Welcome

Imani Clough-Brown is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Imani Academy & Co. She has 10+ years’ experience of working for educational, social and environmental justice, across civil society, purpose-driven business and academia. As a Consultant she has supported organisations to effectively engage young people and historically underrepresented communities in their work, from community projects through to governance. She has worked as a consultant for The British Youth Council, UK Fire Service, Youth Futures Foundation and The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham. Her areas of expertise include youth participation, leadership and mentoring; she consults and advises organisations on how to recruit, safeguard, and champion youth and community voice. She has recently become a member of a new Alliance for Youth Organising: a collective that will work together to invest in the structures, spaces, networks and organisations needed for youth organising to thrive.  Imani's practice is informed by her Bachelor's in Youth Justice, Master of Arts in Character Education and Somatic Coaching Certification.

 

She co-authored the Mentoring through Character Education Handbook in collaboration with The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues. The Handbook is intended for teachers in schools and those involved in mentoring of young people, as a tool through which a focus on character can be embedded into new and existing mentoring practices.

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Organisations are considering their legacy as they notice substantial power disparities between their institutions and the younger generation. My work is aimed at creating learning environments in which young people and adults are peers for change, with both shared and distinct experiences. Supporting young people to lead change will require adults reflecting on their own power and determining when to share it, make room for and hand over power to young people.

 

The core values Imani brings to her work are:

✨ Centring approaches that prioritise dignity and anti-oppressive principles and practice

✨ Honouring the wisdom of young people in their own communities, contexts, and experiences

✨ Practising with the method of youth participation as a foundation for deep collaboration

✨ Demonstrating courage in challenging oppressive systems and norms

✨ Inspiring change through a dedication to uplifting youth voice and experiences