CITIZENSHIP FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Public Legal Education Manager
Akasa joined Young Citizens in 2019, initially coordinating the Magistrates' Court Mock Trial Competition for young people aged 12 - 14 to develop skills such as critical thinking and public speaking whilst gaining an understanding of the role of law and the justice system. Since 2020, she has been leading the Mock Trial Team to create a new online model of delivery and developing a programme of support for schools to engage young people in public legal education.
Prior to Young Citizens, Akasa taught in a secondary school in Coventry through the Teach First Leadership Development Programme. In her first year as a trainee, she was tasked with taking her Year 8's to the magistrates' court for the Mock Trial Competition where she saw first hand how transformational the experience had been. Akasa is currently working towards her Masters in Law and is passionate about empowering young people by demystifying the criminal justice system, breaking down misconceptions and making the law accessible and relevant.
Alison is a higher education professional with more than 25 years' experience across a wide range of universities and related sector bodies, currently working as Deputy Secretary at Leeds Beckett University.
As Deputy Secretary, her responsibilities include governance services, risk management and business resilience, regulatory compliance and information governance. On a day-to-day basis, this involves working with and advising senior managers and governors on a wide range of issues and overseeing complex student casework.
During her career in the higher education sector, Alison roles have also included responsibility for student systems, data and operations, health and safety, equality and diversity and legal services.
Alison holds a BA and MA from the University of York and an MBA from University College London.
Passionate about education and social justice, Alison is delighted to have joined the Trustee Board of Young Citizens in 2023.
Ashley was appointed Chief Executive of Young Citizens in 2021. She has previously held senior leadership roles within education and social mobility charities including as the founding Executive Director and CEO of the UK charity Speakers for Schools in 2013. Her career to date has focused on innovative design of education initiatives that bring together strong cross-sector collaboration to increased equitability of opportunities, inclusion and support for young people from under-served and disadvantaged backgrounds. A former Barack Obama Campaign staffer and community organiser, she has alongside her education experience a long-held interest in how we drive civic participation through democratic dialogue, community engagement and nurturing civic identity. She previously served as Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors at Welbourne Primary School, in Tottenham, North London, and is currently a trustee at Elizabeth House Community Centre in Finsbury Park and a non-executive director of Democracy Club.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Trustees
- Principal at University College of Estate Management
Ashley Wheaton is Principal at University College of Estate Management, responsible for all aspects of the University College's academic and business operations.
As Principal, he works works directly with the Chair, the Board of Trustees and the UCEM Executive Leadership Team to ensure that the University College delivers against its vision to be the Centre of Excellence for Built Environment Education and the world's most sustainable university.
Ashley has previously held senior roles as Director of Global Learning Services for Microsoft, and Chief Executive Officer of InfoBasis Ltd, a global Talent Management software company. He spent six years as a Non-Executive Director of BRE Group, and is currently a Member of the GuildHE Executive, Vice-Chair and Trustee of JISC, Chair of Building People CIC.
He holds a BA (Hons) in Economics from University of London.
Beccy is an education social entrepreneur & charity chief executive. As its founding CEO, Beccy grew Voice 21 (the UK's national oracy education charity) from a project in one school in East London to a national charity supporting over 1000 schools across the UK .
Before Voice 21, Beccy was the founding Chief Executive of Schools NorthEast - a unique network of schools leading to increased collaboration, investment and innovative responses to the North East region's educational challenges.
Having previously led campaigns, educational outreach and public engagement for The Electoral Commission, Children's Commissioner for England, and The Hansard Society, Beccy was delighted to be appointed as a Trustee of Young Citizens in 2023 to continue her longstanding commitment to empowering the voices of children and young people and improving citizenship education.
She is a trained Journalist with a Masters in Political Communication and started her career as a researcher for BBC Parliament.
Chris joined Young Citizens' Mock Trials Team in October 2022 after completing his masters in Advanced Theatre Practice. Coming from a creative learning background, he has nurtured a passion for youth engagement and has developed a comprehensive skill set in community-led coordination. Prior to Young Citizens, Chris was working at Park Theatre where he coordinated youth arts provision for the local area and worked closely with Islington's community hubs. Now planning for and supporting the delivery of the Mock Trials programme, Chris will work closely with Young Citizens network of dedicated volunteers to ensure the Magistrates' Court Mock Trial Competition continues to inspire the next generation of law makers.
Emma is a Director (Value for Money) at the National Audit Office, with responsibility for auditing and evaluating the effectiveness of government spending. This includes assessing the extent to which government monitors and achieves value for money, through considering, for example, financial management, strategic oversight and performance management.
Having spent her career at the NAO, after having gained her chartered accountancy qualification, Emma has built a depth of knowledge of in how constructively challenge implementation and the what good looks like across a range of public sector bodies.
Emma holds a LLB from University College London which, along with a public service career, demonstrated her passion for active citizenship and the values supported by Young Citizens.
Florence joined Young Citizens in 2021, initially supporting our Mock Trials Programmes which had inspired her to study law as a teenager. She now rejoins as our Partnerships Coordinator for Legal Experts in School and Legal Workshops. She recently completed a master's in law from UCL and has also worked as a teacher of Law and Politics for secondary age students.
Jacquie has more than 30 years' experience as a secondary school teacher and Faculty lead for Citizenship and PSHE in the North West of England. She has taught an extensive range of subjects including Citizenship and PSHE, Geography, History, RE and Sociology.
In addition, within school Jacquie worked as a Professional Mentor in charge of teacher training, which involved liaising with North West universities and supporting their PGCE courses.
This experience was extended further whilst on Secondment at Edge Hill University where she supported the PGCE course and acted as an MTL Tutor (Masters in Teaching and Learning).
Jacquie has gained significant experience of delivering Citizenship education across a large secondary school. She has worked with many North West charities as well as Young Citizens, running drop down days, social action projects and mock elections.
Jacquie has recently taken on a role with the Liverpool World Centre working on projects around the Sustainable Development Goals.
Jed joined Young Citizens' board of trustees in 2022. His background is in education and social innovation. He currently works for Nesta, the UK's social innovation agency, in the Fairer Start team on early years and schools projects. He has also worked on programmes at the Education Endowment Foundation, The Brilliant Club, Teach First and as a teacher, school leader and governor.
Kirsty joined Young Citizens in September 2022 as our new Partnerships Manager. She manages our large portfolio of corporate partnerships and runs our volunteering programmes (such as Experts in Schools), helping students access inspiring educational encounters with professionals. Before this she managed the Post Office's Community Branch grants programme, providing post office services in rural areas. She recently completed an Open University degree specialising in Mental Health, Counselling and Forensic Psychology, which piqued her interest in joining the charity sector.
Job Titles:
- Programmes Coordinator
- Young Citizens As Programmes Coordinator
Lizzy joined Young Citizens as Programmes Coordinator in 2023, following the completion of an MA in Law. She is part of the team responsible for planning for and delivering the Bar and Independent Schools Mocks Trials programmes. Prior to progressing into the world of law, Lizzy worked first in the world of marketing and market research, then as a primary school teacher. Her teaching experience developed across primary and secondary schools in England and overseas, with a latter focus on language teaching (French, Italian and Mandarin Chinese). Lizzy is passionate about empowering young people, not only to understand about democracy and the law, but to proactively and confidently take their learning out into the wider community, promoting a just and equitable society.
Job Titles:
- Communications and Digital Marketing Manager