Adebimpe Abiade – ‘Bridge, Build and Aspire’

Bridging the gap for young people in society

There are no limits for the founder of Bridge, Build and Aspire (BBA), Adebimpe, who prides herself in working directly amongst young students across schools, through personal development and academic workshops run by her very own organization.

The First Building Blocks:

During her time at school, Adebimpe was quite the trouble maker and regularly skipped her lessons to avoid the problems she had caused, which may be difficult to believe for those that may come across this phenomenal lady today. Coming from a single-parent household, Adebimpe didn’t know how to deal with her situation at home which caused her to subconsciously project this through her behaviour at school. 

But then that all changed after being paired up with a learning mentor at school who persisted in helping her out and giving her life to Christ. This brought upon a good shift in Adebimpe’s life whereby she began to take charge of her education, unlearn bad habits and let go of friends that didn’t align with the space she was now at. Having the opportunity to receive this guidance which consequently changed her life left Adebimpe with many questions as to why this wasn’t a service every student could experience. Unsatisfied, Adebimpe began to build what is now Bridge, Build and Aspire after finishing sixth form.

Bridging The Gap:

Before giving young people opportunities, Adebimpe feels it’s important to focus on personal development.

“If they don’t know who they are, they’re not really ready for those opportunities … if you’re not confident, you’ll walk into an opportunity and just can’t grab it because you feel like you’re not ready”

Adebimpe Abiade

Getting young people ready is what she’s all about. Adebimpe runs sessions that work towards equipping students with skills other than those typically taught in schools. This entails talking about teamwork, resilience, communication, confidence, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and most importantly self-worth. She’s also worked with students transitioning from GCSE’s to A-LEVELs as well as provided workshops for year 9 students, specifically for those who misbehave and have been given up on by their teachers. She encourages them to realize their potential while refocusing away from their environment in order to find the value in themselves.

To Adebimpe it is essential to give young people access to establish their potential, just like her mentor did with her. Her aim is to help as many people that could be in the same position that she was once in.

Aspiring Those Around Her:

As with every start-up, Adebimpe faced her own set of internal challenges, from doubting herself and feeling like she’s not ready because of her age, to striving and maintaining her vision despite external pressures.

Last year Adebimpe hosted her first BAME parenting conference for BAME parents. The event was a space where parents could come together and learn from different people how to harvest their children’s potential, instead of leaving teachers to do it alone.  Social workers, teachers, emotional and mental health wellbeing coach and expectational parents and students covered topics such as tackling knife crime, peer pressure, mental health, and low educational attainment. Not only was the conference a success, but impactful also. As a business, Bridge Build and Aspire benefited from this experience too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi3wSYXrlJw

At the moment, Adebimpe continues to work with more schools, gaining more experience, and helping more young people in churches and youth centers. Her goal is to carry on bridging gaps in society to ensure that every young person is able to fulfill their potential through understanding the value in themselves, a global impact that is sustainable by those who realize the potential in young people.

Advice For You:

“Take your time, there is no rush. Even though social media exists and people are always showing their highlights, they’re not showing they’re building processes.”

Adebimpe Abiade