Social enterprise agency to influence 1m young people with year-long global vision

The Adam Bradford Agency (ABA) has developed its ‘Everyone a Changemaker’ programme to create an inclusive and encouraging environment for learning and growth

Social campaigning communications agency the ABA is aiming to reach one million young people across global markets in 2022 in a bid to create more opportunities for social entrepreneurship.

Through key partnerships in the UK, Middle East, and the United States, the agency has teamed up with corporate consultancies including the British Business Group Dubai and Northern Emirates (BBG), and Dan Bolton Creative Management to help spearhead future growth.

Adam Bradford, founder and managing director of the ABA, said: “We’re on a mission to make social entrepreneurship a normal part of doing business. Through our 2022 programme, ‘Everyone a Changemaker’, we want to inspire sustainability and ethics in youth-led business programmes to create entrepreneurs and jobs for the future.

“We are on track to reach our £1m turnover mark this year, and I hope that through our specially-selected partnerships, we’re able to solidify social entrepreneurship as one of global business’ greatest economic drivers.”

The ABA established its UAE branch in 2021 to help support its efforts with the BBG and future businesses alike. The partnership will soon launch a series of ‘speed mentoring’, which will bring experienced and new-to-market businesses together in a traditional and reverse mentoring format to learn, develop, and knowledge share for equal benefit.

Katy Holmes, general manager of the British Business Group Dubai and Northern Emirates, said: “The BBG Dubai and Northern Emirates is over thirty years old and is rich in business expertise and experience. We are a proactive business group and seek opportunities to future proof our proposition to remain engaged and useful to the UAE business ecosystem. This partnership with Adam Bradford Agency sets our intention to provide structured mentoring opportunities to encourage communication, connection and knowledge share throughout the established and new to market business community.

“Adam and his team will be key navigators as we look to attract and engage a younger demographic and I look forward to the positive potential of this planned programme of activity.”

The ABA’s continued goal is to bolster its portfolio of high-impact social and educational partners as part of its 2022 plans.

Dan Bolton, owner and director of Dan Bolton Creative Management who is partnering with the ABA to run a Dragon’s Den style series to encourage creative enterprise across communities in the Middle East this year, said: “I am extremely excited to support this year’s Inspiring futures project. When you start off on the journey of building a business, the road ahead is often daunting and not without challenges. The support, guidance, and leadership of those around you is extremely important as you take the often lonely, tentative steps in working extremely hard towards bringing your dreams to fruition.

“Over the years I am incredibly grateful to have been able to receive the support of friends, family, and industry peers in helping me build the successful businesses that I have today. With a young, diverse team of unique individuals driving my businesses, it is fitting that me and my companies explore ways to give back to the wider business community and support those future leaders who are beginning their start up journey and by doing this in a tangible and authentic way through the inspiring futures initiative.”

More recently, the ABA announced a collaboration between AdamStart, a not-for-profit project delivered by the agency, and Pearson College London UK to mark the beginning of the international campaign rollout. It will soon launch a curriculum with the Creative Visions Foundation in the USA and beyond, including the UAE, with strong alignment to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The Adam Bradford Agency is a social enterprise that provides programmes and consultancy for social entrepreneurs to develop the sustainability of businesses. Founder Adam Bradford launched the agency aged 16, at the same age he was diagnosed as autistic, and he is one of the Queen’s Young Leaders based on his strong advocacy for social business around the world.

Bradford successfully built a digital therapy app, BetProtect, following his father’s own personal struggles with gambling addiction with the support of Entain, and sold it for an undisclosed sum back into the industry in summer 2021.