When the global political landscape feels increasingly unstable, it’s reassuring to know activists are doing what they can to protect the people and places they care about.
Every year Big Issue compiles a list of 100 organisations and people who are bringing change to their community. It’s a chance to celebrate the agenda-setting activists and grassroots groundbreakers delivering change.
Headhere to see the full Big Issue 100 Changemakers list
Amro Tabari
Turning adversity into action, Tabari is a community volunteer and activist based in Brighton, using his voice to challenge injustice and bring people together. He campaigns publicly on LinkedIn, supporting efforts such as Stop Hurt at Work, and regularly gives his time to local causes through groups including GoodGym and community meal services. As his nominator noted, despite being targeted in racist hate crimes, Tabari “refused to be silenced”, responding instead with compassion, resilience, and an even deeper commitment to community action, inclusion and solidarity. His work is a powerful example of courage and hope in the face of intolerance.
Dewi Emberton
Growing up trans in rural Wales meant isolation and a lack of support, but Emberton turned that experience into activism rooted in care. As a volunteer researcher with LGBT Foundation’s former Trans Advocacy Team, he helped create clear, accessible resources on issues such as Gender Recognition Certificates and bridging prescriptions, supporting people to navigate complex systems and advocate for themselves. He later joined Trans Pride Manchester as a director when it was close to collapse, helping rebuild it into a major, visible celebration of trans resilience. Emberton founded Rural Trans Alliance CIC, a national organisation dedicated to improving the lives of gender non-conforming people living in rural and under-served areas.
Mark Harrison
Harrison has spent more than five decades championing the rights of young people and disabled people, pushing public services to work with communities rather than doing things to them. Starting out as a youth worker in 1970s South London, he went on to lead Equal Lives and help embed co-production and lived experience in policy, research and practice across the UK and beyond. He continues to train local authorities on co-creation, while supporting care-experienced young people to influence change. As his nominator said: “Mark is a humble and beautiful soul… Big Issue seems like the perfect avenue to recognise his life’s work.”
Changing Realities
Changing Realities puts parents and carers on low incomes at the heart of poverty debates, ensuring lived experience shapes policy, not just commentary. Born from Covid Realities in 2020, it has grown into a UK-wide network of 200 parents documenting life on a low income and calling for urgent investment in social security. The project has helped change how government engages with poverty, securing a structured role in developing the Child Poverty Strategy and supporting parents to speak directly to ministers, journalists and the media. It also shares best practice through an Involvement Network and practical guidance.
