Our youth ambassadors
About our youth ambassadors
The Youth Ambassador team at the Charlie Waller Trust was founded in January 2023, when ten young people between the ages of 16-25 were employed to consult across the organisation. The purpose of the group is to offer guidance, direction and recommendations relating to The Trust’s decisions, policies, programmes and projects to ensure they remain aligned and accessible to a diverse range of youth voices, experiences, and needs. The group brings both their expertise and lived experience to decision making about young people and their support systems from young people themselves. Projects youth ambassadors have worked on over the past two years include but are not limited to:
- Hosting and being interviewed about their own lived experience in a range of topics on their podcast 'Stigma to Strength'
- Reviewing resources around anxiety, poor mental health warning signs and self-harm
- Attending and delivering at conferences for CYPMHC and Kings College London
- Hosting webinars on topics ranging from autism to loneliness
- Consulting on the Charlie Waller Trust business plan
- Attending and speaking at Charlie Waller Trust events.
Meet our current youth ambassadors

Fatima Ishaq
Fatima is an activist with a passion in supporting others to reach their potential and creating safe spaces for communities to drive change, connect and thrive!
Fatima currently works in the third sector in youth mental health, delivering as well as competing her degree in Social Work. She is an intersectional feminist and brings lots of experience in community development, youth work and politics settings.

Freya Gray
Freya is a university student studying geography who is interested in the charity sector. Alongside CWT, she has experience with an outdoor education charity and policy work promoting carers' rights. Drawing on her experiences growing up, Freya's interests within mental health lie in supporting young people with anxiety and caring responsibilities. Freya is a proudly committed wild swimmer and finds outdoor pursuits extremely beneficial for her own wellbeing.

Georgia Taylor
Georgia is from South Wales and works as a Mental Health and Community Coordinator at SVC and as a volunteer with Mind. She’s also worked with organisations like Action for Children, and has coordinated projects abroad with the British Red Cross in Portugal and Play Action International in Uganda. Georgia has always enjoyed helping others, particularly those who are vulnerable in her local community. Her main interest is supporting projects and initiatives linked to mental health, an area that is close to her heart due to her own experiences. She wants to use her journey to raise awareness, support those who are struggling, and help make a meaningful difference for future mental health support.

Holly Whitfield
Holly loves films, makeup, and finding new ways to justify adding more clothes to her already full wardrobe. She used to spend her time on stage performing in musical theatre, but now she channels her energy into discovering new movies and creative projects. Holly is deeply passionate about mental health and is committed to raising awareness, offering support, and encouraging open conversations around well-being. She’s always ready to listen, whether it’s about life’s big moments or just a funny story. And, of course, her Rottweiler is always by her side, stealing the spotlight!

Jonah Sharma
Jonah Sharma is a creative producer, writer and performer currently based in Manchester. He is a co-founder of community arts organisation Purple Collective, for whom he has co-ordinated over 20 arts events. He also works as a freelancer, having worked on Serious’ London Jazz Festival in 2024 and with the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester in 2025 on the delivery of events ranging from a panel discussion to a day of music festival programming. In the future, Jonah would like to launch his own arts workshops in Manchester, continuing to impact his community in a positive way and forging opportunities for creative expression for people of all ages.

Khadijah Islam
Khadijah is passionate about supporting others and fostering well-being, which drives her aspiration to work in the mental health sector. Becoming a Youth Ambassador at the Charlie Waller Trust brings Khadijah closer to this goal, allowing her to contribute meaningfully while continuing to grow both personally and professionally.

Yasmine Dankwah
Yasmine is a writer and spoken word artist from London. She’s really passionate about using creativity and storytelling as mediums to explore and validate the lived experiences of marginalised groups from a place of vulnerability and care. As a neurodivergent person of colour, she’s interested in researching the link between mental health and neurodiversity through an intersectional lens and contribute to wider already existing conversations. Yasmine is very excited and grateful to be part of the Youth Ambassador Team.

Zaph Brouard
Zaph has a Bachelors in Psychology and Philosophy and works in EDI, specialising in tackling disability and LGBT+ discrimination. During their degree, they put words to their experiences of being a multiply disabled young person with complex mental health. They took an interest in how strong communities can be critical in supporting those with mental health conditions (especially those who also experience identity based discrimination) and became a Youth Ambassador at the Charlie Walker Trust to see this theory through to practice.
Stigma to Strength
Stigma to Strength is our Youth Ambassador podcast series created for and by youth.
Stigma to strength is a podcast that opens dialog on mental health and the highs and lows of adolescents.
The podcast started in September 2023 with Youth Ambassadors alumni Kyanne Graham and Eliza Antelme hosting the first season and Ginya Marr hosting the current season.
Both seasons explore various topics with special guests and other young people. We currently have 11 episodes published on topics such as freshers fear, male body image and autism.

Our Youth Ambassador Alumni

Amy Knight
Hi, I’m Amy, and I was a Youth Ambassador from January 2023 to 2025. I’m really thankful for the wide range of experiences the role gave me—from presenting at conferences and contributing to research, to developing training, writing for the Trust, working on the podcast, and so much more. It was a hugely valuable time that helped me grow in confidence and gave me a real insight into how different sectors can come together to support children and young people’s mental health. Since then, I’ve continued working in this space. I’m currently doing a PhD focused on school mental health, teaching at university, and working as a Youth Involvement Co-ordinator as part of a partnership between the university, a community interest company, and local schools.

Emma Prach
Emma Prach is a Scottish campaigner, filmmaker, and youth advocate known for their work in mental health and creative arts. They are the founder and CEO of Project Sonrisa, a charity launched during the COVID-19 pandemic that uses the creative arts to spark conversations around mental health. Emma directed and produced Our Minds, an award-winning documentary exploring mental health through the lens of LGBTQ+ identities, religion, and rural experiences with a specific intersectional approach. Emma sits on the board of Endometriosis UK and is the Chair of the Scottish Queer International Film Festival. Emma’s work reflects a deep commitment to amplifying youth voices and creating inclusive, supportive spaces through storytelling and policy change.

Ginya Marr
Hi all! I’m Ginya and was a CWT ambassador for the 2024-2025 calendar year. I hosted Stigma to Strength, helped with fundraising events, and worked with Michael on some co-production materials for high education leaders in the sector. I am American, and originally moved to the U.K. for graduate school. (I got a Master’s in Refugees and Forced Migration and Comparative and International Education and am very passionate about both fields!) I am an artist in my free time and currently work full-time as an educator.

Matilda Prestige
Tilly joined the Ambassador group after graduating with a degree in Social Policy in 2022. She was driven by a desire to deepen her understanding of the charity sector and support a cause close to her heart. During her time with the Trust, she gained broad exposure across various areas, improving skills such as public speaking and content creation. Notably, she served on the steering group for an Oxford University-backed research project and delivered a session on co-production in practice at a national student mental health conference. These experiences have played a pivotal role in securing her current position as a Policy Researcher at Citizens Advice. As a result of her involvement with the Ambassador group, she remains committed to embedding co-production in her work wherever possible.

Patrick Regan
I joined as a CWT youth ambassador in January 2023, and continued until July 2024. During this time, I was involved in giving talks at schools, running webinars, and speaking on the podcast. The time spent as an Ambassador with the Trust was some of the most rewarding work I've done. I recently got promoted at work which I am proud of, and hoping to further my career in the insurance industry. Last year I competed in a half-Ironman, along with 3 hyroxes. I want to continue pushing myself from a fitness perspective, along with continuing a happy balance in how I live my life.

Sophie Griffiths
I am currently finishing my master's degree in Psychology with the aim of working in the mental health sector. I am working for MIND where I am leading and facilitating peer support groups. My role with CWT has been fundamental in securing this role as it has given me so much valuable work experience and has given me more confidence. I was given so many amazing opportunities that I will take with me into my future work. I am currently part of a psychological study where I am helping to develop a digital tool to support young people who self-harm. I have been part of the testing process and helping to develop this intervention which I think will be valuable to young people. I have also just been accepted to volunteer for Voice Ability which is a mental health advocacy charity. Working with the CWT has been inspiring and insightful and I am proud to have worked with the charity that has opened lots of new doors for me!

Usman Javaid
I am currently working in Bradford in the Mental Health Sector, specifically around Children and Young People.