Our stories

This month marks the one-year anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the fall of Kabul, and the retreat of Western military forces. August also marks 11 years since I finished the last of my four deployments to Afghanistan as an RAF...

The term "Refugee" has become loaded with all sorts of political and social connotations, so we sometimes forget that refugees are just normal people. People just like us with all the good, bad and indifferent characteristics that make us human,...

“We have so much fun”, “you make new friends”, “everyone listens to you”, “we have really nice leaders”, “we are always laughing here” - just a few quotes from my Brownies group when asked why they like coming to Brownies every Tuesday. “We get...

What initially drew you to On Purpose (and maybe still does)? I had known Tom Rippin since before the establishment of On Purpose, and over a period of several years we had occasionally met up and discussed the problems that we both saw in a...

During their time on the Associate Programme, our Associates work in two purpose-driven organisations and get hands-on experience with challenging industry projects. Placement hosts can be social enterprises, social divisions of for-profit...

'Lived experience’ can be defined as “Personal knowledge about the world gained through direct, first-hand involvement in everyday events rather than through representations constructed by other people” (1). The term has been increasingly used in...

The stereotype of a leader in the workplace has moved on from a white man in a suit, barking orders at his underlings through a plume of smoke. But what has this image been replaced with? The word ‘leader’ is still likely to conjure up images of...

I used to think of time management as the boring side of work - but came to realise that a good system frees you up to focus your time and attention on more enjoyable, creative tasks. If you’re in a position of leadership, your time management...

“The same procedure as last year?” “Same procedure as every year!” This exchange rings in my mind from endless repeats of Dinner For One – a firm TV schedule favourite for New Year’s Eve, at least in German speaking countries – in which an...

People with disabilities have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID19 pandemic. Three out of five COVID-19 deaths are disabled people, even though they make up 17% of the population. So how can we build a disability-inclusive and...

You are a coach and trainer on the Associate Programme – can you tell us a little bit more about your work with the Associates? I help Associates get the most out of their involvement in the On Purpose Programme – so they can advance their career...

Who cares about toilets? Half of the entire global population do - because they don’t have one. World Toilet Day celebrates toilets and raises awareness of the 3.6 billion people living without access to safe sanitation. Loowatt , one of On...