TAF Collective CIC

About Us

TAF Collective CIC operates at the intersection of culture, community and creativity, developing accessible, innovative and culturally competent approaches to health and wellbeing for Black and ethnically diverse LGBTQ+ communities, people living with or affected by HIV, and wider marginalised and underserved communities.

Our Story

The Origins

TAF Collective CIC was established to address persistent health inequalities experienced by Black and ethnically diverse LGBTQ+ communities, and populations disproportionately affected by HIV, stigma, exclusion and wider social and structural inequalities.

TAF Collective was founded by Taofique Folarin, whose experiences as a Black queer man openly living with HIV, alongside his work across psychology, public health and the arts, shaped the foundations of the Collective.

Following his HIV diagnosis, Taofique became acutely aware of gaps in healthcare, support and access experienced by marginalised communities. These experiences, alongside his academic and professional work, developed into a broader understanding of how psychological, social, cultural and structural factors intersect to shape health, wellbeing and inequality.

Over the years, this understanding has been informed by work across public health, clinical, academic, creative and grassroots settings; TAF Collective was created to bring these experiences, disciplines and perspectives together and turn them into action.

Today, we work through culturally responsive, community-centred and interdisciplinary practice.

We develop programmes, campaigns, resources and creative approaches that respond to health inequalities, improve engagement and representation, and contribute to better health and wellbeing.

Our Ethos

Vision

We envision a future where marginalised and underrepresented communities experience greater equality, equity and better health outcomes.

A future where communities are authentically represented, valued and understood; where culture, identity and intersectionality are recognised as fundamental to people’s experiences of health and wellbeing.

Where lived experience and community knowledge are valued and meaningfully inform health research, services, communication and practice.

Our vision is for a more equitable health landscape in which communities are not only represented, but have the agency to shape the systems, services and narratives that impact their health and their lives.

Mission

Our mission is to improve health, wellbeing and HIV outcomes for marginalised and underrepresented communities, with a focus on Black and ethnically diverse LGBTQ+ communities, people living with and affected by HIV and those experiencing wider social and structural inequalities.

Our Name

TAF Collective

TAF is an acronym for Truth, Authenticity and Freedom, which are also our core values.

Truth

Truth grounds our work in scientific evidence, critical reflection and lived experience, recognising that knowledge is shaped by whose voices are heard, valued and represented. It requires us to examine how race, power, stigma and history influence what is understood, whose experiences are recognised and whose knowledge is overlooked.

Truth is evidence grounded in lived reality.

Authenticity

Authenticity recognises the complexity of identity, culture and lived experience. It means creating space for people and communities to be represented, understood and valued in their entirety, without having to compromise or fragment who they are.

Authenticity is the right to exist wholly, without fragmentation.

Freedom

Freedom centres agency, bodily autonomy, self-determination and informed choice. It encompasses personal, sexual, creative and collective liberation: the freedom to live, love, create and express ourselves on our own terms. It means recognising the right of individuals and communities to shape decisions that affect their lives.

Freedom is the power to love ourselves and determine our own futures.

Together, Truth, Authenticity and Freedom form our framework for more equitable health, communication and practice.

TAF is also the French abbreviation for Travail à faire, meaning “work to do”. It serves as both a reminder and a commitment

Our Team

Taofique Folarin (He/Him), BA, MSc, GMBPsS

Founder & Director

Taofique Folarin holds a Master's degree in Psychological Sciences, with professional expertise spanning public health, HIV prevention, community engagement and programme development. His work encompasses strategic partnerships, health communication and the design and delivery of culturally responsive health and wellbeing initiatives.

With over a decade of experience in the health and community sector, Taofique was a founding director of Impulse London, where he developed and delivered community health initiatives, events and campaigns. Named Men's Fitness Best Coach of 2020, he has also designed and developed programmes for Dean Street Prime Fitness and Gilead Sciences. More recently, his work in HIV prevention and digital engagement has contributed to the London HIV Prevention Programme.

He contributes to research, policy and governance through the UK Community Advisory Board (UK-CAB) Steering Group, the National AIDS Trust Community Advisory Board, and as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of #aware.HIV, an international HIV research project.

Alongside his work in health, Taofique has a career spanning over 20 years across theatre, film and television. His work includes leading roles in The Lion King, Moulin Rouge! and Avenue Q, alongside screen appearances in the award-winning film Thrive and the series The Grass Is Always Grindr. He is also an interdisciplinary artist and writer working across photography, music, moving image and graphic design.

In 2025, Taofique founded TAF Collective, bringing together his experience across health and wellbeing, psychology, research, community engagement and the creative industries to develop culturally responsive, creative and community-centred approaches to health and wellbeing.

Dr Pam Dhadda (She/Her), MEng, MSc, PhD

Non-Executive Director

Bio coming soon.

Phillip Hale-Christofi (He/Him)

Non-Executive Director

Bio coming soon.

Kaylah Kasese (She/Her), BPharm, MPH

Bio coming soon.