First cohort · 2026–2028
Fifteen young people, each bringing different experiences, approaches and ideas to change.
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
Basil works in gardening and estate maintenance in Hertfordshire and is developing his practical skills through horticulture and landscaping. He is interested in wildlife, conservation, photography and opportunities to learn alongside people from different backgrounds.
Meet Basil
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
Emilian is a London-based artist and policy professional working across human rights, climate justice and community storytelling. His project Climate Chorus connects stories, lullabies and protest songs from the Niger Delta and South East London.
Meet Emilian
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
Fatima co-founded The Sahel Project, supporting women entrepreneurs and underserved communities across the Sahel. She is interested in long-term, community-centred approaches to social change and also works in legal technology.
Meet Fatima
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
Hunter is a composer, creative producer and climate activist whose work brings together music, social impact and cooperative creative practice. As founder of Common Folk Media, he is exploring how artists and audiences can build a more accessible, sustainable creative ecosystem.
Meet Hunter
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
Ladajah is an LSE law graduate pursuing postgraduate legal study and a career as a solicitor. Her work with young people and charities focuses on youth participation, grant-making and helping young people shape decisions that affect them.
Meet Ladajah
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
May is an adaptive fashion designer and founder of May Marigold CIC. She creates colourful, functional clothing, leads community workshops and works to make fashion more inclusive for disabled people.
Meet May
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
May is an activist from Myanmar who believes lasting change depends on collective leadership. She is committed to mobilising peers and strengthening the voices of communities working towards a better future.
Meet May
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
Nympha is a climate journalist, poet and creative storyteller. Her work brings personal and community experience into conversations about environmental change, looking beyond statistics to the people whose lives are affected.
Meet Nympha
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
Sara is a community-engaged artist based in Dundee. She works to improve access to arts education for young people and to challenge financial and class barriers to creativity and wellbeing.
Meet Sara
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
Sumayyah is a London-based community development professional whose work centres community engagement and resident-led decision-making. At Tower Hamlets CVS, she supports equalities networks and community resilience initiatives.
Meet Sumayyah
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
Toreh is a Manchester-based curator, facilitator and poet whose work explores creative accessibility, interpretation and audience participation. He is particularly interested in opening up arts experiences to blind and visually impaired audiences.
Meet Toreh
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
Vig is a Birmingham-based poet, performer, producer and multidisciplinary artist working across poetry, film and community storytelling. His practice explores identity, memory and belonging, and how creative work can connect people and challenge taboos.
Meet Vignesh
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
Wangu is a researcher, strategist and founder of Civic Futurisms. Through research and storytelling, he explores how emerging technologies shape communities, culture, identity and the ways people make sense of change.
Meet Wangu
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
Zara is a British Afghan public health and social impact professional. Her work explores health inequalities, displacement, refugee health and how structural barriers affect access to services and opportunities.
Meet Zara
Cugoano Changemaker · First cohort
Tito is a cultural strategist, facilitator and founder of Nourishment, a Gen Z-led cultural marketing agency and community. He works with cultural organisations to widen participation, strengthen partnerships and create more equitable routes into the creative industries.
Meet Tito