My Fellowship addresses growing social division by piloting intra-national school twinning and exchanges to bring young people together across regions, cultures and communities as a civic rite of passage.

As a social entrepreneur, charity leader and campaigner, my career has focused on improving educational equity, increasing civic agency, and connecting communities through shared experiences. As Founding CEO of Voice 21, I spent nearly a decade empowering young people through oracy education. In roles at Schools NorthEast, the Children's Commissioner, Electoral Commission, Hansard Society and Together Coalition, I've devised and led innovative, impactful and sustainable national programmes in education and civic engagement.

Through my Fellowship, I will learn from initiatives in India and South Africa that bridge divides across race, class and geography, and explore how education can foster empathy, integration and understanding. The outcome will be a feasibility study and blueprint for a UK approach - helping build a more open, connected and cohesive society, starting in our schools.