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Our Impact
THE PROOF IS IN THE PEOPLE.
Six years in, 3000+ young people later, here's what happens when access meets ambition. These numbers represent careers launched, industries diversified, and communities transformed.
And we're just getting started!
WHO WE SUPPORT
Aged 16–24
At the most critical transition point between education and employment, and often without the networks or guidance to navigate it.
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NEET
Not in education, employment or training. Often overlooked by mainstream provision, and exactly the people who benefit most from what we do.
From low socioeconomic backgrounds
Where financial barriers, lack of professional networks, and limited exposure to industries create a compounding disadvantage.
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Facing multiple barriers to access
Whether that's systemic, social, or economic our young people often carry more than one challenge. Our programmes are built to meet that complexity.
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High achievers
Some of the young people we support are either in or finishing higher education and looking for their next step - we support them in connecting the dots to their first job opportunities.
Supporting the futures of young talent
LEGACY STORIES
These aren't exceptions, they're glimpses of what becomes possible when access meets ambition. The stories below started where many of our current participants are now.
LOIS
Lois Sarkodie joined Shadow to Shine in 2021 through our employability programmes. She became a youth advisor and contributed directly to our Strategy Days. With continued mentoring and business support, Lois has since launched her own fashion brand, Jaqkodi a sustainable womenswear brand which is now a a five-figure company, with sold-out sustainability workshops every month, a community of over 6,805 people across social media and email, five staff, and one studio. She has also been awarded the Max Mara Award 2025 and a full scholarship to study a Masters in Fashion Design at the Royal College of Art. at the young age of 22, she is the first woman in her family to have achieved this and she is still pushing forward.
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RAZ
​Razik Darji is a Hackney-born creative technologist and artist creating work across art, technology, advertising and youth culture. He joined Shadow to Shine in 2022 through one of our first entrepreneur programmes, with a non traditional academic pathway and no GCSEs. He is now a D&AD Pencil winner, Adobe Creative Ambassador and top 1% TikTok AR creator, with work spanning Southbank Centre, All Points East, Barbican, Adidas, Coca-Cola and Chanel. Raised in a working-class family by a deaf mother, Razik joined the Shadow To Shine Youth Board to help young people from underprivileged backgrounds access the support, belief and opportunities that everyone should have.
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BRAULIO
Braulio Chimbembe is a London-born creative whose work sits at the intersection of film, fashion, and community impact. Raised in Hackney and South East London, his journey reflects resilience, ambition, and a commitment to using storytelling as a tool for change. He joined Shadow to Shine in 2022 through one of first entrepreneur programmes. His creative work sits at the intersection of film, fashion, and community impact. Braulio is now the founder of TRY42, a platform that merges lifestyle branding with cultural storytelling. His projects include acclaimed documentaries such as CALI and as upcoming works exploring immigration and class in Britain. Through his films, events, and merchandise drops, Braulio is crafting a multidisciplinary ecosystem that empowers others to dream boldly, build authentically, and tell their own stories. At the heart of his work is a belief that creativity can be a catalyst for social connection and long-term change.
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