Nudge Education Announced as Headline Partner for APIC2026 as Afrikindness Brings Families, Professionals and Young People Together in Leeds

Taking place between 24 October and 7 November 2026, APIC2026 will bring together parents, young people, educators, health and social care professionals, community and faith leaders, policymakers, businesses and service providers through a programme of conversations, workshops and practical interventions.

This year’s theme, “Beyond Assumptions 2.0: Reimagining Parenting, Youth Voice & Professional Practice,”challenges participants to look beyond labels, behaviours and assumptions and instead consider the whole child, the family around them and the circumstances shaping their experiences.

The conference will explore safeguarding, SEND and neurodiversity, mental health, parenting, cultural identity and inclusion, youth voice, employability and preparing young people for the future.

At the heart of the partnership between Afrikindness and Nudge Education is a simple but important principle:

See the child. Hear the parent. Understand the story.

Supporting young people beyond traditional education

Nudge Education is dedicated to revitalizing the potential in young people who have become disengaged from traditional schooling.

They provide bespoke, trauma-informed education and wellbeing support that meets children and adolescents exactly where they are, whether that is at home, in school or within their community.

Nudge Education believes that every young person’s story is unique and rejects “one-size-fits-all” solutions in favour of highly individualised programmes centred on the young person’s needs.

From navigating complex social and emotional needs to guiding students through post-16 transitions, their goal remains the same: to rebuild confidence, raise aspirations and create sustainable pathways back into education, ensuring every young person has the foundation they need for a Life Worth Living.

This approach closely complements Afrikindness’ community-based work supporting the whole child within the context of their family, identity and community.

Afrikindness works across parenting, safeguarding, neurodiversity, mental health, education, positive racial and cultural identity, youth leadership and community engagement, with a particular focus on African, Black, minority ethnic and underserved communities.

Its work aims to remove barriers to participation, build stronger relationships between families and services and create greater opportunities for children and young people.

From conference conversations to practical action

APIC2026 has been deliberately designed to go beyond simply talking about the challenges facing families.

The programme begins on Saturday, 24 October in Leeds with the main Parenting & Inclusion Conference, running alongside a dedicated Youth Employability Workshop for young people aged 15–21.

The Youth Employability Workshop will provide practical support to help young people strengthen their CVs and cover letters, build LinkedIn profiles and personal brands, develop networking and communication skills and engage directly with professionals.

Young people will also explore leadership, STEM and engineering, university and apprenticeship pathways, civic participation, safety, mental health and future careers.

On Wednesday, 28 October, the APIC2026 Exhibition & Community Business Roadshow will provide another opportunity for families to connect directly with organisations, service providers and businesses supporting parents, children and young people.

The programme concludes on Saturday, 7 November with an Online Neurodiversity Summit, creating further opportunities for parents, carers, professionals and community leaders to learn about neurodiversity, SEND, pathways to support and practical approaches to helping children and families thrive.

A partnership centred on the whole child

The partnership with Nudge Education Limited, under the leadership of CEO Mr Diego Melo, reflects a shared commitment to reaching children, young people and families within their communities and ensuring that no young person is left behind.

Bunmi Owolabi, CEO Afrikindness, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Nudge Education as a Headline Partner for APIC2026. Our organisations share a strong belief in looking beyond labels and immediate challenges to see the whole child — their strengths, circumstances, family, identity and potential.

We are grateful to Diego Melo and the wider Nudge Education leadership and management team for supporting this vision. We hope this partnership will extend beyond APIC2026 and create further opportunities to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.

Building relationships beyond APIC2026

The partnership builds on an existing relationship between Afrikindness and Nudge Education and reflects both organisations’ interest in developing meaningful collaborations that extend beyond a single event.

For Afrikindness, strategic partnerships are central to addressing the increasingly complex challenges facing children and families.

No charity, school, statutory organisation, community group or business can address those challenges alone.

By connecting specialist organisations directly with families and trusted community networks, APIC aims to help close an important gap: the gap between services that exist and the families who need to know about, trust and access them.

APIC2026 therefore creates more than a conference platform. It creates a space where the experiences of parents and young people can meet professional expertise, where difficult questions can be discussed openly and where conversations can lead to practical support and longer-term collaboration.