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In 2012, after working for 12 years in the youth and education sector, I knew my calling was to improve the way we can all support young people through mentoring.
I had already known of 5 young people who had lost their lives to street violence and knew of many more who were in prison or mental health hospitals because of the traps they had found themselves tangled up in. One of those young people David Nowak (16), was killed on my road on the same day as I celebrated my son's 3rd birthday. My guests passed him lying on the road just 2 minutes from my home, not realising he was dying.
Then in 2018, a dear friend and extended member of my family Ethan Nedd-Bruce (18) was shot in the heart. His journey into gangs, I believe, started when his school marginalised him by illegally forcing him to cut off his locs. Leading him to rebel, display negative behaviour, and then be excluded, leaving him with too much time to make friendships with other marginalised, at-risk youth.
I tell you this to explain the trauma that drove me to do something more than I was.
The Mentoring Lab (TML) was founded to:
1) Improve mentoring to help 'save' young people from entering detrimental traps and
2) create a movement of youth practitioners and corporates committed to improving their mentoring skills to be better positioned to help save lives.
3) To improve the cultural sensitivity and value of mentoring within mentoring delivery
In 2015, I started with £0 and after 5 years of sacrificing my salary to build the foundation for the TML mentoring model and initial free services, In 2017 I registered The Mentoring Lab, then as a not-for-profit in 2019.
So what will your donation help us do?
£10 - covers 1 volunteer youth leader's daily expenses, allowing them to support the work we do and gain key employability skills
£25 - cover 30-minute group mentoring session with 30 youths
£100 - covers 2 staff delivering one day of our Saturday Mentoring Club
I had already known of 5 young people who had lost their lives to street violence and knew of many more who were in prison or mental health hospitals because of the traps they had found themselves tangled up in. One of those young people David Nowak (16), was killed on my road on the same day as I celebrated my son's 3rd birthday. My guests passed him lying on the road just 2 minutes from my home, not realising he was dying.
Then in 2018, a dear friend and extended member of my family Ethan Nedd-Bruce (18) was shot in the heart. His journey into gangs, I believe, started when his school marginalised him by illegally forcing him to cut off his locs. Leading him to rebel, display negative behaviour, and then be excluded, leaving him with too much time to make friendships with other marginalised, at-risk youth.
I tell you this to explain the trauma that drove me to do something more than I was.
The Mentoring Lab (TML) was founded to:
1) Improve mentoring to help 'save' young people from entering detrimental traps and
2) create a movement of youth practitioners and corporates committed to improving their mentoring skills to be better positioned to help save lives.
3) To improve the cultural sensitivity and value of mentoring within mentoring delivery
In 2015, I started with £0 and after 5 years of sacrificing my salary to build the foundation for the TML mentoring model and initial free services, In 2017 I registered The Mentoring Lab, then as a not-for-profit in 2019.
So what will your donation help us do?
£10 - covers 1 volunteer youth leader's daily expenses, allowing them to support the work we do and gain key employability skills
£25 - cover 30-minute group mentoring session with 30 youths
£100 - covers 2 staff delivering one day of our Saturday Mentoring Club
