In the heart of the UK, Ruth Ibegbuna has dedicated her life to empowering working-class young people. Starting as a teacher in Northern England, she witnessed firsthand how social class shaped a student’s opportunities and self-worth. This realisation fuelled her drive to challenge systemic barriers and create pathways for young people to reclaim their narratives. From founding RECLAIM—a youth leadership organisation—to pioneering initiatives like Roots and Rekindle, she continues to redefine education, social mobility, and community empowerment. Her journey is one of unwavering commitment to bridging divides and fostering meaningful transformation in communities that are too often left behind.
Like many nations, the UK grapples with entrenched social class divisions. Opportunities remain unequally distributed, leaving working-class communities with fewer resources and even fewer platforms for advocacy. The Brexit vote amplified these rifts, exposing deep economic and social disparities. Many working-class individuals felt abandoned by the system and disconnected from decision-making processes.
Traditional education further entrenches these inequalities. Elite schools prepare students for leadership, while public education often leaves working-class youth feeling invisible. A curriculum that lacks diverse narratives and critical thinking only reinforces these systemic barriers. In response, Roots and Rekindle were born—two groundbreaking initiatives designed to foster dialogue, bridge communities, and transform education.
Roots was founded to address the deepening divisions in the UK by fostering meaningful cultural exchanges. It creates spaces where individuals from vastly different backgrounds—whether social, racial, or economic—can meet, share meals, and understand each other’s realities.
Rekindle reimagines education as a space built for and by young people, particularly those from working-class backgrounds. Designed as a supplementary school, Rekindle goes beyond traditional academics, offering mental health support, cultural education, and leadership development. At its core is a belief that education should not simply be a means of escaping one’s circumstances, but a tool for reshaping communities from within.
Both initiatives prioritise meaningful, long-term change at the personal level. Roots fosters deep human connections through home exchanges and immersive dialogues. Participants share experiences—cooking together, walking through each other’s neighbourhoods, and engaging in open discussions. As Ruth explains, “People don’t realise how much they have in common until they sit at the same table.”
Meanwhile, Rekindle puts young people at the helm of their own education. With trustees aged 17 to 23, the school is designed by and for the students it serves. It teaches unconventional but vital skills, including critical thinking, self-advocacy, and systemic analysis. As one young leader of Rekindle puts it, “We are creating the school we wish we had.”
Though these initiatives focus on intensive, small-scale interactions, their impact ripples outward. Rekindle’s youth-led education model has already sparked interest from other cities eager to replicate its approach. Meanwhile, Roots’ emphasis on fostering relationships as a form of resistance has inspired similar efforts beyond the UK, proving that the need for dialogue and understanding transcends national borders.
The tangible outcomes of these initiatives demonstrate their power:
Ruth Ibegbuna’s long-term vision is clear: to create sustainable models of social change that prioritise deep, relational impact over surface-level statistics. Through Roots, she fosters real human connections. Through Rekindle, she reshapes education from the ground up.
Looking ahead, Ruth envisions Rekindle expanding into multiple cities, proving that education can be redefined when young people take the lead. She also hopes that Roots’ philosophy of dialogue and connection will continue to influence national conversations about class, race, and privilege.
Her journey is a testament to the power of persistence, radical imagination, and the belief that true change happens when we truly see and hear each other. As she powerfully states, “If you ignore a community for too long, they will disrupt.” Through Roots and Rekindle, disruption is being transformed into lasting, meaningful change.
By Bharati Chaudhari
