As Monica Tyler steps into the position of permanent CEO of Sounddelivery Media, she reflects on the experiences that brought her here. From growing up as a Windrush child in London, to meeting inspirational leaders like Mother Teresa and Terry Waite, her journey has been shaped by a deep belief in service and the power of people.
Once a month, for two hours, supervised in the community, was my legal right to a meaningful relationship with my children. Christmases meant giving their gifts to them on a cold park bench within my allocated time.
When Hull-based hip-hop artist and youth mentor Steve Arnott saw how powerful creativity could be in changing young lives, he decided to take that energy on the road. He co-founded Beats Bus, a mobile recording studio and youth project. It brings together the elements of hip-hop, MCing, DJing, breakdance and graffiti, to help young people find their voice and express themselves freely.
In 2019, Steve joined the very first Spokesperson Network programme, created to support people with lived experience of social injustice or inequality to become more confident and visible. For Steve, it was the spark that helped transform his confidence, amplify his voice and help Beats Bus Records grow into the movement it is today.
I applied to Sounddelivery Media’s Spokesperson Network because I wanted to learn how to engage with the media and make our work more visible. Mothers Uncovered supports every mother, not just a demographic of mothers, and sometimes that can make it harder to get attention. I hoped the Spokesperson Network could help me find the right routes to get our message across.
During the period that I was an asylum seeker, I realised how powerful the media was in shaping how people like me were seen. The stories told about refugees often shape how the public reacts, how policies are made, and even how welcome we feel in our communities. Dr Allan Njanji, Refugee Advocate and leader on our Spokesperson Programme reflects.
When a young Sikh woman was raped in Oldbury, her assailants told her: “You don’t belong in this country, get out.” It was an act of sexual violence, but it was also an act of racial violence. Despite the brutality of the crime and the hateful words that accompanied it, the silence is deafening. Hameeda Khan, CEO of People Empowering People and leader on our Spokesperson Programme reflects.
Bernie Rochford MBE is a Principle Freedom to Speak Up Guardian supporting those speaking up in the NHS. In this blog, Bernie shares the life-changing experience she had for speaking up / whistleblowing in the NHS and where that’s led her.
In this new piece, Laura Fisher speaks out about the harm caused when far-right narratives hijack survivor experiences to push hate. Laura is the Founder of Survivor Sanctuary and part of our 2025 Spokesperson programme.
In this blog, we share first-hand insights from an Afghan refugee on the realities and concerns facing their community since the Fall of Kabul.
In this blog, Christopher Egan, writer, and Lived Experience Lead at We Are Survivors reflects on Jimmy McGovern’s new BBC Drama ‘Unforgivable’ from a survivors perspective. Christopher is part of our 2025 Spokesperson Programme.
