Rianna Patterson Speaker | Teen Speakers & Lifestyle & Careers & Women & Assemblies and Celebrations Events & Well-being & Anti-Bullying & Mental Health & Memory & Conference & Leadership

Rianna Patterson

Inspirational young woman! From starting a dementia charity in the Caribbean to meeting Queen Elizabeth ll and being awarded a Queens Young Leader

Rianna Patterson was born in October 1997 in Hackney, United Kingdom but moved to Dominica at a young age. At 18, she founded a non-profit organisation called Dominica Dementia Foundation in memory of her grandfather, who passed away with Dementia when she was 16. The foundation aims to raise awareness of Dementia, raise funds for families affected, and provide emotional support to families and their caregivers and also to facilitate research towards Dementia.

Her documentary Dementia: The Island Journeywas launched in July 2022.It’s a film production on Dementia in the Caribbean with a focus on Dominica. This film showcases health interventions, culture and intergenerational relations, to tackle ageism in the media.

Rianna has also launched a social good coaching business with the support of the Princes Trust Enterprise Programme. Rianna provides 1:1 coaching to purpose led organizations and individuals in the Caribbean and the UK. Ms.Patterson has delivered workshops for employees at FSTE 500 companies including HSBC on authenticity. Ms.Patterson has also worked with NHS to develop a short film on the impact of music on Dementia in Kent. Rianna is also a key contributor to Mind’s Young Voice Network and many more. Rianna served as a mentor for the Department of Education in England in 2021, supporting unemployed young people with guidance on career options and employability opportunities

Ms.Patterson is a recent finalist of the Commonwealth Youth Awards for Development Excellence in the Caribbean Region in 2022. Rianna is also an ambassador of the Prince’s Trust where she will be bringing young people to the Trust and sharing her story and the impact of their programmes on a national level.

Rianna is also a newly elected board member of the Dominica UK Association, is part of the planning committee for the Mas Domnik section of Nottinghill Carnival. She is also part of the committee for the Waitukubuli Culture and Tourism Initiative.

Rianna also spoke at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda, Kigali in June 2022. She is also a Queens Commonwealth Trust Young Leader, associate member of the Royal Commonwealth Society, part of the Alzheimer’s Research UK and Caribbean Youth Regional Council Research team. A young ambassador of the Prince’s Trust.

Rianna was recently awarded the Diana Award, in memory of Princess Diana which is one of the highest accolades for humanitarian efforts.

Rianna will be purshing a master’s degree in dementia at UCL in September 2023, she crowdfunded over 19,000 to pursue this degree and starting her PhD in the feasibility of technology and dementia care in marginalised communities

Rianna was featured on BBC One with Prince Harry in Buckingham Palace during the Queen’s Young Leader Ceremony in 2017 where she spoke confidently on the importance of Dementia Awareness in the Caribbean.

Rianna appeared in a featured video by Comic Relief as a Queen’s Young Leader in 2017. She was also selected to feature in “A Lasting Legacy” Book by the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Trust in 2019.

Rianna was shortlisted for Forbes 30 U 30 Shortlist in 2019, named One to watch by the Voice Newspaper in 2021 and is a recipient of the 30 U 30 Ignite Caribbean Awards.

Rianna is also currently pursuing a PHD in dementia at the University of Nottingham.

Testimonials from Teachers

"Proud of you Rianna, you shocked me, you spoke well"

– Ms.Cynthia Hiycinth, Teacher, Portsmouth Secondary School

"Rianna was a fantastically engaged student, and since graduation, continues to support the University of Kent by raising the aspirations of current students through delivering workshops and sharing her experiences. I hope to work with her for a long time in the future! Keep up the amazing work, Rianna."

– Career Advisor, University of Kent

"I recently invited Rianna to present to my second year business psychology students on her own journey and how they could learn from this to help them develop their skill sets and networking. Rianna provided incredibly useful insights and tips on how they could do this, both inside and outside of the University environment. Top tips Rianna gave my students included: 1) to make a commitment to connect with at least one person at every event they attend; 2) to network with people who share the same interests, as well as those outside their field; 3) to document everything, track their progress, but to remember to be present; 4) to engage with their network - build community, not followers.

The whole session was excellent and very well received. My students really enjoyed hearing from Rianna and benefitted greatly from her insights. Hopefully we can repeat it next year!"

– Former teacher, University of Kent