About | Robin Lockhart

Meet Robin

Robin's Story

Robin is a highly experienced and qualified community development and youth engagement professional, as well as a community coach. He empowers individuals to shift their relationship with their thinking, fostering personal growth and resilience.

Robin’s story begins in Zambia, where the philosophy of Ubuntu, “I am because we are, and because we are, I am”, shaped his earliest understanding of community, responsibility, and togetherness. That grounding in collective wisdom guided him into grassroots youth work in the UK, where he spent over two decades on the front line, engaging young people and communities in areas of acute need. What began as a passion for helping others to shift their relationship with their thinking grew into a powerful practice of coaching, mentoring, and developing transformative projects that drive real policy change.

From these beginnings, Robin’s work expanded into high-stakes coaching and community interventions, where his ability to engage even the so-called “hard to reach” set him apart. Through his award-winning non-profit, Catalyst In Communities, and his Art of Perception approach, he has nurtured young people, professionals, and whole communities to unlock their strengths, rewrite unhelpful narratives, and step into resilience and clarity. His projects have been featured by the BBC and GQ, and his reputation has made him a sought-after trainer and supervisor internationally.

Today, Robin’s influence stretches far beyond local communities. As the Commonwealth Global Youth Work Ambassador and one of the BBC’s 100 Londoners, he continues to inspire leaders, practitioners, and young changemakers across the globe. By weaving together Ubuntu and innovative coaching methods, Robin has created a practice that doesn’t just deliver programmes—it transforms lives, ensuring individuals and communities grow stronger together, no matter how complex the challenge.

Achievements & Accolades

Youth Worker of the Year
2016

Restorative Practitioner of the Year
Shortlist 2016

Team London Award
2012

Kids Count Inspiration
2009

2016/17 Global Youth Worker of the Year & since 2018 Commonwealth Ambassador for Youth Work

One of the 100 Londoner’s Award recipients - BBC’s Centennial Celebrations
2022

Mission & Values

“My work is rooted in Ubuntu — the African philosophy that ‘I am because we are.’ Every leader’s growth ripples outwards. My mission is to unlock hearts so that leaders can unlock potential in themselves, their teams, and the world.”

Expertise & Focus Areas

Robin has a well-established reputation for designing and delivering high-quality interventions and projects that drive change. He specializes in working with you and your community to identify need and generate transformative outcomes for individuals and communities.

Core areas of expertise include:

Community Development

Restorative Ubuntu Coaching & Training

Engagement

Cultural Awareness

Mindset Mentoring

Recognition & Impact

Professional Achievements

Commonwealth Global Youth Work Ambassador

Since 2018

BBC 100 Londoners

BBC Centenary Celebrations 2022

BBC 1 Imagine Series

Featured in EastSide Story

GQ Magazine Feature

Recognition for community work

Training youth workers

In Ubuntu approaches

Approach & Impact

Engaging and innovative practices

Helping people recognize their strengths and capabilities

Equipping individuals with tools to rewrite their own stories

Facilitating personal and community growth through structured programs

What Clients Say

Robin Lockhart’s Company (Catalyst In Communities) is a truly amazing social enterprise which has helped to turn around many peoples’ lives from many different backgrounds through their life changing courses. I myself have done their courses over the years and they have improved my life and made me think differently about the world. The learning I got from Robin is easy for me to apply in my daily life.

Tahmid

Robin may not be labeled as a therapist or a councilor, however, for me I know the conversations we have had have been 1000x more helpful then those I would have had with someone else. Rather then us focusing on everything negative and the reason why I initially came to see Robin, we talk about thoughts and meanings behind feelings, which helps me to understand the simplicity in solving my ‘problem’. The conversations I had with Robin gave me the confidence to understand that the only person who can change the way I feel or the only person who make me feel a certain emotion (say anxiety) is me, which was massive reassurance in that I would be able to stop being so anxious and worried for no reason. Not only was the change quick for me, but it was noticeable from Robin and my friends and family and it was a positive change with impacted the rest of my life. It is not a chore it is enjoyable and the conversations provide me with a constant sense of security that I’m ok and always have been, there was never anything wrong. Robin guided me in learning that there is no purpose in focusing on the past or future and the only way to live and change things is to focus and live in the now. This helped me to stop worrying about what might happen and have anxieties about past experiences and live much more focused on what I can achieve in the moment.

YP – “A”

I spent years attending programmes to try to better myself that never worked…After working with Robin Lockhart, I realised that he has such a lot of knowledge to give and the courses he offers are so unique and the best thing is that they actually work. Great Stuff!

Syed

Robin Lockhart has an amazing amount of understanding and knowledge and provides the support necessary for people to change their lives.

Siobhan

Robin managed to help me work through some issues I had been struggling with for many years… I had tried loads of different methods and techniques and spent so much money on different therapists and counsellors that I was ready to give up living… Robin helped me to rapidly transform the way I thought about my issues and without any problem, my issues simply disappeared!

Phil

Robin Lockhart was not just a mentor / coach to me, but a friend I could rely on for helping me in times of need. Robin has opened doors for me in my career, as well as helped me come through rough times. I’ve learned a lot from Robin about the importance of valuing myself, my thinking and my health and how this paves the way for a more successful future. Thank You Robin!

Paul

I had experienced relationship difficulties most of my adult life – ranging from domestic violence to drug / alcohol misuse and infidelity… after 1 session with Robin, I realized the vital role of my thinking in both creating the problems and also in making them go away. I will always be grateful for this.

Bev

When I was sent to see Robin, it was pretty much a last resort… my family had tried everything else and had run out of money trying to help me to stop using (Drugs) and to stop committing crime to pay for them. I spent 3 days in Robin’s RESOLVE Intensive Programme and my whole world changed! It was like everything suddenly came in to focus and in an instant, life made sense again!

Dave

When I first met Robin, I had heard rumors about how his approach transforms lives really fast, but to say I was skeptical was an understatement. After spending the first hour in his company, I had an insight that I am still benefitting from (and will continue to benefit from for the rest of my life) over a year later! He told me that I was 100% OK and that all of my challenges and problems were related to the way I saw myself / the thinking I had about who I was… we spoke for around 2 hours and I will never be the same again – I can’t thank you enough Robin.

Dee

I met Robin after being unemployed for many years. I had suffered a severe violent attack that made me lose all my confidence. Robin fixed me! He would say that I fixed myself, but it was him who enabled me to do it! I will never look back again.

Eve

We hired Robin to work with our most troubled pupils and have witnessed the way he works… He enables everyone to learn for themselves that they can make the required changes to live the lives they want in a away that feels right. There is such a great atmosphere in the room when Robin works in the school, he makes it all so simple and such fun!

Nic

My company was stuck in a rut; we were losing money and our team morale was at an all time low (with many staff worried that they were about to lose their jobs). We brought Robin in to work with the team on a 1 to 1 basis as well as to run some team workshops. The turnaround was totally amazing! It felt a bit like magic had happened…We then went on to have our best ever year of trading!

Bell