Meet The Team
The people behind The Roots Programme bring a wealth of experience, passion, and commitment to fostering understanding and empathy within diverse communities. Each team member plays a unique role in advancing our mission, driven by a shared belief in the power of human connection. Meet the team below.
Ruth - Founder
I’m Ruth. I’m passionate about connecting with interesting people and I’m continually curious about those who have walked very different paths to my own. I’m constantly dismayed by the current UK direction of travel but I’m ultimately optimistic and determined to work towards something more hopeful.
A professional northerner who seems to spend a lot of her life onstage in London – talking about the wonders of the north.
Radical simply means “grasping at the root”. – Angela Davis
Connect with me here
Heidi - People, Culture & Education Partnerships Lead
I’m Heidi. I grew up living across divided worlds, adapting like a chameleon; a traveller living in my international school’s car park, being Jewish growing up in a Muslim country, a private school boarder going home to an overcrowded council flat. Such complex stories of identity are becoming more common in a globalised world. I like to help young people to discover ways to embrace complexity within themselves and the world around them.
My experiences have shaped my work with young people in comprehensive, international and pupil-referral unit settings; those struggling with their identities, affected by division in their communities whether from gentrification, knife crime or complex trauma.
“This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival… Treat each guest honourably, it may be clearing you out for some new delight” – Rumi
Get in contact at heidi@rootsprogramme.org or connect with me here
Rosie - Strategic Lead
I’m Rosie. I’ve always been interested in a lot of contrasting things and this has led to me meeting, working alongside and making friends with a lot of contrasting people. What’s been consistently joyful about this is how those seemingly different people have always made space for me and how quickly common ground can be found when we take the time to look for it.
“When you find people who start from a position where human beings are at the core, as opposed to a position where profit is at the core, the solutions can be very different.” Audre Lorde
Get in contact at rosie@rootsprogramme.org or connect with me here
Clare - Creative Lead
I’m Clare. I was brought up in a working-class family that loved stories. History, politics, family – it was all stories. I have never met anyone without a story worth listening to. They are always complex, incredibly valuable and often difficult to tell. The stories I have heard have shaped the way I listen. Without sharing them, we remain spiky, isolated and fearful. Fear often sounds like hostility and being listened to can often feel like love.
Managing fear, risking telling your story, asking to hear someone else’s, being inquisitive, being interested, being wrong, we’ll always find a connection if we dare.
With Roots, I want to support people to be brave enough to connect.
“I had been taught to look for monsters and devils and I found ordinary people.” – Jeanette Winterson
Get in contact at clare@rootsprogramme.org or connect with me here
Sarah - Strategic Communications and Engagement Lead
I’m Sarah. I was born in London and am of mixed heritage – my mum was English, and my dad is Kenyan-Goan, so I had interesting and diverse cultural experiences growing up.
Exploring my roots as a young adult helped me embrace my identity and sparked a curiosity about my heritage that eventually led me to travel and volunteer across East and Southern Africa. Immersing myself in diverse communities and cultures fuelled a passion for people and planet. Based on my experiences, I believe that overcoming many of the issues we see in society today require us to dig deep and ask ourselves what we’re scared of, because fear creates barriers to connection. I think storytelling is a powerful way of breaking these barriers down. It is this perspective that drew me to the work of The Roots Programme.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” -Nelson Mandela
Get in contact with me at sarah@rootsprogramme.org or connect with me here
Michael - Facilitator
I grew up in the North of Ireland during the conflict of the 1970s and 80s. At 12, I joined a cross-community programme that brought Protestant and Catholic young people together. It was life-changing. I realised that, as a working-class Protestant, I had far more in common with my so-called “enemy” than I’d ever imagined. That profound early experience of connection shaped who I am and the work I do today.
My life has taken me through trauma, addiction, and loss, including my mum who took her own life in 2010 losing a lifelong battle with mental illness. I live with CPTSD and ADHD, and while those experiences were extremely painful, they became my greatest teachers. They helped me grow into the person I was meant to be – someone who uses lived experience to help others heal and reconnect.
I believe that connection is the cure – when people feel seen, heard, and valued, real change begins. In all my work, I create spaces where honesty, empathy and humour break down barriers and build hope.
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” – Rumi
Connect with me on LinkedIn here
Kianu - Facilitator
“As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.” – Nelson Mandela
Find out more about our projects and programme
Our programmes are run by facilitators employed by The Roots Programme. Every facilitator has an Enhanced DBS check and is hand picked from our network of organisations (founded by Ruth Ibegbuna) for their unique skills, expertise and experience. If you would like to know more about our facilitators, please do not hesitate to contact us or please email us to set up a chat with them directly.