Zoë Jackson

Award winning social entrepreneur urges young people to Live Their Dreams

Zoe Jackson set up the Living the Dream Performing Arts Company, in 2006 at the age of 16 to subsidise her own performing arts training and education.

Over the last six years, throughout her A levels and degree course, Zoe has managed and grown her youth-led company into a performing arts school, a media company, a dance company and a charity, The Dream Foundation. Zoe is also working with Virgin Media and has produced a dance app for their TiVo service.

Zoe is passionate about championing young talent, creating affordable access to the arts and empowering young people to live their dreams.  Through the arts, she tirelessly campaigns to raise awareness and support for the challenges facing young people, to provide a platform for their voices to be heard and promote the positive contribution they can make.

Zoe was selected by Sir Richard Branson to represent his Control Shift campaign and is now working with James Caan, as an ambassador for the £85million Start-Up Loans scheme.

Last year Zoe was awarded Shell’s Woman of the Future in Arts, Media and Culture and Future 100 Young Social Entrepreneurs. This year she was a finalist in the Lloyds TSB Entrepreneur Awards and won the Youth Achievement Award “Celebrating Future Leaders” by the Universal Peace Federation. She has recently been nominated for the MADE Change Makers award for entrepreneurial rising stars.

She has proven that not only is she an exceptional young business woman but an inspiration and role model to young people nationwide.

Testimonial

“Zoe came to visit the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy students as a guest speaker. She shared her experiences about how she set up Living the Dream, her ups and downs and how she is moving the company forward. She was an inspiration to our students, her hard work and determination shone through her honest and heart-warming story. Zoe’s passion to succeed and make a difference is her star quality and she is a true self-made entrepreneur. It was a pleasure to meet Zoe and I look forward to working with her again and hopefully having her back to inspire more students.” – Kate Angel, Peter Jones Enterprise Academy, Solihull.

“Zoe Jackson comes across with her vibrant personality, entrepreneurial spirit and determination to succeed. Zoe has a strong commitment to inspiring and developing young people. She is a tremendous role model and a highly engaging motivational speaker. She gave an extremely well received speech to parents and students at our Sixth Form presentation evening this year. If you have the opportunity to have Zoe speak to any group of young people about her experiences and the attributes needed to be successful in life, I would strongly recommend you take it.” – Paul de Kort, Head of Sixth Form, Beaumont School.

"As a former Education Minister I believe that this company has demonstrated more than any I have seen the capacity of young people to demonstrate talent, business acumen and showcase their abilities to a wide audience. Zoe is one of the most talented and level headed young people I have ever known.  She has good business strengths, is an inspiration, is hardworking and most importantly has a vision for young people that is first class."

- The Rt Hon Baroness Ashton, Patron, Living the Dream