Important announcement from Susan Piers-Mantell, Learn to lead CEO

After an amazing 15 years working with Learn to lead, I am delighted to be passing on my role to young people who we have been mentoring for the past years in preparation for this moment.

Anyone who has attended a training will know our story of origin in one school – The Blue school, Wells, Somerset, where we began working grass roots up with young people at the heart, creating this different way of working together, now called ‘co-production’. The intention was to create a culture where – instead of being ‘done to’ young people could have the opportunity to take responsibility to run their own projects and teams and through this, benefit themselves and others.

The growing social awareness of the importance of co-producing within schools, councils and social care has now spread in all directions and it has been wonderful to be a part of this change as demonstrated in the projects we have been involved in this year, which you can read about in our Christmas newsletter.

The incredible journey Learn to lead has taken over the past ten years, running the organisation with young people on its board of directors now comes to a new crossroads as they take on the next stage of its development and opportunities.

I would particularly like to introduce Cerise Able-Thompson, Max Jeffery, Mimi Ray, Simon Bevan and Lizzie Venning, all ex Blue school students who were there from the start, have acted as directors and now take up the responsibility of providing Learn to lead training and services.

I am passionate about the need for change in the way we support and work with others and although I will no longer play an active role, from April the 1st 2017 I will continue to have an interest in an advisory capacity to help the inspiring people who are continuing this vital transformative programme called Learn to lead.

Very best

Susan