We are welcoming our new CEO Roger Warnock in his first month with Young Social Innovators. 

Roger Warnock, CEO of Young Social Innovators 

Roger brings over 25 years of experience in social innovation and entrepreneurship and in creating transformative change through his roles providing effective leadership, innovative programme design, and start-up support, as well as in advisory capacities within the non-profit, public and private sectors. He has also worked with and alongside international organisations creating entrepreneurial teams, scaling new initiatives, developing new strategies and facilitating the co-creation of solutions in local communities with young people.

We asked Roger some questions about his background, influences and experiences and the journey that led him to join the YSI team. Read on to find out more! 

1. What were you interested in, or what did you want to be when you were younger? 

When I was younger, I was always into nature and wildlife and wanted to be like David Attenborough. I also grew up on a farm and had my own ducks and pigs. I was nicknamed Walter at school because I won first prize at the Balmoral agricultural show with my duck called Walter! That nickname is still used by some friends even today 

2. Did that change much along your journey to where you are today?

Yep, as I got older, I became more and more interested in helping others. Probably came from my parents, who were very supportive of rural communities and charities. I became the head of the community service group at school, and everything probably stems from there. In my twenties, I was involved in a lot of volunteering with the Prince's Trust and various other youth organisations, leading to learning more about social enterprise and social innovation, which weren't really thought about back then.


3. In school, what was your favourite and least favourite subject? Why? 

At school, I really loved geography and biology and later on ended up doing a degree in Geography and Zoology. I really hated Physics more because I just didn't get it! When I finished university, I was offered a place on a conservation team to survey the reefs of Tanzania, where they were using dynamite to fish (i.e. blowing everything up!) Unfortunately, I couldn't raise the $2000 needed to go, and I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had disappeared off to Africa! So climate change and saving our planet is a big thing for me and very much part of social innovation.

Think Big. Be Brave. Drive Change.

4. What advice would you give your 16-year-old self?

What advice would I give my 16-year-old self - Enjoy the journey and ask lots more questions! All ideas are great, even the crazy ones - so don't let anyone kill your ideas. As George Bernard Shaw once said: "the reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." (or woman, person).

5. What experiences did you have as a younger person that you feel have impacted the person you are today? 

For me, it's about offering more opportunities for young people to co-create and co-design solutions for society and the environment right across Ireland and further afield. For me YSI is in the right place at the right time to mentor and support young people from all sections of the community to drive social innovation through curiosity, co-creation and co-design, creating the next generation of global changemakers right here in Ireland.

6. Do you have any advice for current and future Young Social Innovators?

Think Big. Be Brave. Drive Change

7. Why did you want to work here at Young Social innovators?

I've known Rachel for a long time and really admired the work that both she and Sister Stan have done over the years at YSI. Most of my work over the last number of years has been with young people and supporting them to co-create new solutions to social and environmental issues, so to work at YSI was a great chance to work with like minded folks and young people across Ireland and further afield.

8. What are your top 5 skills that you think will be most useful in your role as CEO?

I would say that I can hopefully bring my knowledge (over 25 years working in social enterprise and social innovation), co-creation and co-design knowledge, and experience of working on global social innovation projects such as the UNDP's SIP (Social Innovation Platform) in Asia and designing programmes for the Young Foundation in London (Amplify Youth). Also, I've set up several social enterprises and hope that I can pass on useful knowledge that young people build out and prototype ideas through the YSI programmes.

9. What's the best job you've had before now, and why was it so amazing?

The best job I had was setting up the Book Reserve, a social enterprise that I started in 2014 that was part tech start-up/part hospitality business. The purpose of the social enterprise was to employ young ex-offenders (under 25's) who specifically were parents - 25% of the prison population under 25 are parents, and 60% of their children will grow up to offend and end up in prison. We wanted to offer employment, training and support to break this perpetual cycle of offending across generations. Also, over 70% of all young ex-offenders end up back in prison in less than two years; in fact, in some parts of Belfast, it was 90%, and the only reason it wasn't 100% is that the missing 10% had already died through drug addiction etc. In our first year, we reduced recidivism (the number of young people ending up back in prison from 70% to 15%. In 2016 I was listed as one of the UK's top 50 New Radicals by the Guardian newspaper and Nesta.

10. What makes young people the best innovators?

Young people are so much more creative than old folks like me, and added to that is their great sense of curiosity - the key ingredient for great social innovation.

11. What's the biggest thing you'd like to achieve at YSI?

For me, it's about offering more opportunities for young people to co-create and co-design solutions for society and the environment right across Ireland and further afield. For me, YSI is in the right place at the right time to mentor and support young people from all sections of the community to drive social innovation through curiosity, co-creation and co-design, creating the next generation of global changemakers right here in Ireland.