Wizer CIC was founded by Toseef after serving a 16 year prison sentence for gang related offences at the age of 19. He grew up in Bradford, West Yorkshire and came from a respectable family. However, during his teenage years, his behaviour in school began to deteriorate and was eventually excluded from mainstream education at the age of 14. He was sent to a Pupil Referral Unit but became detached from it within a few weeks.

With time on his hand and little to do, Toseef entered the criminal justice system for relatively minor offences. This did not deter him and was soon incarcerated in a young offenders institute. Upon release, his behaviour began to escalate and he soon became embedded within street gangs with little fear and knowledge of his destructive actions.

Upon receiving his 16 year prison sentence, Toseef realised the errors of his ways and decided that now was the time to make amends and change his ways. He began to educate himself and by the time he was released nearly decade later, he had obtained a degree in Criminology and Social Policy. Naively, upon release he believed he had paid his dues to society and was ready to begin again, little did he know what was in store for him.

Toseef spent the next three years searching for employment however no one wanted to give him a chance despite being rehabilitated and determined to change his ways for the better. It was at this point Toseef realised how the systems, structure and processes within society were working against ex-offenders and those who wanted to change their lives around for the better.

Wizer CIC is a social enterprise that seeks to break the cycle of offending by understanding and addressing criminogenic needs of those at risk of and embedded within the criminal justice system through the use of lived experience. Wizer CIC advocates for the disadvantaged to ensure they are not further marginalised and are able to access the labour market to attain meaningful and sustainable employment.