chAngemAkers
sayka aktar
Sayka has volunteered for Bradford Moor Pass for over 10 years in various capacities. She has volunteered hundreds of hours in helping to deliver women’s markets, delivering community wardens programs and community clean-ups. Sayka joined the Changemaker programme because she believes that communities change when they believe in the force of their position in the world. Sayka strives to be part of the solution, rather than a critic on the sidelines.
mohammed amin
Mohammed is a co-founder and International Director of AROUK, the Rohingya Organisation based in Bradford. He is passionate about helping people in the community and working towards his personal goal to be more creative and make opportunity for disadvantages children around the world. Mohammed is also a lead Covid Community Champion of AROUK, working with Race Equality Network. He is also a professional Rohingya and Bengali interpreter working with Enable2. Above all, Mohammed is Rohingya and a genocide survivor. He is committed to helping & improving the UK based Rohingya Diaspora's awareness, engagement and contribution to the local community. He is also a student of Bradford College University Centre (Bolton University) and is in his second year of BSc (Hons) Computing & Information Systems.
khalida ashrafi
As a radio presenter, Khalida has hosted many shows that have provided platforms for the campaigning of social cultural and arts issues. Programmes she has hosted have included 'Bol ke lab azaad hain tere' (speak your lips are free) - a discussion show that provided opportunities for listeners to participate in discussions of cultural, religious and intergenerational significance tocommunities settled in the UK. Khalida has also organised and hosted many campaigns, conferences and events that have provided opportunities for communities to come together to discuss social issues such as Child Sexual Exploitation. As part of TAG (Together Against Grooming) Khalida organised and hosted a national conference called 'Feel the Fear' which attracted national speakers, 400 delegates and national media coverage.
bruce barnes
Bruch is an inner city resident of many years, a retired voluntary sector worker with strong local connections, passionate about community, poetry, with a vision is of a greener, litter free Bradford.
melissa booth
Melissa is a single parent with two children - a son who has left home with a son of his own, and a daughter still in full time education. Melissa likes to do cross-stitch and baking, as well as watching soaps and action films.
danny carter
Danny grew up in various places in Bradford District. He has a youtube channel "Telgra community" where he and his co-host interview people and community groups mainly in and around Bradford. Danny really wants to help Bradford be rejuvenated and holds a strong belief there is massive potential here!
jerry crawford
Jerry helped set up Bradford’s first community recording studio, Reuben Sounds, running music projects for the socially disadvantaged. Over the years he has been involved in many community projects and worked in partnership with numerous organisations, and in 2020 co-organised a peaceful protest in the memory of George Floyd. Jerry's organisation, Collective Impact, helps individuals, families, or whole communities to bring about social change and improve the quality of life in the local area. Collective Impact helps act as the link between communities and a range of other local authority and voluntary sector providers, such as the police, social workers and teachers.
elana davis
Elana has been doing community work in BD3 for 20 years, and loves to help the community. At the moment she runs a football and youth organisation, does clean-ups in the local area and helps people who need help in the community. Elana currently works in the local children’s centre organising trips and community events. She also helps other organisations in the area through consultation and sharing information to expanding services in different community organisations. She also run a coffee afternoon and teach Zumba... all this and running a house and five children!
rachael dennis
Rachael volunteers and works with families, carers and communities across the District. You will usually find her out and about providing NCT nappy change and feeding areas at outside events, or running a rhyme session in a local library. Rachael is also a qualified volunteer breastfeeding peer supporter. She is always planning, delivering and promoting events and activities both in person and remotely via you Tube, social media, networking events and general conversation. Rachael's paid roles works include involving empowering communities to better understand the importance of learning through play, alongside making accessible art through things such as street art festivals. Wherever you find her, Rachael will be ready to actively listen, provide information or signpost to a relevant local services... and always with a smile!
satbir dillon
Satbir is Bradford born and bred! He enjoys photography, film and the theatre and is excited to be a part of The Leap Changemakers. Satbir believes that we, together, can bring out the best of Bradford from its heritage, diverse communities and to help build a better society for the youth of today.
charlotte furness
Charlotte has created many community events in Bradford, including large events, workshops and women's creative retreats as well as hosting groups of women at her home as part of a creative mamas group. Her previous events have included The Saltaire Organic and Natural Fayre for three years, two Pregnancy and Birth Fairs in Shipley (including workshops and café) , two Christmas Reconsidered events (including a huge swap event, a self-run café using surplus produce from St James Market, stalls, and creative workshops) and a Summer Reconsidered event - a large book swap event. Charlotte has also organised film screenings, talks, author events and many other creative workshops at her old creative space called Fox and the Magpie. She has also run and hosted the Bradford Birth choices group.
ibrahim gharbia
Ibrahim is the president of the New Libyan Society of Bradford and has helped to set up a new project for women to share and improve their skills, alongside learning new crafts in the community.
aisha hussain
Aisha work with her school's newspaper team and takes part in co-curricular activities such as sporting events and charity events. In her free time she has been involved with organising residentials within her local community for young children. Aisha is passionate about wanting to do more within her community, especially with young women - making their voices heard and creating safer spaces. She wants to be able to show what Bradford is about, and what young people from the District can achieve and do.
helen james
Helen is a Keighley residents who has enjoyed contributing to the community at Keighley Healthy Living for a number of years, having moved there from Bradford 13 years ago. All Helen's children are now grown up and she is a very proud Grandma. She enjoys anything to do with art and crafts and is a great believer in encouraging children's learning through play.
molly jewitt
Molly is a lover of colour, conversations, creativity and coffee. She supports third and public sector organisations with PR and Communications on a freelance basis through her company, Gro Communications. Molly also runs a community arts project, Turfs Up, which engages with local people & organisations to create permanent art for the locality. Turf's Up are in the process of turning this pilot project into a non-profit organisation, to deliver a ‘creative relay’ across other neighbourhoods.
nabeela khan
Nabeela was born in Sheffield, grew up in Doncaster, studied at Central St Martins in London, and had her three children while living in Dorset. She now lives in Bradford! Nabeela has been teaching art, areas of fashion design, textiles, sewing and weaving classes together with different cookery classes for over 25 years. She loves to create art and recycle new from old, whether it be a bag from an old curtain or a rug from old socks! Nabeela also does a lot of charity work and is passionate about standing up for justice in Palestine, saving the bees and the environment.
naz kosar
Naz set up the Friends of Bradord Moor Park Community group on Facebook which has grown to have over 1100 members. The purpose of the group was to create community cohesion and support vulnerable residents in the area. Naz wants to work with her community to improve the life chances and wellbeing of local people, and wants to use arts and culture to engage people in this way. As a Changemaker, Naz wants to galvanise more local support, network with like-minded people, and share more knowledge and information - becoming a force to be reckoned with in Bradford!
shareena lee satti
Sharena, a poet and independent artist and co founder of Spoke, who is from Bradford whose inspiring words have been inscribed on park benches in Bradford to uplift local residents on their lockdown walks. Nominated for the British Indian Awards in 2020 and as one of the '21 of 2021' creatives most likely to impact Bradford's cultural scene, Sharena is a familiar voice on local and national radio. Her poetry collection 'She' was published by Verve poetry press in 2020. Her work focuses on social and environmental issues
sairah mirza
Sairah grew up in Bradford and trained to be a teacher at university in London and Nottingham. She has lived and worked in various work roles in various cities in the England, but after a change in gear she moved to New York City for a year to work at Asprey. Sairah eventually settled in London working in business travel. Her education, work and life experiences have broadened her horizons to wider possibilities and knowledge. Nearly a decade ago, she returned to her Yorkshire roots. They always say it takes a village to raise a child, and being a single parent, Sairah says this couldn't have been truer for her. From this village, a social Whatsapp group was set up called the Nurture Networks which she is am a member of, and uses to help raise funds and organise events. She wants to continue to see the growth of Bradford as an all-inclusive, diverse, multi-cultural community and environmentally friendly, that showcases what unites us as a people and city in all aspects of work, home and play.
keyhan modaressi
Keyhan lives in Bradford City Centre, and is a university student studying Broadcast Media Technologies. Keyhan joined Changemakers because she wanted to create a change in her district - especially as she has lived in Bradford for almost 10 years. Being a changemaker has allowed her to meet new people and learn what change they want to make, alongside build her contacts and skills.
ruth nielsen
Ruth is part of the LGBTQ+ community and has volunteered for Keighley Pride since 2019. She is currently the Treasurer and has taken on additional responsibilities. On a day-to-day basis Ruth works as a Support Worker for Learning Disabilities and is also a Private Music Teacher for children, young people and adults. Ruth plays a variety of instruments and has a Degree in Jazz Studies from Leeds College of Music 2008. She grew up in Denmark and has made a life of her own in the UK, settling in West Yorkshire.
simon pickles
Si is a spoken word poet in recovery. He runs a monthly sober spoken word night at Keighley Creative and weekly sober social evenings at Riri's Coffee House in Keighley. He co-founded a spoken word night, Spoken Worth, with the help of Gemma Hobbs in August 2019. Empowerment through performance being a key part of the ethos of Spoken Worth. Si has found poetry to be a powerful tool to overcoming his own personal demons with drugs, drink and mental health. An ex-heroin user with 17 years abstinence and in recovery from alcohol, with over 2 years dry time under his belt, he discovered poetry to be cathartic and helpful in piecing back together a fragmented life and gaining a greater understanding of his battles with his mental health.
mahe rahman
At the moment, Mahe is working along side his younger brother and a friend who works in the music scene. Together they are using photography and podcasting to help influence younger generations of Bradford musicians through business stories, music journeys and different forms of creative expression. With this project Mahe hopes to inspire a new generation of young talent and minds in the right direction.