Satchels of Success: Young leaders making a difference

City Year UK

Satchels of Success: Young Leaders Making a Difference is a podcast by City Year UK that explores what success means in today’s society through the lens of young voices. Join us as we bring together diverse perspectives to uncover how young people impact their communities and learn what it takes to turn bags of potential into satchels of success. Tune in to hear from inspiring individuals and thought-provoking conversations! To learn more about City Year UK and the work we do as a charity, head over to our website: https://www.cityyear.org.uk/about/who-we-are/

Episodes

  1. Episode #6: Social impact with Caroline Courtois

    08/05/2025

    Episode #6: Social impact with Caroline Courtois

    In this episode, we were joined by the CEO of the DHL UK Foundation, Caroline Courtois. Working across the government, corporate and not for profit sectors over the last 20 years, Caroline brings a wealth of experience in social impact. In the last two years she's worked alongside City Year UK with the DHL UK Foundation, an organisation we've partnered with since 2016. Across the partnership they provided us with unwavering support both financially and by contributing to development opportunities for our City Year mentors. In this episode, we celebrate this amazing partnership by highlighting the way the two organisations have worked together to support young people furthest from opportunity. You'll also hear from Caroline about what makes a successful partnership, why social impact is important and so much more. To find out more about the DHL UK Foundation, please see their website here: https://www.dhlukfoundation.org/  To read more about our partnership with the DHL UK Foundation and the impact on young people please click here:  https://www.cityyear.org.uk/national/news/the-end-of-an-incredible-era-working-alongside-the-dhl-uk-foundation/ This episode of the podcast is part of our 15th anniversary campaign. To celebrate 15 years of tackling educational inequality, we’re sharing inspirational stories demonstrating the incredible impact our mentors have made in the lives of the children and young people we serve. How you can get involved and support us: Join a challenge 👉 https://www.cityyear.org.uk/get-involved/join-a-challenge/ Have you also previously served with City Year UK? Join our #15for15 alumni campaign to help us reach more young people! Tap here to donate. 👉 https://giving.give-star.com/online/city-year-uk/15for15-alumni-campaign-city-year-uk-15th-anniversary-d50f7 Follow us on our socials to keep up to date with the work we do across schools in the country: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/cityyearuk/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://x.com/CityYearUK⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://uk.linkedin.com/company/cityyearuk⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/cityyearuk/⁠⁠

    36 min
  2. Episode #5: Social mobility charities w/ Zipporah Kissi

    05/23/2025

    Episode #5: Social mobility charities w/ Zipporah Kissi

    In the 5th installment of the podcast, our host, Alec, invites former City Year UK employee and mentor Zipporah Kissi to chat about the charity sector and working for social mobility organisations. Zipporah currently works as Head of Talent and Engagement for 20/20 Levels, a youth empowerment organization that focuses on social mobility for Black and racially underrepresented young people. In this episode, Zipporah discusses the work she does with the charity, giving an in-depth window into how social mobility organisations operate, the struggles they face, and the best methods charities can use to empower young people furthest from opportunities. Zipporah also discusses with Alec the inspiration she gained from working at City Year UK, elaborating on her mindset and motivation to work with young people. This episode of the podcast is part of our 15th anniversary campaign. To celebrate 15 years of tackling educational inequality, we’re sharing inspirational stories demonstrating the incredible impact our mentors have made in the lives of the children and young people we serve. How you can get involved and support us: Join a challenge 👉 https://www.cityyear.org.uk/get-involved/join-a-challenge/ Have you also previously served with City Year UK? Join our #15for15 alumni campaign to help us reach more young people! Tap here to donate. 👉  https://giving.give-star.com/online/city-year-uk/15for15-alumni-campaign-city-year-uk-15th-anniversary-d50f7 Follow us on our socials to keep up to date with the work we do across schools in the country: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/cityyearuk/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://x.com/CityYearUK⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://uk.linkedin.com/company/cityyearuk⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/cityyearuk/⁠⁠ Check out 20/20 Levels and the amazing work they do: https://2020levels.org/ https://www.instagram.com/2020levels/ https://www.linkedin.com/school/2020-levels/ https://www.tiktok.com/@2020levels?lang=en

    34 min
  3. Episode #4: Pupil Referral Units w/ Sakshi Vasan

    04/30/2025

    Episode #4: Pupil Referral Units w/ Sakshi Vasan

    In this month's episode, our host of the podcast, Alec, is joined by one of our current City Year Mentors, Sakshi Vasan. Sakshi, who mentors at our partner school Trafford Alternative Education Provision in Greater Manchester, speaks about her experiences mentoring at Pupil Referral Unit, highlighting how they differ from mainstream schools. The conversation between the two takes them on a journey through relating educational topics, covering everything from neurodiversity in education, teaching methods, and how online toxic masculinity is affecting young people in schools. This episode of the podcast is part of our 15th anniversary campaign. To celebrate 15 years of tackling educational inequality, we’re sharing inspirational stories  demonstrating the incredible impact our mentors have made in the lives of the children and young people we serve How you can get involved and support us: Join a challenge 👉 https://www.cityyear.org.uk/get-involved/join-a-challenge/ Have you also previously served with City Year UK? Join our #15for15 alumni campaign to help us reach more young people! Tap here to donate. 👉  https://giving.give-star.com/online/city-year-uk/15for15-alumni-campaign-city-year-uk-15th-anniversary-d50f7Follow us on our socials to keep up to date with the work we do across schools in the country: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/cityyearuk/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://x.com/CityYearUK⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://uk.linkedin.com/company/cityyearuk⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/cityyearuk/⁠⁠ Check out our partner school, Trafford Alternative Education Provision, and the amazing work they do: https://traffordalternativeeducation.com/

    44 min
  4. Episode #3: Women in leadership w/ Amna Akhtar

    03/28/2025

    Episode #3: Women in leadership w/ Amna Akhtar

    In episode 3, our host of the podcast, Alec, is joined by Girl Dreamer co-founder and former City Year Mentor Amna Akhtar. The pair sit down to discuss Amna's work with Girl Dreamer, an award-winning non-profit dedicated to breaking systemic barriers for women of colour. Amna shares how her experiences growing up inspired her to pursue the work she does today and how volunteering with City Year UK redefined her perspectives on women in leadership positions. This episode of the podcast is part of our 15th anniversary campaign. To celebrate 15 years of tackling educational inequality, we’re sharing inspirational stories  demonstrating the incredible impact our mentors have made in the lives of the children and young people we serve To learn more about the work we do at City Year UK, head to our website: ⁠https://www.cityyear.org.uk/about/what-we-do/⁠ Follow us on our socials to keep up to date with the work we do across schools in the country: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/cityyearuk/⁠ ⁠https://x.com/CityYearUK⁠ ⁠https://uk.linkedin.com/company/cityyearuk⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/cityyearuk/⁠ Check out Girl Dreamer: https://girldreamer.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/itsgirldreamer/ https://www.facebook.com/HeyGirlDreamer/ https://x.com/its_GirlDreamer https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBQ5E9YL440IDgDDhy5ChxQ Have you also previously served with City Year UK? Join our #15for15 alumni campaign to help us reach more young people! With just £15, you can make a huge difference. Tap the link to donate:  https://giving.give-star.com/online/city-year-uk/15for15-alumni-campaign-city-year-uk-15th-anniversary-d50f7

    32 min
  5. Episode #2: Joey Carey

    01/24/2025

    Episode #2: Joey Carey

    In this episode, our Social Media and Content officer Alec chats with former City Year Mentor and Programme Manager Joey Carey to unpack his journey with City Year UK. Listen back to learn about Joey’s experiences working and volunteering with City Year UK, and how those experiences shaped his career and passion for social action. In the episode Alec and Joey discuss everything from the importance that teamwork plays in achieving success, what progress looks like when mentoring young people and so much more.  This episode of the podcast is part of our 15th anniversary campaign. To celebrate 15 years of tackling educational inequality, we’re sharing inspirational stories  demonstrating the incredible impact our mentors have made in the lives of the children and young people we serve To learn more about the work we do at City Year UK, head to our website: https://www.cityyear.org.uk/about/what-we-do/ Follow us on our socials to keep up to date with the work we do across schools in the country: https://www.instagram.com/cityyearuk/ https://x.com/CityYearUK https://uk.linkedin.com/company/cityyearuk https://www.facebook.com/cityyearuk/

    41 min

  6. 05/10/2024

    Episode #1: Hope and the UNCSW

    For the first episode of the podcast City Year UK's Social Media and Content Officer Alec, interviews Impact Officer Hope about her experiences attending the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women as a delegate. During their discussion, Hope speaks about her takeaways from the conference, different aspects of gender equality, and the proactive ways to tackle it. You can read more about the UNCSW here:https://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/commission-on-the-status-of-women To learn more about the work we do at City Year UK, head to our website: https://www.cityyear.org.uk/about/what-we-do/

    47 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

Satchels of Success: Young Leaders Making a Difference is a podcast by City Year UK that explores what success means in today’s society through the lens of young voices. Join us as we bring together diverse perspectives to uncover how young people impact their communities and learn what it takes to turn bags of potential into satchels of success. Tune in to hear from inspiring individuals and thought-provoking conversations! To learn more about City Year UK and the work we do as a charity, head over to our website: https://www.cityyear.org.uk/about/who-we-are/

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