Our people

Alice Bell

Research Officer

Alice joined The Young Foundation in 2020, having previously gained experience as a Government Social Research intern. She is enthusiastic about exploring innovative and inclusive methods to involve diverse communities in impactful research.

Amelia Clayton

Research Officer

After completing her masters in sociology, Amelia joined The Young Foundation as a research officer. Amelia has a passion for uplifting marginalised voices, especially disabled and chronically ill voices. She is also interested in research into role-playing games, and in fringe subcultures.

Angela Wilby

Operations Administrator

Angela has a BA in history, having specialised in social research and reform in the post-war period. She now combines her organisational skills with her passion for social innovation by providing support to the Operations Team and across The Young Foundation.

Charlotte Healy

Social Business Lead

Charlotte’s background is working as an Economic Development Programme Manager in Local Government. She loves all things social enterprise and is interested in how we can use social innovation to create a more equal society. 

Chelsea McDonagh

Senior Researcher

Chelsea joined The Young Foundation in 2021 after working as an education policy and campaigns officer at the Traveller Movement, and a youth research and campaigns officer at Partnership for Young London. Chelsea is passionate about working with young people and changing research approaches to make them more accessible.

Daniel Farag

Director of Innovation and Practice

Dan leads our practical social change and innovation work with communities, public systems, and social enterprises. He has worked across the public, private and charitable sectors, and was previously a director of Nesta’s Health Lab.

Dorine Mwesiga

Programme Manager, Institute for Community Studies

Previously a Partnerships Manager with police forces across South East England, Dorine supported frontline officers who are more representative of the communities they serve. She has delivered diverse programmes and worked with multiple stakeholders. Dorine joined The Young Foundation in September 2021.

Emily Morrison

Head, Institute for Community Studies

Emily joined us from the British Council, where she developed the global research portfolio. She has led and conducted a broad range of international research projects, and previously held positions at University College London and King’s College London. Emily has a long-standing interest in participatory and creative research approaches.

Helen Goulden

Chief Executive Officer

Prior to joining The Young Foundation in October 2017, our CEO Helen was Executive Director at Nesta, leading their Innovation Lab, supporting and scaling innovation in the arts, civil society, government and education sectors. Helen regularly speaks on public and social innovation, and is interested in technology as a tool for social change.

Helena Hollis

Senior Researcher, Institute for Community Studies

Helena works on a range of Institute for Community Studies projects. Prior to joining us in 2021, she completed PhD research, coordinated a shared UCL and British Academy project on AI and the future of work, and worked as a research methods lecturer and librarian. She is passionate about her research having a real impact on people’s lives.

Iqra Farooq

HR Manager

Iqra manages the HR department and provides support across the organisation. Prior to joining The Young Foundation in 2017, she worked at AEG Europe, based at the O2, in a similar capacity. Iqra has more than five years’ HR experience and is CIPD-qualified.

Isabel Young

Head of Community Programmes

Isabel works to bring diverse voices together to take action on the issues that matter to people in local communities. She is passionate about supporting leadership development across the UK, and about blending research, innovation, and social action approaches in our work.