Alison Cope’s experiences and life story includes various forms of trauma starting from an early age. The biggest trauma Alison has faced is losing her son Joshua to knife crime in 2013. She uses her resilience and strength to educate and support others in seeing a future beyond negative experiences.

 

While engaging with thousands of young people delivering presentations, Alison also presents an annual event dubbed by the press as ‘the first of its kind in the UK’. The Joshua Ribera Achievement Awards recognises and celebrates the achievements of young people who are not in mainstream education. The event esteems and reinforces the confidence in young people to continue making positive choices, despite challenges they may be facing personally.

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“One of the reasons I started The Joshua Ribera Awards was because I was meeting numerous young people in alternative education settings that, with the support of staff, were now achieving personally and academically but were still excluded from mainstream celebrations, which I felt wasn’t fair. So I set up the Joshua Ribera Achievement Awards to celebrate their successes in memory of my son Joshua. I also feel many people don’t understand the trauma some of these young people have faced which has led to them being excluded and I have felt this was a good way help highlight the importance of bringing more understanding to those in alternative provisions.” - Alison Cope

 

With her and Josh's compelling story coupled with her unique ability to connect with young people she regularly visits schools, prisons and alternative education provisions nationally, reaching 1000's of young people and changing lives.

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Alison has worked with West Midlands Police, Staffordshire Police, Hertfordshire Police and Crimestoppers along with keynote speaking and lecturing at Birmingham and Nottingham universities.