Olamide was nine years old the first time she lost someone to knife crime. She was ten when she and her family were moved into witness protection. By the age of thirteen, both argumentative and confrontational by her own admission, Olamide had been suspended twice from her school in Hackney, and was facing a permanent exclusion. When her mother was suddenly hospitalised with a blood clot in the brain, Olamide was forced to stop and examine the direction her life was taking. As one of the older siblings in her household, it now fell to Olamide to take responsibility for the wellbeing of her mum and younger siblings. Olamide not only got herself back on track with improving her behaviour, but went on to achieve the highest GCSE grades at her school, winning a full academic scholarship to a top London private school in the process.
Even before acing her GCSEs, Olamide recognised that having too much unoccupied time outside of school could land her back in trouble. She signed herself up to a local summer programme with the Robert Levy Foundation, a charity named in memory of a promising young man who had lost his life to knife crime in Hackney. While London hosted the Olympics, Olamide was able spend her summer on the Foundation's month-long fashion course, making a single, exquisite garment and showcasing it to her peers as part of the end of course show. Surprised by well how her work was received, Olamide decided to share what she had made on Facebook. The response was overwhelmingly positive, so Olamide decided to set up her own fashion business that summer, The Voice of Fashion. She maintained the business throughout her GCSEs and right up to Year 13, by which time The Voice of Fashion had racked up over one thousand likes on Facebook and had been supported by singer Justine Skye.
By the summer of 2018, Olamide had grown increasingly frustrated with the number of homicides taking young lives in Hackney, whilst simultaneously hearing about the budget cuts to the education and youth services sector, which she knew would disproportionately affect state school pupils in areas like hers. From her own experience at both state and private schools, Olamide already knew of the lack of opportunity and exposure to positive examples that exists for pupils in underfunded schools. To help redress the balance, she founded #MadeInHackney.
#MadeInHackney aims to help bridge the knowledge gap between less well-resourced state schools and private schools by offering, free of charge, exposure to relatable, positive role models and personal development opportunities. Olamide gives assemblies where she shares her life story, highlighting her successes, and honestly addressing her struggles. She encourages students to recognise and own their shortcomings, and to learn how to use those challenges to their advantage rather than as an excuse. Olamide shares knowledge of the elite programmes that she has had the chance to be a part of at institutions like Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge and at BCG on Rare's Consult programme, showing students how to access those same opportunities. She also offers smaller coaching sessions centred around practical skills and advice, such as personal statement workshops. Since launching #MadeInHackney, Olamide has spoken to over 1000 students and aims to speak at every school in the London Borough of Hackney by the end of 2019. Her hope is that all students in Hackney can find something beyond their everyday circumstances to aspire to.
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