6 months after On Purpose: where are they now? With Joshua Alade

Can you tell us about your background and your career prior to On Purpose?

Right before joining the Associate Programme I worked in community development in Bradford, where I had previously finished my Masters in Sustainable Development. Here I was working with young people to help them develop leadership skills.

I’m originally from Nigeria, so before coming to the UK for my masters, I was involved in community advocacy and policy, particularly in youth-led campaigns that sought to shape change.

Why did you join the On Purpose Associate Programme?

I had known about the Associate Programme for a few years and always followed it closely. There are a few reasons as to why I decided to join:

1. I wanted to gain more diverse professional experience in a UK context and build a professional network. I had previously primarily worked as a consultant on short-term projects or in a volunteer capacity, so being part of two different organisations, with diverse teams, missions and priorities, really spoke to me.
2. I wanted to learn from others! Being an Associate meant being part of a cohort of people from very different professional backgrounds, often from for-profit, more commercial organisations. Having the opportunity to benefit from their perspective and experience, very different from my own, was really exciting to me.
3. I wanted to develop personally and professionally! I realised that, as an Associate, I would receive access to regular mentoring and coaching which I knew could be incredibly expensive. I also very much appreciated having a mentor for a whole year, which I knew would accelerate my learnings.

It's been six months since you completed the Associate Programme. What are you doing now?

I’m involved in a few different ventures! Using the learnings from my placements as well as the weekly Friday training sessions, I now work as a consultant supporting organisations with their grant-making process. Here I really try to focus on the needs of the ‘beneficiaries’ and the true shifting of power within grant making.

I am also a peer reviewer for grant applications to The Baobab Foundation, an organisation that wants to give £3 million to ‘black and brown’ charities working towards racial justice. The foundation focuses on supporting organisations less centred around London and the South East and really wants to put money in the hands of those who need it most, which I firmly believe in.

Finally, I am part of an initiative called the Community Leaders Programme, run by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. As the inaugural Admin Manager/Chair, I support the community leaders in West Yorkshire through the network to advance the priorities of the Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP) unit of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Can you tell us more about your placements?

My first placement was at the Dudley Building Society, where I supported the organisation to reposition itself as a community building society and strengthen the recognition for its environmental work.

As part of that, I led Dudley’s B Corp certification process and also supported the development of the organisation’s community fund. I helped increase the number of really impactful Black Country charities the Society supported through this fund which was incredible. My time with Dudley also gave me experience in a rather large organisation, which I previously hadn’t had.

My second placement was with The B Team, a global collective of business and civil society leaders working to create new norms of corporate leadership today, for a better tomorrow. As an Associate I supported a number of research projects, on topics such as leadership, business and democracy. This placement allowed me to work in quite a collaborative environment with a number of different teams and it really improved my research skills.

What’s the most important thing you learnt during your year as an Associate?

That I am enough. That all of the experiences and skills I gathered before and throughout the Associate Programme are enough to move onwards and succeed after the programme.

And also the value of friendships. Within my cohort we truly became friends and are always supporting each other. Even today, six months after the programme, we’re still organising meet-ups and other events, which is amazing.

What support did you get along the way?

I got a lot of support!

The On Purpose London core team was great and always around to guide me along.

I also found the coaching really helpful, especially when thinking about my goals - and keeping me accountable to them.

Finally, the community and cohort were a really important support network, especially as I hadn’t lived in the UK for a long time. Here, I was also part of a community within the On Purpose community, called Impact Collective, which is founded by On Purpose Fellows and which has very much helped me when developing bids for my work.

How did you approach finding a job after the programme?

One of the beautiful things of being part of the Associate Programme is realising what jobs you don't want to apply for. When I finished my year as an Associate, I had quite a clear idea of what I was looking for - I actually had a whole list of those types of jobs as well as my needs, for instance a job that would accommodate my family. I then used various job boards, LinkedIn and the On Purpose Slack to find those positions.

What advice would you give to others in a similar situation?

Just do it! Be open and flexible to new experiences and perspectives. If you decide to apply to the Associate Programme (and get in), don't just think about life after the programme. Try to enjoy every bit of the programme to the fullest.