Raksha Pattni

BP Community Champion Award

Raksha Pattni

Raksha Pattni accepted the BP Community Champion Award from Rachel Riley for her work with the education charity SHINE. Raksha is passionate about education as a tool for social mobility, as a way to draw upon the untapped talent, diversity and life experiences that young people represent. Growing up in Tanzania, she experienced issues around poverty, attainment and social mobility, and since working in the UK, has focussed on helping teachers tackle north-south disadvantage gaps in education.

Raksha Pattni said “I feel incredibly honoured to receive the BP Community Champion Award. Through my work with SHINE and the Ambition Institute I work with teachers every day – they are at the heart of the communities they serve. They make the biggest difference when they work hand-in-hand with those communities to drive change. I passionately believe that everyone should get a fair chance of success in life, regardless of where you live and whether your parents are rich or poor. Sadly, this is not the case everywhere in the country, particularly in the north of England. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds don’t do as well as their more affluent peers and by the time they leave school they are already behind by nearly 18 months. This has an inevitable impact on their future success and potential. That is why I dedicate my time to champion education as one of the key drivers of social mobility. Education is sometimes the only chance available for children to break the vicious cycle of poverty and disadvantage. I’m grateful to the Women of the Year awards for highlighting the issues that I am passionate about. I hope this honour inspires others to become change-makers and champions of social mobility and make sure no child or young person is left behind because of their background.”