Why We Rap

The RAP Foundation is a charity created by the founders of The RAP Project, Allison Havey and Deana Puccio, offering workshops in state schools, academies on a donation-only basis.

Our presentations include a range of topics, including the laws defining sexual assault, peer on peer sexual harassment & consent; how social media & pornography influence attitudes, behaviours & body image; the lack of discretion practiced my many young people online & how to manage peer pressure & mental well-being. We dispel myths, misconceptions & challenge gender stereotypes. Inclusive & respectful of all individuals & their choices, we also balance religious & cultural perspectives into our delivery. Our interactive, age-appropriate talks are honest, engaging and promote our core belief: “Mutual Respect and Mutual Consent”.

The RAP Foundation Team

Jessica Hawley, CEO

Jessica was born and raised in Mexico City, then pursued her degree at Colgate University In New York and studied Political Science and Philosophy. Following university, she worked as a Social Worker in New York City and delivered workshops on topics including sexual health and drug prevention before moving to London with her husband. She received her MA in Education at King’s College London and then went on to gain a PGCE qualification as a Secondary School teacher in Citizenship and PSHE from the Institute of Education. She’s passionate about empowering parents to talk to their children about self- esteem and sexual health. Her motivation is based on work experience, research and most importantly, raising her three daughters.

Kate Edgecumbe-Rendle, Presenter

Kate began her adventurous career straight out of university. Working for a creative start-up online design company in Hackney, she promoted artists before heading for the wild. Kate ran an eco-friendly safari lodge in the Nepalese jungle for two years, managing nearly 100 staff. This experience gave Kate invaluable leadership and problem-solving skills which she stills uses to this day. She then taught English as a Second Language in Thailand, where Kate found students were hungry for honest, empowering conversations around self-esteem and mental health. Upon returning to the UK, she worked for Digital Awareness, where she taught digital safety and skills to manage technology more responsibly. Kate lives in West Sussex with her husband and three sons.

Patricia Astley, Trustee

Patricia has a BA in Liberal Arts, and a Certificat Practique de Francais from the Chambre de Commerce et D’Industrie in Paris. She is an Executive Director Relationship Manager, at Julius Baer London, UK. She has held previous Memberships in the Wall St Journal’s Women in Business and is currently a member of the Julius Baer International Women’s network as well as being one of the Founding Partners of The WealthiHer Network. She speaks Fluent French, Spanish and Portuguese and is a patron of the charity, CONTACT. When Patricia is not spending time with her two daughters and her dogs, she enjoys skiing, tennis and travelling.

Leo Cremonezi, Trustee

Leo has 22 years’ experience working as a senior Statistical Scientist, with 13 of these spent at Ipsos MORI. Now, he is a Statistical Journalist at the Financial Times. He supports and develops new and advanced technical applications for use within the media industry and participates in questionnaire design, sampling, data manipulation and writing. Leo is also a chartered member (CStat) of the Royal Statistical Society in the UK. At FT, Leo is the head of FT Rankings and is responsible for analysis, writing and business education events. Outside of work, Leo has passions for travelling, music, sports, cooking and volunteering. As a volunteer, he helps the Sanktus project (cooking) and at the Idea Store Library as a Digital buddy and Maths teacher.

Annabel Dumbel, Trustee

Annabel studied Law at Brasenose College, Oxford and then the College of Law Guildford. After a few years practising IP and IT law in law firms, Annabel moved in house to Accenture. She is currently a Managing Director leading the Litigation and Disputes team for EMEA North at Accenture. In addition, she is the Global Lead setting the direction and managing all Inclusion and Diversity programs for Accenture Legal internally and externally (covering 2800 legal professionals globally). Annabel is also a Trustee of St Mary’s School, Hampstead and has been a volunteer at a homeless shelter (the Heath Street Contact Club) for over 10 years. She is married and the mother of three teenage girls.

Tracey Marshall, Trustee

Tracey studied Economics and French at university and then trained as a Chartered Accountant at a major UK accountancy firm, before going on to become one of the practice’s youngest partners, at the age of 30. She then joined one of her former clients, The Benfield Group, a London based reinsurance broker. There she initially held a variety of finance department and senior management roles, before becoming Group HR Director and a member of the Global Executive Group. Tracey currentlly works as an independent consultant focusing on people development, mentoring and coaching. She also holds a variety of roles in the charity sector as volunteer, trustee and advisor. She lives in London with her partner and two teenage daughters.

Deana Puccio, Trustee

Deana co-founded The RAP Project in 2012. She has vast experience in educating young people on the laws defining sexual assault and sexual harassment. After attending New York University, obtaining a Master’s Degree at George Washington University and her Juris Doctorate Degree from The City University of New York Law School, Deana worked as a former Senior Assistant District Attorney and was on the very first Sex Crimes/Special Victims Unit in the US, which launched in Brooklyn. Deana is the co-author of Sex, Likes & Social Media: Talking to Teens in the Digital Age published by Random House/Ebury. She appears as an expert commentator on Sky News and is often invited to speak at educational conferences and festivals. She lives in North London with her husband and three daughters.

Sara Gordon, Trustee

Sara has a BSc in Management Sciences at UMIST (University of Manchester). After a career in publishing which included working for The Royal Academy of Arts and Dorling Kindersley, she became a freelance Finance Manager for SME’s. Sara currently works for a leading artiste representation agency, Talent4 Media, with an eclectic portfolio of TV and Radio presenters and experts. In the past, Sara’s voluntary work has included supporting vulnerable children and families through the charity Home-Start UK in Haringey, as well as promoting parenting skills classes in schools, working with a family therapist parenting expert.

Sara is married, and with three daughters, who are now all young adults, is an avid fan of the cause that the RAP Foundation supports. In her spare time she enjoys yoga and skiing and the great outdoors.

Judith Prinsley, Trustee

Details to follow..