Who we are
We’re Anna and Matilda, co-founders of Split Banana. We think we’ve had a pretty standard experience when it comes to relationships and sex.
Over the past 20 years, we’ve been pressured into sexting (age 13), had an unintended pregnancy (age 15), been publicly shamed for having pubic hair (age 15), lived with friends in abusive relationships (age 18), supported partners with mental health illnesses (18) and dated a man with multiple sexual assault accusations (age 20). Not to mention unwanted touching (age 14), catcalling (age 11) and body shaming (age 6).
And as white, cis-gender, non-disabled women, we know that this is incomparable to many others’ (much worse) lived experiences.
Unsurprisingly, guidance around sex and relationships was pretty much non-existent for us and our peers at school. 10 years later, whilst both working in inner-city London schools, we were shocked to see that this had barely changed.
We believe that young people deserve better. We want to see educators facilitate open conversations with students in a safe and constructive way. We want to see sex education that reflects the lived realities and identities of students from all walks of life. We want to totally reshape Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) and ensure that students are learning more than how to put a condom on a banana.
Anna Alexander (she/her)
Learning and Engagement Director
Anna has been working in education for nearly 10 years: from coaching young Londoners experiencing homelessness at Fat Macy’s to her role as Head of PSHRE at an East London School. No matter what the role, Anna’s favourite part is always having conversations with young people about how they see the world and what they want from their education. In 2020, Anna won the prestigious Shackleton Leadership Award for her work with Split Banana. In her spare time, Anna loves walking her dog, Jeff, drawing and faffing around outside.
Qualifications / courses:
Trauma Informed Practice: A Course for Frontline Workers (CPD Accredited)
Fully Qualified Teacher
Safeguarding Training
Matilda Lawrence-Jubb (she/her)
Development Director
Matilda has a background in programme production and creative events management. She loves organising fun. Matilda previously worked: teaching English to refugees and migrants in Athens, as a Programme Producer for Year Here and as a Service Designer for Snook. She thrives in projects that champion young people’s voices and ideas. Now, she works at SB full-time and applies her design-thinking skills and love for building partnerships. Matilda enjoys singing in her local choir, hanging out with her many small siblings and reading about pleasure activism.
Qualifications / courses:
Trauma Informed Practice: A Course for Frontline Workers (CPD Accredited)
Mental Health First Aid Training
DO Lectures Events Training
RSE for SEND Learners
Safeguarding Training
Tasha Mansley (she/her)
Education and Programmes Manager
Tasha is a workshop facilitator and trainer, passionate about empowering people to grow loving, authentic and supportive connections with themselves, others, and nature. Alongside her role, she is currently developing her own business, ‘Full Circle Facilitation,’ and recently graduated with a Master's in the areas of Gender & Sexuality and Feminist Pedagogies at UCL’s Institute of Education. Tasha is a lover of salsa dancing, bike-packing around summer festivals, wild swimming, and deep chats with her friends.
Qualifications / courses:
‘Outside the Box’ Programme: RSE with Vulnerable Young People
Preventing and Disrupting Sexual Exploitation and Responding to Harmful Sexual Behaviours
Teaching Positive Sexual Health
RSE for SEND Learners
LGBTQ+ Mental Health Hardship Awareness
Our Advisory Group
Prishita Maheshwari-Aplin (they/them) is a writer, editor, and LGBTQ+ rights campaigner. They educate, mobilise and help members of their communities feel seen and validated. They were the Storytelling Lead at Stonewall before their job as Campaigns Manager at Greenpeace.
Roann Ghosh (he/him) is a mindset, strategy and systems coach. Roann brings a wealth of start-up experience to Split Banana. He also has a keen interest in mental health.
Damian Weatherald (he/him) is an inclusivity consultant and has worked in the adult industry for over 15 years, specialising in accessible products. Damian also worked with charity Enhance The UK, breaking down taboos and barriers around sex and disability.
Rhea Fofana (she/her) is a Strategic Programme Officer at the London Borough of Camden and previously worked at The Social Change Nest and UnLtd. She is also an ambassador for LGBTQ+ charity for young people, Just Like Us and a trustee at Hubbub.
Sue Coulthard (she/her) is a strategic brand and marketing consultant. Sue brings a wealth of experience marketing from within the education and social enterprise sectors.
James Teasdale (he/him) is Head of Delivery Operations at Multiverse and has held various leadership positions in renowned organisations such as The Young Foundation and Year Here.
Our Values
We build empathy
Everyone lives a different life which should be equally respected.
We’re bold
We’re not afraid to use our voice.
We amplify
Sex-ed shouldn’t come from one person’s head. But it still does. And that person is predominantly white, middle class and liberal, just like us. We want to make space, listen, act and collaborate so that everyone has access to a sex-ed that reflects themselves and their experiences.
We keep step
In an ever-evolving world, we listen to what young people need and want.
We’re all about real talk
We don’t sugar coat or patronise, we tell it how it is.
We’re creative
We want to bring play and lightness to young peoples’ days.
We approach everything with kindness
We believe it’s important and powerful.
We’re in it for the long game
Change takes time, and we’re not going anywhere.