Why We Rap

The RAP Foundation is a charity created by the founders of The RAP Project, 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”.

Find out more about who makes up the Rap Foundation Team & The Trustees below.

Allison Havey

Allison established The RAP Foundation in 2019 as the charitable arm of The RAP Project. While successfully delivering RSE & citizenship to 200 plus independent schools, Allison is determined & passionate about bringing its powerful messages surrounding peer on peer sexual harassment, consent, body positivity & mutual respect to young people in the state school sector. As a seasoned presenter & writer, her interactive presentations examine how social media & online pornography are influencing attitudes, behaviours and body image. Prior to working with young people, Allison worked as international TV news producer for ABC, NBC & Associated Press TV. She attended , Sarah Lawrence College before living in Paris, Moscow & London for her work. Allison is a regular speaker at conferences & festivals, she is the co-author of ‘Sex, Likes and Social Media: Talking to our Teens in the Digital Age’ published by Random House/Ebury. Allison lives in North London with her husband and has two children.

Jessica Hawley

Jessica is Head of Professional Development & Early Learning at The Rap Foundation, responsible for developing the Primary RE content as well as developing relationships with academic bodies and fundraising. She 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.

Eshu Christianson

Eshu is a presenter & social media producer for The RAP Foundation, He also spearheads our youth safety campaigns and is part of our survey development team. He is a graduate of UCL where he studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Camden-born and bred, he has a long history as a volunteer with the homeless as well as with youth mentoring programmes. While working with The Simon Community, he provided people living on the streets with practical access to services. Recently, he earned his FA qualification to coach youth football clubs within the Islington Youth Development Program He mentors young adults in Camden and is dedicated to helping young men in particular address toxic masculinity and uses communication and compassion as tools for helping youth achieve their potential. In his spare time, Eshu manages amateur club ‘Old Finchleans’ FC, as well as works as a coach the Islington Youth Development Program.

Cathy Walker

Cathy is a Presenter & Communications Director for The RAP Foundation. She studied her undergraduate degree in French and Spanish at the University of Sheffield, and gained a PGCE from the Institute of Education, University of London. She has 20 years of experience in education, including as a teacher and Head of House at Highgate School, London and as Assistant Headteacher at Sheffield Girls’ GDST. As an Education Consultant, she continues to work closely with young people and their families to safeguard their wellbeing, develop confidence and encourage them to make informed decisions through coaching, mentoring and running workshops. Cathy is also currently studying for her Masters in Psychology and Education, and blogs regularly about education, mental health and self-esteem. In her spare time, Cathy enjoys running, cycling, yoga, reading, cooking and dancing. As a mum to two daughters, she is a proud feminist and wants her children to grow up understanding that they should not be disadvantaged by their gender.

Kate Edgecumbe-Rendle

Kate began her varied and 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. Kate quickly realised how 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 set up ID YOU in 2019, which delivers small workshops to pupils on how to emotionally manage change during adolescent and pre-adolescent years. Kate lives in West Sussex with her husband and three sons.

PJ Livett

PJ knew from the tender young age of 14 that she wanted to teach Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) to young people. She recognised that taking a preventative, proactive approach was paramount in terms of safeguarding and helping young people experience healthy, safe relationships. She studied Psychology and graduated from Roehampton University. PJ then raised her family and qualified as a Relationships and Sex Educator in 2019. PJ not only works with Independent and State schools, but also supports non-mainstream students, parents, young adults (YMCA), domestic abuse survivors and Youth Intervention Officers and Engagement Officers in Devon and Cornwall Police. PJ is one of the Southwest of England’s most passionate advocates for quality RSE sessions with young people. Above all, PJ is 100% focused on empowering young people to make informed choices and develop healthy, respectful relationship behaviours early on as they develop intimate relationships. PJ lives in Devon, with her husband and three children.

Patricia Astley

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

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

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

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

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.

Sarah Shuter

Sarah has a BA Hons degree in English, Sociology and Philosophy. She is the Managing Director of her own video and events production company, which she has run with her long-time partner David MacIver since 1996 (www.sarahshuter.com). She has spent the past 25 years producing corporate events, videos and animations for a broad spectrum of businesses from a wide variety of sectors – from airlines to accountancy, from banking to big pharma, from insurance to telecoms. BT has been her key client throughout and remains so today, along with its subsidiary Openreach. Sarah is a volunteer with the NSPCC events team and also volunteers as a Learning Support TA at her local Secondary School. Sarah is married and lives in Brixton and has two children.

Sara Gordon

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.