Blog & News

On this very day 8 years ago I watched a TED talk that blew my mind and inspired me to take action (and even take to twitter and Facebook! - see image below). It was Jeremy Gilley talking about Peace One Day. 

Watch the TED talk - CLICK HERE

This was the beginning of a personal journey to believe that we can all make a difference. I began to understand that to change the world around us we didn’t need to be World Leaders or even God’s; each small step forward by every individual counted. 

That year (2011) my small step forward was to stand up at a conference I was attending on the 21st of September and share what I had learned about this special annual amnesty. It was the first day I put myself out there as someone who wanted to literally stand up for what mattered. 

Roll on 8 years and that small step lead me to a place where I now dedicate my working (and much of my social) life to driving positive change through business. I live by my...

On the 3rd October WhiteHat and Goal 17 will be celebrating an exciting new partnership with a special invitation event exploring how the world of work is changing, what companies can do to introduce a generation of diverse talent and what initiatives they can put in place to increase levels of engagement and improve staff retention.

ABOUT THE HOSTS

WhiteHat, a tech start-up building an outstanding alternative to university through apprenticeships, and Goal17, a leading training company supporting businesses to engage and retain the best talent through mentoring, have partnered to promote sustainable business for the future.

Goal 17 provides the UK’s number one sports-led mentoring programme for business. They match corporate clients with homeless or vulnerable young people through an inspiring mentoring programme that transforms the organisations and lives of everyone involved. Their flagship programme combines online theoretical learning, 1.5 days’...

Entrepreneurial Single Mum is Named Global Woman’s Top UK Influencer and Vows to Sleep Rough After the Global Woman Summit to Inspire Future Generations of Girls to Have #PurposeOverPouts

A combination of a fierce public vote and stringent judging panel saw Kent based mum of two, Fran Boorman, announced (on 27th May) as the UKs Top Influencer by Global Woman – an international organisation that empowers and recognises leaders of change across the globe.

Fran is not a typical ‘Influencer’ with a perfectly laid out Instagram account, instead she is recognised as creating influence through action; leading award-winning businesses with strong social purposes and representing women’s views in the media and Parliament.

On hearing of her initial nomination in April 2019 Fran shared how this symbolised a shift in what the public wants from influencers. “There is a real hunger for better role models for the younger generations of...

I headed to Dublin with a sense of privilege and cynicism. Facebook had invited 500 small business leaders from 17 European countries on an all-expenses paid trip. The details about the event were a little sketchy and like the other participants I was asking, ‘why are Facebook doing this, why me, are they going to try to brain wash us and what do they want to get out of it!?’

 

I have returned grateful to Facebook and empowered, but not ready to ditch my heels for swanky trainers and a cheesy American grin, or to live the social media dream in an office full of bean bags! No, in fact the support from Facebook reminded me how the power to make an impact lies in the hands of us, the small business owner, not the big impressive companies such as themselves.

During the midst of political disruption now is the time for us all to embrace the tools provided to us by that these tech companies, to work together to design a better future for our communities.

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