Omar is a Research Associate and leads the UpRising leadership programme.

The UpRising leadership programme, which is being developed by the Young Foundation to support and train a new generation of public leaders. It identifies, recruits, develops and supports talented 19 to 25 year olds to enable them to play a greater role in politics and public decision-making. UpRising has cross-party support with Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg serving as its patrons.

In March 2009, along with his colleague, Louise Pulford, Omar Salem gave evidence to the Speaker’s Conference - a committee of MPs that investigated how Parliament can be made more representative of society. The Speaker's Conference also held an event with participants on the UpRising leadership programme to get their views.

Omar has a wide range of experience over a period of more than eight years in youth activism, campaigning, mentoring and training. He has lead the delivery of UpRising in East London; chaired London Young Labour, the youth wing of the Labour Party in London; volunteered as an Envision Youth Educator (EYE); and acted as a Time Together mentor. Before joining the Young Foundation Omar worked as a parliamentary researcher for Emily Thornberry MP, managing her busy Westminster office and supporting her work on the Environment Audit Select Committee.

Omar has a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) from St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University. While at Oxford, Omar co-chaired Oxford University Student Union’s (OUSU) Finance & Funding Campaign, campaigning for free education and against rent hikes. Prior to studying at Oxford he completed an intensive Arabic language course at the American University in Cairo.

Omar has also completed internships with Pilotlight and at the Young Foundation’s predecessor, the Institute of Community Studies (ICS), where he worked on a range of projects, including on Open Source methods.

Omar has an interest in economic and environmental policy; open source methods; developing, scaling and replicating new social organisations; and pretty much anything else! He currently serves as a local authority governor at Kate Greenway Nursery School and Children’s Centre.  

Contact:

omar.salem@youngfoundation.org or call 020 8980 6263