OE 2001-06
OE Michael Ibitoye is the founder and driving force of Foundation 47, a charity which aims to ‘empower young people to make decisions which will improve, instead of cost them their lives’. Having witnessed youths getting involved in crime when he was growing up in Brixton, Michael wanted to safeguard children and young people and to provide them with opportunities in order to steer them away from crime.
“I grew up in Brixton (South London) and Emanuel was a world away from what I had experienced. At Emanuel, there was greater diversity, discipline was explained, and I was surrounded by staff and pupils who expected excellent results. There is no doubt this has shaped how I have lived since leaving 14 years ago.
My parents came over to England from Nigeria with only one suitcase. By working round the clock, they slowly built a brighter future for me and my two brothers. I was pushed up a year in primary school, so later my parents were faced with the challenging decision of sending me to a private school or me repeating a year at primary. It was a no brainer for my parents who did not want to see me punished for my achievements.
There were so many amazing teachers at Emanuel, but the ones that left a lasting mark and that I emulate to this day are Mr Shaun Andrews and Ms Anabel Zaratiegui. They were fantastic and very patient with me. Looking back now, they were more aware of how successful I could be than I was. I owe them both a coffee once we get back to some normality.
When I left Emanuel, I pretty much chased my friends and went to the same college people in my area were going to. I suppose I had to learn the hard way and I now use my experiences to support youths to make better decisions. I also worked as a live-in carer for 2 years. Supporting vulnerable people put my life into perspective; it wasn’t as bad as I thought, and I was still hopeful about what the future held.
I wanted to become a professional footballer and had an extended trial period at Carrow Road (Norwich City FC) but couldn’t secure a permanent contract; I’m not sure I had the mental strength to play at the highest level. I also hated the gym which is not ideal for a footballer. In 2012, I set up Bellingham FC to help other youngsters to strike the balance between football and making sure they focus on their schoolwork, because not all aspiring footballers make it. We set up workshops and talks by professional footballers and other speakers which focus on showing the wealth of opportunities available in football and beyond, and the hard work it takes to get there. Young people listen to us because they know we come from a place of experience.
We also sponsored the women’s football team at Goldsmith’s University as women were under-represented in the sport, despite comprising 75% of the student population. They went on to achieve amazing success and even got the chance to play with the England Lionesses. I met my wife on the day of signing the sponsorship contract and she has played a crucial role in all our achievements. She delivers our tutoring sessions whilst also studying to become an Educational Psychologist.
Above, left: Launch of Bellingham Football Club. Right: Women’s team at Goldsmith’s.
Having witnessed youths get involved in crime when I was growing up in the Cowley Estate in Brixton, I wanted to safeguard children and young people and to provide them with opportunities so that selling drugs, stealing and crime was not their norm. Bellingham FC became Foundation 47 (F47) and we aim to give opportunities to youngsters who are not in employment, education or training. These youngsters feel demoralised and unsupported, leading to a high chance of offending. To counter this, we speak with employers such as Greenwich Leisure Limited as well as Local Authorities to find out whether they can offer apprenticeships to our young people. They have been awesome so far and have offered to guarantee interviews to youths we recommend.
Above: Michael being interviewed by the BBC after the 2011 riots, asking for more opportunities for youths
Last year F47 ran a fantastic project in Croydon in which GB professional basketball players supported local teenagers. Great Britain’s Justin Robinson, who has won British Basketball League’s MVP twice in a row, addressed youths about finding their niche in life, having confidence and avoiding all kinds of negativity. He encouraged them to play basketball and use it as a tool to make a positive impact on their lives. This video gives an insight into the work we did. The video was played at the Croydon Mayor’s Knife Crime Seminar earlier this year with Met Police, MPs and friends and families of victims present. For many of our youths, their confidence is rebuilt knowing that international stars are fully behind them. Credit also goes to the athletes who see the importance of spending time with young people despite their own commitments.
Above, left: Lewisham School. Right: event at Monks Hill.
F47 also does a lot behind the scenes to give young people opportunities, from professional club scouting services and sponsoring aspiring athletes to referral services working with music studios and wellbeing charities. We’ve run projects across London and as far as Belgium (New Ghent), which led to a 500K euro investment from their local authority to expand grassroots programmes and offer extra-curricular sport to young people in deprived areas.
I was really inspired by OE Jonas Dodoo (OE1997-2004), who has set up his own coaching company called Speedworks and trained Olympic athletes. I read about him in The Rose and Portcullis a few years ago and have been speaking to him about how we can collaborate to support more youths. Watch this space for developments.
As the owner of F47, I am privileged to have completed over 20 successful employment references for young people. We’ve also supported families to reconcile their differences in order to promote their child’s best interests. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve been carrying out welfare checks on the young people as well as weekly tuition via Skype and Microsoft Teams. It’s also been an opportunity to plan our future projects. Whilst I’m proud of our achievements, there’s far more work to be done.
Above, left: Michael, the Mayor of Croydon, a youth now in modelling and Michael’s wife. Right: Michael with England Rugby’s Eddie Jones.
For the past two years, I have worked as a Placement Officer in Adult Social Care for Croydon Council. This involves supporting hospital discharges and those in the community requiring residential or nursing support. My employers have been supportive of my charitable work and I am fortunate to have been nominated as part of Team of the Year and Croydon Champion.
I came back to Emanuel for the Mozart Concert in 2016. Driving into the school gave me a sense of awe as I remembered the teachers who had gone above and beyond and the constant striving for excellence. I was very aware that current and future pupils at Emanuel have an amazing head start in life. I would encourage everyone reading this to seriously consider making a donation to the transformative free places campaign; it’ll be worth it!”
