Our Causes

The One Good Deed Foundation believes that representation unlocks potential. When young people from underrepresented backgrounds see someone who looks like them thriving in professional spaces, it changes what they believe is possible for themselves.

In 2018, our founder Lola Okusaga co-founded Stepping Forward and Breaking Out, an annual youth empowerment programme targeting disadvantaged young people from ethnic minority backgrounds. The programme brings together panels of successful professionals who come from the same communities as the young people in the room — sharing their experiences of fear, failure, and perseverance, and showing that success is not reserved for the privileged.

Since its inception, Stepping Forward and Breaking Out has delivered workshops to over 100 young attendees and gained recognition and sponsorship from Lloyds Banking Group. Past themes have included "Conquering Your Fears" — designed to expose young people to honest conversations about the challenges of building a career when the odds feel stacked against you, and why it is normal to feel the fear and overcome it anyway.