ISITC TALKTIME: Empowering Young People to Take a Second Chance
TalkTime Podcast: Empowering Young People to Take a Second Chance
As part of ISITC Europe’s mission to educate and help young people through it’s student society Gary Wright talks to Amani Simpson founder of AVIARD about his work empowering young people to have a second chance.
Amani Simpson’s story is a rare blend of grit, purpose, and hope — and this podcast captures exactly why his work is resonating with young people across the UK and beyond.
Amani, founder of the youth‑focused social enterprise AVIARD, has dedicated his life to empowering young people who are searching for a second chance. As he explains, AVIARD helps young people “see themselves a little bit differently than they have previously” and supports them through digital media, personal development, and pathways into meaningful work.
What makes Amani’s mission so compelling is that it’s deeply personal. At 21, he survived a knife attack — a moment he describes as a turning point: “I kind of prayed and pleaded for another chance.” That experience became the foundation of his viral 2019 short film Amani, which reached a million views in four days and has since surpassed four million. Its impact is undeniable: he rarely enters a room without meeting a young person who has seen it and felt seen by it.
Today, Amani travels nationwide, visiting schools and youth organisations, delivering talks, and running the Amani Project, a partnership with Goldman Sachs and Hogan Lovells that supports 30 young people each year. Now entering its fifth cohort, the programme focuses on 16–19‑year‑olds who are ready to rewrite their story and step into new opportunities.
But Amani is also looking ahead. He sees a huge, untapped opportunity in digital youth work, especially as the number of young people not in education, employment, or training continues to rise. As he notes, leaders must find ways to “safeguard young people digitally, but also empower them through their devices.”
This conversation is more than a profile — it’s a call to action. Amani’s work shows what’s possible when compassion meets innovation, and why now is the moment to help young people reclaim hope, agency, and a future they can believe in.
Podcast Part 1
Viewing time:11 mins
About Amani Simpson
After struggling to find my feet as I grew up, and nearly losing my life after being stabbed seven times in a knife attack in 2011, I dedicated my life to steering young people away from darkness.
Most of my projects are run through my social enterprise, AVIARD Inspires CIC but I also work with a number of other impactful initiatives such as Apprentice Nation and The Commission On Young Lives. I’m also a secondary school governor, trustee of a leading creative college and board member of a leading christian media production company.
With my creative hat on, I’m a director, producer and writer, starting my film career in 2018 as the producer and protagonist of the award-winning ‘AMANI’ Short Film starring Hollywood Actor, Joivan Wade (DC Comic’s Doom Patrol, The First Purge and Shiro’s Story). It received 1 Million views in four days and has since been viewed nearly 4 million times on Youtube. My rule of thumb is that all the stories I tell must be honest, thought-provoking and uplifting.
My mission is to be a servant leader who always finds ways to add value to others through my lived experience, loving nature and influential network. I plan to leave this earth (as an old man) having used my time well, impacting the lives, mindsets and trajectory of millions of people.
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