Inclusive Digital Safety Education,

Empowering Neurodivergent Young people

Developing digital and creative skills for disabled and neurodivergent young people and adults

Meet Our Guests

We’ve welcomed a mix of brilliant guests to Future Voices - from mayors to football coaches to CEOs and entrepreneurs - all bringing their own stories, perspectives and lived experience to the conversation.

SCAM ME GUESTS

Jemma Davis - CEO

Emersons Green Town Council

“The skills developed through Project Sandbox, whether in editing, teamwork, or project management, build confidence and unlock opportunities for the future. At Culture Gem, we are proud to be part of a project that is truly changing lives.”

Jemma Davis - Founder, Culture Gem and Scam Me series sponsor

Culture Gem is a leading provider of inclusive, adaptive security awareness and compliance training. Their award-winning platform caters to diverse learning needs, offering content in various formats to engage all team members effectively.

Recognised for their commitment to accessibility and innovation, Culture Gem eliminates barriers by allowing employees to tailor their learning experience, ensuring everyone benefits equally.

Megan Haldane - Cyber Protection Officer

Avon & Somerset Police & Crime Commissioner

Megan Haldane is a Cyber Protect Officer with Avon and Somerset Police, working to safeguard young people in the digital age. She specialises in raising awareness around cybercrime and supporting communities, schools, and organisations with practical tools to improve online safety and digital resilience.

Her work focuses on digital wellbeing, cyber literacy, and the real-world impact of online harms such as cyberbullying, sextortion, and privacy breaches. Megan is passionate about empowering young people, parents, and educators to have open conversations about online safety, and she plays an active role in initiatives like the CASTLE Conference in Bristol, which promotes safer, healthier digital spaces for young people

Maddy Alexander Grout - Author, Speaker, Advocate

Mad About Money

Maddy Alexander Grout is a money and business expert who specialises in financial literacy, online safety, and helping people better understand their relationship with money. In her work, she focuses on the real-world impact of online scams and how people can protect themselves by building stronger financial awareness and habits.

With a particular focus on ADHD and neurodivergent experiences, Maddy explores how traits like impulsivity and attention differences can increase vulnerability to scams and financial mistakes, often referred to as “ADHD tax.” She shares practical strategies for managing money, avoiding scams, and making clearer financial decisions, while also highlighting the importance of community support and tools like body doubling

Laura Gemmel - CEO

Taught By Humans

Laura Gamal is an AI expert and founder of Taught by Humans, specialising in helping individuals and organisations build practical, accessible digital skills. Her work focuses on making artificial intelligence and emerging technologies more understandable and usable, particularly for neurodivergent and disabled people.

In her work and speaking engagements, Laura explores the real-world applications of AI - from tools like ChatGPT and generative AI to recommendation systems and machine learning in everyday platforms. She also addresses key concerns around trust, data privacy, and security, while advocating for responsible use of AI. Laura is passionate about inclusive technology, lifelong learning, and ensuring diverse voices are represented in how AI is developed and used across education, healthcare, and the workplace.

EVERYTHING EMERSONS GUESTS

Mayor James Hunt

Emersons Green Town Council

James Hunt is the Mayor of Emersons Green Town Council, serving the community as a dedicated councillor for more than 20 years and holding the position of Mayor since 2023. Representing the Badminton Ward, he has played a key role in driving projects that strengthen community engagement, improve public spaces, and expand opportunities for young people across the area.

During his time in office, James has overseen initiatives including the development of dedicated youth services, mobile youth centres, and plans for a future youth council to help ensure young voices are represented within the community. Alongside this he also works professionally as a fractional consultant in technology and AI.

James is also a proud dad to his six-year-old girl

Shea Stew - Youth Liason Officer

Emersons Green Town Council

With over 21 years of experience in community and youth development, he has dedicated his career to engaging people positively and delivering meaningful, practical change. Alongside being a dad and business owner, he brings a down-to-earth approach and a steady commitment to supporting communities to thrive.

He is currently leading street-based youth work in the Lyde Green and Emersons Green areas, engaging young people directly and ensuring their voices shape the activities on offer. The work is helping build evidence of need for a planned “community club on wheels” set to launch in 2026

Nikki Frost - Event Manager

Emersons Green Village Hall

Nikki Frost is the Hall and Events Manager at Emersons Green Village Hall, a local charity at the heart of the community. She helps manage the venue, supports hirers, and ensures the hall is a welcoming space for everyone.

Emersons Green Village Hall offers affordable room hire for private functions, meetings, and events, as well as hosting regular classes, community groups, and support sessions that bring people together and serve local needs.r clients.

Stuart Russ - Co-Chair Emersons JFC

Emersons Green Junior FC

Stu’s journey started ten years ago with his son in the mini kickers football group for ages four to six. Not content to just watch, he got involved with setting up nets and fetching balls.

As his daughters joined the girls’ teams, Stu earned his FA Level One coaching badge and stepped into management roles. Later, when the club faced closure, Stu and fellow volunteer Darren became co-chairmen, steering the club into a thriving new chapter.

For parents or players keen to get involved, the easiest way is to message the club via the Emersons Green JFC Facebook page and arrange to attend a training session.

CAREER CONVERSATIONS GUESTS

Ryan Hoare - Founder & CEO

TryMosaic

Ryan is a systems thinker and founder of TryMosaic, building software that helps organisations face reality rather than simplify it away. His work sits at the intersection of software, product, and human behaviour, with a particular focus on the often overlooked complexities of edge cases, accountability, compliance, and trust.

He designs tools that turn reasonable adjustments into reliable infrastructure, drawing on lived experience and time spent inside large institutions where good intentions often fail without the right systems behind them. His approach is practical and grounded, prioritising clarity, responsibility, and solutions that work under real-world pressure.

Based in Bristol, Ryan is also a parent and brings a plain-English, no-nonsense philosophy to both his writing and his work

Hannah Ford Tomlinson- Communities and

Partnerships Programme Manager

Lightyear Foundation

Hannah is an equity, diversity and inclusion and evaluation consultant, specialising in engaging and advocating for neurodivergent audiences. With a Physics background and nearly a decade of STEM education experience, they are deeply passionate about STEM engagement that is accessible and genuinely inclusive. Hannah is also a freelance science communicator, presenter, and content developer, and has worked with BBC Bitesize and Blue Peter. As Communities & Partnerships Programme Manager they are leading on the delivery of a range of projects, including the new Lightyear Youth Group

YOUTH GUARANTEE GUESTS

Alli Gay- Founder & CEO

CHI Homes

Alli Gay is the Founder and Managing Director of CHI Homes Ltd, an award-winning Bristol-based building and development company specialising in bespoke new builds, self-build projects, and large-scale renovations. With a background spanning legal services, engineering, HR consultancy, and transformational change, she brings a people-focused approach to leadership, underpinned by a master’s degree in Human Resource Management.

Alongside leading CHI Homes and her consultancy, The Truth About Building, Alli is Regional President for the South West Federation of Master Builders and a passionate advocate for mental health and neurodiversity within construction. A regular speaker, presenter, and industry contributor, she is recognised for her practical expertise, straight-talking approach, and commitment to improving standards and support across the sector.

Jackie Watts - Project Coordinator

Youth Guarantee

Jackie is a proud parent of two grown-up children and full-time mum to Sprout, her rescue dog and very entitled rent-free housemate. After many years working in schools and supporting families through the statutory education system, she discovered a passion for community education and helping people build confidence and skills. Known by her team for being “very chatty,” Jackie has found that her people skills are a perfect fit for collaborative projects and podcasting alike.

As Project Coordinator for the South Gloucestershire Youth Guarantee Trailblazer programme, Jackie helps create opportunities that support young people in building confidence and exploring future careers. She works closely with mentors, helps shape the programme, and is passionate about making the journey engaging and meaningful. Jackie became involved with Future Voices because she believes young people connect best through honest, relatable stories from others with lived experience, helping to make new opportunities feel less daunting and more accessible.