LIZ ATKIN

Liz Atkin is an artist and educator. She reimagines her Compulsive Skin Picking and anxiety into drawings, photographs and performances. Liz is a mental health advocate and raises awareness for the disorder around the world. She has exhibited and taught in the UK, Europe, Australia, USA, Singapore and Japan. Her artwork and an archive of her advocacy for skin picking is held by the Wellcome Collection.

NYOMBI MORRIS

Nyombi is a passionate and dedicated climate activist and speaker, who has been advocating for environmental justice and policy change since 2019. He is the founder and CEO of Earth Volunteers, a non-profit organisation that aims to restore ecosystems and educate communities on climate action voluntarily. He is also a Fellow at Environmental Funders Network, a pilot program that supports young climate activists to amplify their messages and reach wider audiences while compensating them for their time without exploitation, experience, and expertise.

RUTH DANIEL

Ruth Daniel is the CEO and Artistic Director of In Place of War, an activist, change-maker, Honorary Research Fellow at The University of Manchester, and proud owner of an old VW van. As CEO, Ruth has led global arts and peace-building initiatives, developing over 100 cultural programmes in conflict zones and disadvantaged areas. From guitarist at 8 to record label owner, band manager, TEDx speaker, and award winner, Ruth empowers people through creative entrepreneurship and artistic collaboration.

PATRICK MILLER

Patrick 'Millz' Miller is a Zimbabwean playwright and gamer with a public advocacy, activism and creative arts background. He is the founder and creative director of Project iThemba, a non-profit organisation based in Harare, which runs three main programs: Walking with Shadows Symposium, The Gaming Hub ZW, and Writers' Cafe. Walking with Shadows is Zimbabwe's first and currently only queer literary art symposium. The Gaming Hub ZW start-up is a hybrid space that creates and curates cross-cultural cooperation and understanding through gaming. Writers' Cafe is an initiative focused on creating safer spaces for freedom of expression through the written word. In the past three years, he has been exploring intersectional gaming experiences - unpacking how digital and analogue games can be used to make people aware of climate change issues.

MAHBOOBEH RAJABI

Mahboobeh Rajabi is an award winner Creative Entrepreneur, Artist, Cultural Leader and creative producer from Manchester. She has been working in the UK and internationally since 2010, working with different communities and cultures. Her mission is to give a platform to untold stories and give voices to the unheard voices through the language of art and building creative sustainable businesses for communities.

ALISON SURTEES

Alison is a Creative Producer, trainer, consultant, and social entrepreneur. She co-founded Manchester Digital Music Archive and Future’s Venture Foundation, running and managing the fund and organisation. She is freelance ALF UK Coordinator at In Place of War and trainer across entrepreneurial programmes, as well as Board member of Ordsall Community Arts and Fuse Arts Space Bradford. Alison develops and delivers bespoke training and development across the creative sector, for clients such as BBC Digital Cities, BECTU, ScreenSkills and Royal Exchange Theatre. Her consultancy work focuses on strategic and organisational review across charities and third sector organisations working in the creative sphere.

She is a long-time collaborator with Soup Collective in commercial and arts based content production, and curates exhibitions and events with a range of organisations, including MDMArchive.

DAN GLASS

Dan Glass is an AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) healthcare and human rights activist, performer, presenter and writer. Dan has been recognised as 'Activist of the Year' with the Sexual Freedom Awards and was announced a 'BBC Greater Londoner' for founding Queer Tours of London - A Mince Through Time. His book United Queerdom: From the Legends of the Gay Liberation Front to the Queers of Tomorrow was Observer book of the week. Dan recently founded self-defence empowerment programme Bender Defenders and Queer Night Pride to confront rising hate crime. Follow him @danglassmincer.

ABDELFATTAH ABUSROUR

Abdelfattah Abusrour is founder and director of Alrowwad Cultural and Arts Society, established in 1998 in Aida refugee camp, Bethlehem. His concept and philosophy ‘Beautiful Resistance’ - using performing and visual arts, culture and education, is a creative and peaceful expression in situations of oppression and trauma to provide possibilities to save lives and inspire hope and build peace within individuals to be peace builders in their communities and beyond. 

Abusrour is an author, actor and theatre director, with a PhD in Biological and Medical Engineering.

Abusrour was elected president of the Palestinian Theatre League and many other organisations. He is co-director of Bethlehem Cultural festival since 2020.  He has delivered conferences & workshops around the world using ‘Beautiful Resistance’ to empower people through building peace within themselves and becoming active change-makers, instead of waiting for miracles to happen.

FARAH WARDANI

Farah Wardani is a theater actress (improvised and scripted), clown doctor, puppeteer, drama trainer and applied theater practitioner. A theater graduate with a diploma of high studies, and a BA in psychology. Currently finishing her MA in Drama Therapy. 

Farah is the director of Laban (a Lebanese theater based NGO). She is a Playback practitioner since 2011, as trainer, actress and conductor. A faculty member of the Arab School of Playback Theater. She leads drama therapy workshops with Intisar Foundation targeting Arab women victim of war. Farah also trains and uses Theater of the Oppressed, Drama Therapy techniques among many others in Lebanon and the region with different communities and contexts. Farah started using theater as a medium for social change and political activism since 2006.

JUAN CHAO

Juan Chao is a DJ, producer, and Director of the Original Music Archive from Uruguay. He dedicates his work to producing tracks and preserving indigenous music at risk of extinction. He collaborates with indigenous communities from various territories, composing and taking actions to promote their local music with technology.

SHELOT MASITHI

Shelot Masithi is the Founder and Executive Director of She4Earth, and a speaker with Force of Nature. She harnesses her ability to blend innovation and holistic well-being through the integration of nature-based solutions to enhance climate resilience and water governance. She collaborates closely with mental health experts, water governance authorities, and climate leaders to design holistic approaches and projects that strengthen communities.