about us
Our Background
Imagine If was founded by Community Psychologist, Kevin Feaviour in 2019. Community is at the heart of all our work. It began by recognising individual and collective untapped potential; that empowering people to use and enhance their skills, resource and relationships increases capacity for self-management, confidence, peer support, and enterprise.
The second key was understanding the circular relationship between wellbeing and productivity. People better able to manage their wellbeing have an increased capacity for productivity; being productive, feeling useful or having a sense of purpose increases self-esteem. Since then, we’ve worked with a wide variety of “communities”, learning that each, and every one has a unique, circular relationship.
We've combined all we’ve learnt to create three, adaptable solutions that tap into potential, empower development, improve wellbeing, and increase productivity. Our projects described below demonstrate our journey in detail and show how our solutions developed.
Tottenham Hotspur Foundation
Football coaching can be more than balls and boots. By incorporating Assets for Success - our strength based development framework - into sport coaching, young people are able to enhance their "life" or "soft" skills, increasing self and social awareness, giving them a better understanding of their emotions and helping them make good decisions both on and off the pitch.
Our partnership with THF brought together 9 different colleges. We integrated Assets for Success into the BTEC Sport and Sport Science programme so it reached 600 students, iwthout the need for additional classes or staff.
THF Coaches built Assets into their coaching style with the support of our tried and tested material pack. We co-created a set of bespoke Asset Recipe Cards with the young football enthusiasts, helping them to identify Assets in themselves and others, and consider how they could use everyday situations to help develop their Assets.
Nando's: Employability and Recruitment
Imagine If worked in partnership with Nando’s regional managers and national HR team to co-create an Assets for Success Profile for Nando’s prospective and current employees. We transformed our 4G rating framework into a “peri-ometer” – from Lemon & Herb all the way to Extra Hot – to give current and prospective employees a flavour of the qualities they have which make them sparkling Assets to any team.
Alongside the Profile, we delivered bespoke workshops at Nando’s recruitment fairs. Workshops included front of house role play, making your own hot and spicy sauce and grilling demonstrations, all the while unpacking the behaviours and attitudes that make up the Assets. Prospective employees were made aware of and encouraged to explore their own Assets and the Assets needed for particular roles in the Nando’s team, helping to build their confidence and find a role they would enjoy and where they could grow.
The Asset Profile replaced the standard CV. Candidates used it to advertise and articulate their strengths, whilst managers integrated it into the recruitment process, helping them to devise interview questions and compare candidates. We encouraged our Asset Graduates to regularly refer back to their Profile, in order to celebrate their progress and remind them of the desirable, transferable Assets at key times in their future career.
Longmeadow Primary School
At Longmeadow Primary School in Hertfordshire, we collaborated with Year 6 children, teachers and teaching assistants, the senior leadership team and parents to embed Assets for Success.
We ran workshops to prepare Year 6 pupils for SATS and the transition to secondary school. Assets was adapted to put more focus on resilience and confidence. Resilience to help pupils manage increased stress and practice perseverance; confidence to support them to feel comfortable with their strengths and weaknesses and able to navigate daunting changes.
We encouraged pupils to become aware of their skills, their roles in different relationships and the impact their behaviour has on situations and people. Our focus is always on the positives and how to a. d progress, helping them to feel good about themselves and their learning ability.
Workshops were creative to ensure engagement, supporting the pupils and staff onto a spiral of discovery. The simple codified behaviours increased their understanding of Assets so develop could continue beyond the workshops.
Longmeadow Primary School, Year 6:
"They help us and give us fun things to accomplish – they make us feel proud"
"When I mess up I will correct it (resilience), when I want to do something I’ll try to do it by myself before asking for help (independence) and when I can’t decide what to do, I mix them together (flexibility)."
"I have something to offer!"
Exeter University
We introduced Assets for Success to 400 law students at Exeter University in a series of workshops and seminars. We used an interactive coaching style to help the students notice, develop and articulate their Assets for Success.
We discovered that their strengths lay in Assets like independence, resilience and problem solving, which are key to success when studying law. The Asset overwhelmingly identified by students and tutors as requiring work was collaboration – an Asset not practised much in studies, but of great importance in a legal career.
Through guided conversation, students were better able to form collaborative units, taking time to listen to, and really consider, other’s contributions. The groups made use of each other’s strengths and students were able to articulate the value of diversity in a team. The teamwork led to the successful co-creation of bespoke Asset Recipe Cards, for use by other cohorts of students.
Students were able to consider the Assets they worked on from different perspectives, enabling them to understand the role they play in general wellbeing, as well as ways they can benefit from Asset development in different contexts.
The Student Employability and Academic Success Support Department at Exeter University integrated our Asset for Success tool into internal processes, so students across the University could develop an understanding of Assets, helping them reach their potential and manage their well-being.
Exeter University Law School, Law Student:
"The Assets that you taught gave me a fantastic insight into how to approach future interviews and understand what skills actually mean… now I understand how they interact with each other and how everyone has these Assets; it’s just about how to harness and progress the Assets that are perhaps dormant.”
Newham Youth Offending Service
The Edge
Case Managers (CMs) at Newham’s Youth Offending Service (YOS) are working with us to embed Assets for Success. The objective is to support the rehabilitation of young people and help to level the employment playing field through Assets development. Assets is being integrated into the YOS Initial Assessment Process; a 12-week process young people go through when first entering the service.
Using the Assets for Success material pack, CMs engage young people in conversations about Assets. This helps CMs gauge the young person’s confidence levels, how they perceive themselves, and highlights areas that require attention going forwards. This supports CMs to build the trusting relationship needed to address criminogenic needs.
Improving Assets has also become an Education, Training and Employment Target (ETE). Previously targets were general, such as ‘attend college’ or ‘find employment’. Assets for Success offers the opportunity for more specific, achievable, and meaningful goals for young people. Assets development encourages consideration of different perspectives and develops strategies to manage emotions, which support social integration.
Young people are supported to create an action plan to meet their goals based on their everyday routines. This helps ensure that change is personal, sustainable, and that progress is celebrated, improving engagement, and reducing reoffending behaviour.
Over the 12-week Initial Assessment process, Assets helps young people realise what they have to offer and develop their ability to discuss this with others. Building the confidence and resilience to enable them to look to the future of employment or education.
We provided training sessions for Newham CMs and on hand support throughout the first two cohorts of young people introduced to Assets. This ensured successful and sustainable integration into their processes. It has been vital that Assets has only a minimal impact on CMs workloads. We have done this by incorporating Assets into existing processes in such a way that it complements the original aims and fits into the existing timeline - and there’s no extra paperwork (phew!).
Newham Youth Offending Service
Time to Talk
This project is full of our favourite things: it’s one big conversation; progress is based on what we learn from collaborating; it’s full of unexpected discoveries and it's created valuable connections.
The conversations are guided by both the Ibelong and Assets framework, but in a looser way. Participants don’t rate themselves, but Assets are always a part of the discussion. Really, sessions are freestyled (or free-spiralled?) by participants – progress is a must, but direction of progress is up to them. We continuously adapt and flex our approach based on what we hear and learn from the group. Our objective is to create a safe space in which people can speak their minds, explore how they feel and create a plan for action.
Time to Talk with Newham has a specific focus on equality and diversity. We take time to share experiences and discuss issues of personal and professional importance. We share Imagine If tools, tips and tricks about the art of conversation and relationship building, giving people the confidence to have these sometimes difficult conversations outside the safe space we’ve created, and help them find a sense of belonging.
The conversations with Newham were both powerful and empowering. They demonstrated that we are all teachers and learners at all times.
Roman Fields Provision
Roman Fields Provision is a school of extraordinary value that cannot be overstated. We think they agree that we’re both heading in the same direction – up that spiral, by putting wellbeing and SELF at the forefront of education, engaging in genuine collaboration and tapping into young people’s potential.
The majority of the young people at Roman Fields have an Autism diagnosis as their primary need; others have social, emotional and mental health needs, and a some a combination.
Our Founding Director, Kevin, has been the Enterprise Advisor at Roman Fields for over 4 years; providing mentoring, learning support and strategic advice. Recently we worked with a small group of young people aged 14 to 16 to integrate Assets for Success into their Film Studies over a period of two months, for one afternoon every week.
We introduced Assets by considering what qualities employers may look for in prospective employees. The group were encouraged to share their own understanding of Assets and to notice them within their classmates, developing a common language within the group and increasing awareness of other perspectives.
The study objective was to create a film. The group wrote, shot and edited a film that just happened to be about a young persons’ upward spiral as a result of noticing their Assets. And thus the upwards spiral was born!
We were extremely proud of the group; they managed and learnt from conflict, grew in confidence and developed strong bonds with one another. We were able to track their Asset development using our 4G rating scale. The students demonstrated an increased ability to articulate their strengths, realising the wealth of Assets they have that are desired by employers.
REFLECT (EU)
REFLECT: Raising awareness and stimulating Executive Functioning and Social Emotional Learning by integrating Evidence based strategies in the Classroom to empower pupils, Teachers and parents.
Imagine if is the UK partner in a 3-year Erasmus+ project involving 6 countries: Greece, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and the UK.
The aim of the project is to raise awareness about Social Emotional Learning and Executive Functioning for all those engaging with 8 - 12-year-olds, and the children themselves. By integrating evidence-based strategies into everyday activities, inside and outside the classroom, we can empower pupils, teachers, support staff and parents with an understanding of SELF, stimulating the development of SELF in everyone.
The range of partners creates a dynamic, collaborative approach:
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VZW TOPunt Ghent (Association of Pupil Guidance Centres), Belgium
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University of Granada, Psychology Department, Spain
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Altera Vita, Social Cooperative Enterprise of Cyclades (Training in Communities), Greece
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Skolutvecklarna Sverige AB (Enterprise Teacher Training/Psychological Support), Sweden
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University of Evora, Psychology Department, Portugal
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Imagine if Partnership Ltd, UK
Over the 3-year project, ending in Winter 2022, we've created a cross national resource to enhance SELF. We are working with schools to pilot the approach and resources, collecting extensive feedback for evaluation.
Throughout REFLECT, Imagine If is seeking to work with additional partners from health, education and community organisations within the UK, gathering input from a range of specialists who have interest and experience in this area. Connecting with other partners helps achieve synergies to maximise the positive impact on the health and wellbeing of children, families and whole communities.
Meet the Team
It’s now time to meet our greatest Assets! We are proud of our little team, though we are all works in progress too.
Together we make a difference – we bring people and perspectives together, promote equality and diversity, unleash potential, supervise crash landings, inspire change and celebrate the little things – nudging individuals and communities along that upward spiral.
Kevin Feaviour, Founding Director:
Founder and Director of imagine if, Kevin’s career makes for interesting reading. After qualifying as a pilot, Kevin decided that air-traffic control in the brain was more up his street runway.
Kevin has extensive experience working as a psychologist in education, social care, youth services and business development. He’s designed programmes and projects for organisations across the UK, in Europe and the US, focusing on everything from trauma to change management, and working with people of all ages and backgrounds.
“Imagine if… takes you on a collaborative journey and our approach is always personalised to suit the needs of the individual, the team and the company. We emphasise and celebrate the importance of the journey because valuing the process is as important as the outcomes. As are the people who make that journey – after all, people are worth it, wellbeing is invaluable, and sustainable investment makes the most sense.”
To say Kevin is a people person would be the understatement of the century. He also loves being active through cycling and walking; he enjoys the seaside and cooking up a storm.
“Kevin has a natural talent for engaging people and getting them on board. He listens and understands other people's perspectives and provides bespoke support to help them develop local solutions. He leads from the front and is a charismatic presenter.” – Sue
Louise Cole, Director:
Louise has a background in international, community and youth development. She is admired for her commitment to innovative collaborations, having worked in diverse education, voluntary, community and local authority settings as a trainer and facilitator. She brings exceptional programme management and organisational development expertise through her previous senior leadership roles.
A Director of imagine if since its inception, Louise designs and delivers strength-based programmes, coaching and training to push that spiral upward. She is driven to unlock the power and potential of people, enable them to better respond to each other and work collaboratively to make great things happen.
“My vision is for imagine if to reach a wider audience because our tools are powerful ways of creating positive change.”
Louise also works in her own local coastal community developing creative, place-based projects that connect people through art and culture.
Anna Hendrey, Head of Operations / Development Coach:
Anna studied LLB Law with Psychology and has never been able to separate her passion for justice and social equality from her curiosity in behaviour change and trauma. Anna started her career in the Criminal Justice system, working for SL5 Legal (Tuckers Solicitors) as a Paralegal under Andrew Sperling. SL5 specialises in Prison Law and Human Rights. Anna represented prisoners through the Parole Board process, supporting clients and their families every step of the way.
“We need to move away from analysing our shortfalls and take a strength-based approach to learning and rehabilitation. To give people an understanding of their assets empowers them. With the right support and access to proper services, empowered people can create positive change.”
Anna is a certified GROW coach and a qualified mental health first aider. She ensures everything at Imagine If is moving up that spiral, whilst coaching patients recovering from heart attacks. In her own time, Anna loves going to gigs, attending protests, cooking up a storm and secretly coaching her friends.
Nikki Kelly, Head of Partnerships:
Nikki is the Head of Community Connect in Cornwall. She is an experienced community practitioner working with the public, private and voluntary sector for over 25 years, leading and developing national and international programmes of work. Nikki can spot opportunities a mile away and is never far from her next brainwave.
“[Nikki] has amazing vision and foresight for what needs to be accomplished and proactively puts in the plans to make it happen… The work she is doing and the impact she makes internally and externally is to be admired and commended!” – Lisa
Nikki is a mum of two, a nan of two, a wild water swimmer, keen cyclist and has just taken up gig rowing.
Libby Huddy, Community Navigator:
Over the last 2 years Libby has built up a wealth of experience working as a social prescriber for Imagine If in the Coastal PCN and Truro areas.
Libby has set up a number of regular groups in our network, such as the Menopause Support Group, the Royal Cornwall Museum art and wellbeing group in Truro she's currently running our Pain Walk and Talk. Libby has also been crucial to the success of our Pain Cafe's activity across the County. She has been very involved in setting up the Perranporth Hub working alongside the community to make sure the Hub is as well connected and well used as possible. In 2023 Libby will be focusing more on the Hubs and her role as Community Navigator in the Coastal PCN communities and in Truro.
Ellen Moule, Marketing and HUB Coordinator:
Ellen has a background in the Arts and in her other life she is Director of Blystra Arts. Since 2003 Ellen has worked as a freelancer, building up her skills in the creative sector, as well as working in education and now with Imagine If in the health and social sector.
Since joining Imagine If in June 2022, she has been using her skills in project management, marketing and fundraising as Marketing and Hub Coordinator. Ellen runs the Perranwell Health and Wellbeing Hub, alongside a group of committed volunteers and co-runs the Ponsanooth Hub with Libby. She is the main Marketing person for the company, and manages the Imagine If social media platforms, blog posts and newsletter, alongside Anna.
