Ruth Ibegbuna, Philanthropists & Activists, Debrett's 500 2016, People of Influence

Ruth Ibegbuna

Founder and CEO, RECLAIM

In 2007 Ruth Ibegbuna founded RECLAIM, a youth leadership project supporting young people across Greater Manchester from areas of social instability. RECLAIM aims to improve young people’s positive engagement within their communities and to encourage them to be responsible role models. Upon leaving university, Ibegbuna worked as a teacher, with her pupils consistently achieving some of the best results in the country. Frustrated by classroom bureaucracy, she ended her career in education and dedicated her life to tackling social exclusion and inequality directly, and has since won many awards for her work. She was born in Bradford, where her parents emphasised the importance of education, learning and community engagement.