student at Rochdale Sixth Form College, living in the Calder Valley, West Yorkshire.

“I’m curious about how imagination and thinking longer term might lead to better decisions today. I feel art, photography, literature, graphic novels, and poetry might be able to help us re-imagine the world we want to live in.”

Kay Davies -24

I’m passionate about change, standing up for our future and ensuring there is a sustainable world left for generations to come and I want to be involved in the decisions affecting the environment, health, wellbeing and overall quality of life of people in the UK. Having grown up in the rural countryside and lived in cities, I have an understanding of the unique problems both communities face.

“I care deeply about representing the rural communities and providing solutions to problems younger generations face.”

Find Kay on Twitter or LinkedIn

Lauren Wheeler -20

I’m a final year medical biosciences student at Imperial College London. Having been heavily involved social action from an early age, I’m passionate about representing youth voices and excited to work with SOIF to promote the importance of involving young people in policymaking on an international stage.

“As Peter Drucker famously said, ‘The best way to predict the future is to create it.’ For me, it is this philosophy which separates those capable of bringing about change in the world from the ones who stand by and watch.”

Find Lauren on Twitter or LinkedIn

Leah Dryer -20

I am an undergraduate politics student eager to help bring about positive change be it through policy, planning or more practical means.

“Bringing a young perspective to policy discussion is really important and it is immensely rewarding to see positive outcomes appear in the community over time.”

Find Leah on Twitter or LinkedIn

Maddie Gough -26

I work for Involve, the UK’s leading public participation charity, as a Project and Inclusive Practice Officer. Both within and outside of my work, I am passionate about taking a systems approach to addressing structural inequities and global issues, in particular focusing on the ongoing impacts of colonialism and the climate crisis. I previously studied for a BA in History at Durham and a MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies at LSE.

“We need to be listening, learning and working collectively with other young people to ensure that colonial legacies are recognised, addressed, and never repeated.”

Find Maddie on Instagram or LinkedIn

Marcela Capaja -29

My work at Natural England focuses on strengthening strategic decisions by utilising futures thinking tools. Previous work in the security sector has seen me help establish the first INTERPOL Global Horizon Scan, futures game, and young leaders programme. I received the NGFP Security and Technology Special Award in 2021.

“I want to contribute my own experiences and knowledge of the security and environmental sectors to a process that will shape a better future for us and subsequent generations.”

Find Marcela on LinkedIn

Nyasha K Duri

I’m a foresight-minded expert-generalist and creative practitioner with an interdisciplinary background committed to mission-driven work. Currently leading product, UX research, and design at InnovateHer. Alongside founding Chiye — an impact agency, my experience encompasses big tech (YouTube/Google…), private diplomacy (Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue…) international development (UNICEF…) and more.

“I hope to bring a unique perspective to postcolonial paths forward, considering how we engage in terms of sustainability for future generations, the role of the UK in the world, and beyond.”

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Ollie Bream McIntosh -26

Alongside advisory and trustee roles with a range of NGOs, I currently head up Social Systems Labs, a globally distributed design studio prototyping digital tools and experiences that enable effective collaboration, specialising in how to harness the synergies lying latent in impact networks and in social and environmental movements.

“We know that the actions our societies take in the coming years will shape the rest of our lives, and the future of our civilisations.”

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Pippa Goodman -25

I work as an international security and justice advisor, focusing on global human rights. I’m a passionate advocate for the anti-human trafficking agenda and have been recognised for my commitment to tackling violence against women and girls. I also sit on the steering committee of a national Sepsis prevention taskforce.

“I want to advance alternative voices, depart from reactive politics and take a partisan look at how our future should be based on principles rather than problems.”

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Shota Matsumoto — 17

I’m a half-Japanese and half-Korean student, currently living in Brighton. I love to watch anime and play rugby as well as to take social action as an ambassador of #iwill campaign. I organise a youth-led charity, Food For Thought, to make healthy food accessible to all young people.

“Today, there are still so many topics of discussion in which young people’s voices remain unheard but I want to put young people first and lead them to make the UK a better place for everyone.”

Find Shota on Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn

Will Reynolds -27

I am a PhD student with the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, looking at British Grand Strategy from 1945 to 2020 and the role of Japan within it.

“Domestically, the younger generations are vital in shaping future UK values, norms and how their nation’s history is viewed — all core aspects of the nation’s Grand Strategic posture.”

Find will on Twitter

Zinnia Aurora -21

I am a final year undergraduate at St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi. Currently, I am involved with PeaceX, as its co-founder, and the International Association of Political Science Students as its Deputy Head of Academics, and I will be venturing into the Unilever Future Leaders’ Programme this year. As someone who has the politic etched on her weltanschauung, I look forward to contributing to this cohort and its ambition in building a more inclusive definition of security and the role of state power in development.

“As a harbinger of poetic sensitivity, I relate my surroundings to every numbing moment in life. Whether the situation breaks me or makes me better, I breathe it down, standing headstrong to the possibilities.”

Find Zinnia on LinkedIn