07/04/2026
“20 years… and still learning every day. Grateful to still be here.”
As I reflect, I feel truly humbled. I started Refocus in 2005 after leaving prison an ex-offender with no job, just a belief that young people like me, deserved more and a second chance. I failed services regularly, pulled out of appointments and let people down. But to know where they were when I needed them was invaluable.
To have come from that place and still be standing is a blessing. In 2006, Bali Rodgers Safer Communities Alliance cic my wife came on board, and together we built not just a vision, but the capacity to deliver real, lasting impact. Over the years, we trained ex offenders into employment, delivered hotspot outreach across the South East, spoken at conferences, delivering in police stations, House project, pop up satellites, schools, shopping centres, working in partnership with youth services, voluntary sector organisations,, faith groups, prisons, schools, local police. Supported a range of community led projects, engaging global majority communities through a range of engagement such as fishing, prison tours, and parents in prison, music projects and so much more.
We have delivered workshops in over 50 schools a year on knife crime, drugs and anti-social behaviour.
The impact reaches far beyond what we can measure. It hasn’t been easy with funding challenges, moments of doubt, but also joy, partnership, purpose and countless success stories.
Thank you to everyone who has walked with us through the journey. We’ve listened carefully to children, young people and families and the message is very very clear: support must start early. That’s why we also deliver holiday and half term clubs for those most vulnerable or at risk. We prioritise underserved families, including migrant and global majority communities, and foreign nationals. Our approach is about supporting the whole family with big thanks to our new staff Lois Rachel , new chair Wayne Robb, Temitope Atoki-Agbaje MS. Earlyn's, ex service users and young people that have chosen to invest back.
Alongside this, its work as usual through crime prevention workshops, prison advocacy, and mentoring. Over the years we have delivered projects, but we have also stayed the course, through thick and thin, so families know we are on this journey with them as a service that is community led not project led.
Our appreciation and gratefulness can never be enough to the many who have supported us in many ways, especially Don Hanson Charitable Foundation,Andrew M Fox, Colyer Fergusson Charitable Trust, Tudor Trust who funded my first salary for five years and Kent Community Foundation and many more.
To add to this we want to give a monumental thank you to the Co-op Foundation to add to this legacy, who have just funded us for 5 years towards through the Future Communities Fund towards our breaking the cycle of offending and rehabilitation. 🎈 🥳 🙌
