Founders Story
At 16, I left home. I knew I never wanted to be in the environment I was in. I never knew what or how I would change my lot - I left home anyway.
My first night I slept rough, and many nights following. It was through the kindness and generosity of a trusted adult that I found some stability amongst the chaos. She offered a bed on the cold nights.
Amongst all the chaos, there were a few people who helped shape my understanding and experience of the world - albeit a very small part of the world.
What I knew was that I did not want life to always be a struggle. I found determination, discipline, and courage when the room was darkest, when my environment became unstable. I built a mental model of where I wanted to be and where I wanted to go, anchored by youth experiences I had visiting Lord Norminton and being part of a drama youth club.
Knowing what I did not want life to be, I found myself at the Armed Forces Careers Centre on The Strand. I fully immersed myself in the Armed Forces environment. I took opportunities as they came. I grew. I learned. And more importantly - I began to experience life in a way I never thought possible.
Medical discharge came as a surprise and presented a new struggle - fear, uncertainty, and depression locked me in a place of real darkness. I did not know what I was going to do. But I knew that a change of environment should never mean fear. It is an opportunity to experience new things. A chance to grow and to elevate.
I rebuilt myself for a new environment, new relationships, career, and ratified my experiences. The opportunity to train as a Further Education teacher then allowed me to give back - to shape the lives of those I came into contact with, of an age I recognised to be a pivotal point in life.
What changed? I understood I had an opportunity to explore and connect with people. And so it became my responsibility to empower people - people whose environment told them they cannot, should not dream big or want more for themselves.
I knew that when you place people outside their comfort zone and offer real challenge, behaviours, beliefs, and mindsets begin to shift. Experiences once deemed to be for everyone else but me become theirs. Development once reserved for everyone else but me becomes accessible. Beliefs, attitudes and mindsets rooted in limitation become dismantled.
These were the experiences and changes I lived - enabled by a few who showed me the way. They offered me a different choice. A different environment.
All of this and more is why I founded SummitCraft CIC.
Because belief, attitude, and mindset - when developed with intention and purpose - are the greatest tools you will ever have.
Founder SummitCraft CIC
By Jesse Jackson
