Adam Tulloch, founder and CEO of Total Insight Theatre, is to use his own life experiences to inspire the next generation they can ‘overcome obstacles and succeed against the odds’.
The 30-year-old has just been named Charity CEO of the Year and aims to build on the award and the work of the charity by visiting 100 schools where the organisation works – the East Midlands, Kent, London and West Yorkshire.
In Leeds & Bradford, Total Insight Theatre is delivering knife crime intervention, while in Halifax its Space Between initiative is a support programme for recently bereaved young people.
Using theatre, film, workshops and creative support hubs, Total Insight Theatre purposely tackles sensitive subjects such as youth crime, mental health, unemployment and grief amongst children and young adults.
Tulloch, a Fellow of Royal Society of Arts, aims to build on the work of the organisation and his own journey and personal experiences to show today’s young people how to ‘overcome obstacles and succeed against the odds’.
He has come from a one-parent family, secured a place a leading arts school to founding a charity that has grown from a single drama workshop to an organisation that champions and inspires the younger generation.
He will personally hand pick the schools, with priority going to state schools with a higher-than-average percentage of students entitled to free school meals.
Tulloch understands the issues facing today’s young people and draws on his ‘lived experience’ of inequality in his role as CEO. Winning the award has proven to be his inspiration and motivation to reach out to schools and the younger generation.
He said: “The award is acknowledgement of seven years of hard but really rewarding work. For the charity, it’s fantastic to see the work at Total Insight Theatre acknowledged in this way as we use the arts as a tool to make a difference in the lives of children and young people!
He added: “Going forward, I will look to use the award to raise the profile of the charity to reach more children and young people and champion the need for more opportunities for them. I’ll also continue highlighting the importance of lived experience leadership and the value it brings to organisations.
“One of the ways I intend to do this is to undertake a series of school visits in the locations where we are present and to share my story and how you can overcome many challenges and be a success.”
Nazira Amra, Chair of Trustees at Total Insight Theatre congratulated Tulloch and praised his qualities as a CEO. “We are thrilled that Adam has won this award. His leadership has been exceptional from the very start and his passion for the arts as an enabler to achieve social justice is inspiring. We are honoured that his work has been publicly recognised!”