The Kids Network is passionate about connection and driven by fun, commitment and diversity. Meet the team that makes the magic happen.
Sarah Woodcock
CEO & FOUNDER
Sarah has significant experience in the strategy and delivery of a number of programmes at a national level. Prior to founding The Kids Network, Sarah has developed capacity building projects for UK Youth and Save the Children. Sarah also currently sits on the board of trustees for the Coop Foundation and is the Equalities Link Governor at Carlton Primary School in Kentish Town. She has been a mentor for the last four years and describes it as the best use of her time.
Amy Campo McEvoy
HEAD OF PROGRAMMES
Amy is an advocate of mentoring and intergenerational connections. When working at The Girls’ Network, she successfully launched and managed their mentoring programme in Merseyside, and she has also run a programme connecting elderly people to students. She has extensive experience working on European projects promoting youth participation in politics and on projects promoting the rights of people with disabilities. She currently also runs a community group that takes children with disabilities on holidays annually.
Sharif Chowdhury
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Sharif has extensive experience working with children and young people with disabilities. Prior to joining The Kids Network Sharif worked at ELHAP, a specialist playground, where he recruited, managed and developed volunteers supporting the play-work team in delivering adventure play. He has also worked on a project supporting young adults with additional needs in making informed decisions about their futures. Sharif is also an enthusiastic DJ although lately all his gigs have been in his bedroom!
Sadiyah Mir
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Sadiyah is passionate about giving children the best start in life and has been involved in a number of campaigns to try and achieve this. Before joining The Kids Network, Sadiyah was the deputy director of a supplementary schools programme which supported primary school children who were facing multiple disadvantages and had fallen behind at school. Sadiyah has also supported teams of volunteers while leading fundraisers for various charities that support children.
Joni Warner
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Joni has vast experience managing young people and delivering programmes for children. Prior to joining the team, she worked in the United States as an Academy Coordinator, where she supported British and Brazilian football coaches who had travelled to the US to coach children and gain some valuable experience. During her time in this role, she provided training and resources to over 200 coaches to help them deliver sports programmes to thousands of children.
Lina Abdulkarim
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Lina has extensive marketing and communications experience within the charity sector. Prior to joining The Kids Network, Lina worked at Jeans for Genes, raising funds to provide support services to children with genetic conditions. Lina delivered the charity’s educational resources to schools teaching pupils about the challenge’s children with genetic conditions face. Lina has also worked with NGOs to deliver education initiatives to promote the importance of hand washing with soap as part of Lifebuoy’s global social mission programme.
Lucy Purvis
OPERATIONS OFFICER
Lucy has recently completed her degree in International Relations and Development at the University of Sussex. She has volunteered locally in her hometown in Essex as well as in Costa Rica, working with disadvantaged children. With experience in donor databases and donor mapping, she loves organising and understanding the inner workings of charities. Lucy has a passion for social justice, constantly educating herself in how she can help amplify the voices of the marginalised
Jess Parish
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Jessica has a background in Bid Writing and working with charities to develop strategic projects. She has worked with charities and NGOs all over the world including the UK, South Africa, Nicaragua, Malta and Mexico. She studied Law at Sussex university before beginning to work for organisations with a focus on the rights of children and is now finishing a Masters which reflects the rights of the child in the context of climate change.
Freya Brocchini
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Freya has extensive experience working with and supporting volunteers in different settings. Prior to joining The Kids Network, she spent time in an alternative provision school based in East London, carried out ethnographic research for a London NHS trust, and assisted with a community cohesion project in Stockport. Before that she worked in the volunteering team at a national charity, recruiting, supporting and celebrating the thousands of amazing volunteers and their dedicated managers.
Zainab Ahmad
VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT OFFICER
Zainab has experience working with volunteers at various organisations. Prior to joining The Kids Network, she was recruiting befriending volunteers at a national charity, helping tackle loneliness and isolation among older people. Before that she was working with volunteers to be placed on wards at a London NHS trust, and has also helped budding volunteers connect with great local organisations and volunteering opportunities at various Volunteer fairs and a local Volunteer centre.”
TRUSTEES
Nigel Phan
CHAIR
Nigel is the Founder and Managing Director of the start-up venture Whirli. His prior professional experience was with McKinsey and Company as an Associate Partner where he specialised in Consumer Goods & Retail and commercial topics such as Growth Strategy, and Marketing and Sales. A keen entrepreneur, Nigel enjoys helping early stage organisations grow. Apart from managing his own venture, Nigel is also an avid small-time investor in other business-to-consumer start-up companies.
Andin Fonyonga
Andin is a senior legal professional who leads a legal and compliance team for a global e-commerce company. She has extensive experience in legal, compliance and governance matters, and has previously worked at Hogan Lovells and BlackRock. She is passionate about fighting social inequality and has worked with a wide range of organisations to develop and mentor young people while encouraging further education. She’s also a keen traveller, fitness enthusiast and enjoys baking.
Amy Henderson
Amy works in the Child Safeguarding team at a large NGO; and oversees a psychological support programme that aims to educate, monitor and support staff who are exposed to trauma as part of their role. She has been involved with numerous charities for children and young people over the years and has developed a wonderful talent for making a mess, playing games, creating silly stories and tidying up messes.
Natasha Friend
Natasha Friend is Director of Camden Giving, a charity that works with businesses and communities to overcome inequality, she has a background in corporate partnerships. ‘When I was growing up my role model was a family friend called Ludmilla, she had come to the UK from the Czech Republic and I was inspired by her spirit for adventure and I loved seeing my home country through her eyes.’
Naa Acquah
Naa got involved with The Kids Network as a mentor in 2018. She works in the education charity sector managing programmes for the Transformation Trust. She was elected as the first Black Woman General Secretary of the University of Manchester Students’ Union (UMSU). She was a director of both the University of Manchester Students’ Union and the University; chairing the Board of Trustees. Naa loves spending time with her mentee every Saturday and seeing London through a child’s eyes.
Janet Ayoola
Janet is a qualified social worker with considerable experience working with children and families in the child protection field in several London boroughs. Janet also works with children and young people in her local church and offers the church advice their safeguarding arrangements. In her spare time, Janet enjoys learning new skills and spending time with her family, going for walks in the Kent countryside and practising deadlifts at the gym.
Simon Lucey
Simon is the founder of Hype Collective, a student marketing agency that creates opportunities for young people. Over the last 3 years Hype Collective have directly employed over 600 students and funded 100+ grass roots groups. Hype Collective’s clients include Co-op, Adobe and Warner Brothers.
Charlie Foster
Charlie works in finance and currently leads a team of 12 at RBS focussed on providing funding solutions for large companies operating in the Real Estate sector in the UK. Banking has been an ideal setting in which to hone her skills in managing a breadth of stakeholders and in bringing together teams of individual subject matter experts, and effective people management is of particular interest to her.
Luke Hollander
Luke is a charity accountant who currently works for the City of London Corporation. He provides due diligence, training, and technical guidance relating to the Corporation’s significant grant-making portfolio, including the City Bridge Trust. He previously built experience working with charities and government departments as an auditor at the National Audit Office.
