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Kara Olayinka, CEO
Kara is Tiny Changes’ CEO.
The Chief Executive is responsible for planning and directing the charity’s work and managing the operations team of staff and consultants.
Click here to find our more about Kara’s role and the young people who inspire her.
Find out more about how Kara worked with the Hutchisons and friends to build Tiny Changes, and her current work on her Instagram @kara.olayinka
Nina Abeysuriya, Head of Programmes Development and Operations
Nina is Tiny Changes’ Head of Programmes Development and Operations.
One half of our leadership team, Nina is fundraising and improving operations across the charity.
Most of Nina’s time is dedicated to leading the programmes team; currently co-producing and delivering six new mental health projects for children and young people across central Scotland. It’s an exciting new role at Tiny Changes, taking the charity in a new direction, and we’re learning from Nina’s professional experience in mental health work, grassroots community engagement, trauma informed training, programme and operational delivery.
Tom Johnson, Community and Events Coordinator
Tom is Tiny Changes’ Community and Events Coordinator. He leads community engagement, volunteering, events and fundraising.
Tom joined the staff team in 2022 and has helped grow our community of tiny change makers through different communications, partnerships and events.
Jasmine Smales, Lived Experience Project Leader
Jasmine leads the Young People’s Mental Health in Schools project, focusing on implementing early intervention strategies in schools. She collaborates with educators and pupils to create workshops and resources that promote mental wellness and resilience among students. Jasmine’s project aims to complement a sustainable model of mental health education in the school programme, enhancing the overall well-being of school communities in an Edinburgh-based primary school.
Kieran Howe, Lived Experience Project Leader
Kieran leads the Young People’s Mental Health in Arts project, harnessing the therapeutic potential of arts to improve mental health among young people. He organises events and workshops integrating artistic expression with mental health education, creating engaging ways to discuss and manage mental health. Kieran’s initiative aims to reach diverse groups of young people, encouraging them to express themselves and improve their mental health through creative activities.
Iffat Ahmad, Lived Experience Project Leader
Iffat leads the Young People’s Mental Health in Intersectional Communities project, which focuses on young people at the intersection of mental health issues and race, gender, class, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, or other marginalised communities. Through a tailored programme, she aims to address the unique challenges faced by these communities and ensure that mental health resources and services are accessible to all, regardless of their backgrounds and identities.
Kayla-Megan Burns, Lived Experience Project Leader
Kayla leads the Young People’s Mental Health in the Music Industry project, leveraging the power of music and media to address mental health issues. They produce a podcast series featuring discussions with artists who share their experiences and expert insights on coping mechanisms and support resources. This initiative seeks to destigmatise mental health issues in this creative industry and provide a platform for brave conversations.
Jack Dargo, Lived Experience Project Leader
Jack leads the Young People’s Mental Health in Universities and Colleges project, setting up peer-led support groups in universities and colleges. He provides spaces for students to discuss mental health issues openly and support one another. Jack’s initiative involves organising regular meetings, awareness campaigns, and events to foster a supportive community on campus. The project will develop resources and tools to empower students to build student mental health groups and advocate for change in their institutions, focusing on a Glasgow-based university.
Our Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is responsible for the overall control and governance of our charity. They meet at least four times a year with the CEO and spend time with Wavemakers and team members in our work to help young minds feel better.
Over 65% of our Board are women. Our Board is intergenerational – aged under 22 to over 70 years old.
We have 5 Trustees – Aine Lovedale (Co-Chair, Manager, National Lottery Community Fund Scotland), Ami Anderson (Co-Chair, Series Producer, STV Children’s Appeal), John Todd (Treasurer, former Partner, Johnston Carmichael), Dionne Hossack (Student Nurse, Activist) and Marion Hutchison (Scott’s Mum, Founding Trustee.)
Wavemakers
We are building a network of young volunteers under 30 to make sure even more young people are at the heart of all of our work.
We’re not actively recruiting more Wavemakers at the moment, as we don’t have enough volunteer projects to assign everyone (sorry!) Watch this space as we hope to have more ways you can get involved in our work, in future.
Follow @WavemakersHub on Instagram if you’re under 30 and would like to find out more.
Extra Support
We’re currently working with consultants Heather Belmonte VA and Agnes Namala from Toks Rocks (Virtual Assistants) and others including press, marketing and design experts to deliver our work.
Are you a talented person looking for an exciting new project? Get in touch with us on info@tinychanges.com to register your interest as a volunteer, consultant or agency.
If you share our passion for improving young people’s mental health and have time, money or resources available to support the cause, we’d like to hear from you. We post all job and volunteer vacancies on our blog – so keep an eye on that too.
Together, we’ll make tiny changes to Earth.
