Mekhi - Mekhi has come through a few setbacks but the one thing has remained has been the cultivation of his talents. We met Mekhi as a year 9 student, very intelligent and with a very different perspective on life. He struggled to understand why logic and common sense didn’t prevail in situations that arose in school, and rather than embrace him, some staff members treated him differently, negatively and saw him as a challenge to their authority. When Mekhi came into contact with Mentivity, it was like a breath of fresh air. We saw him and he embraced our values. A spoken word author, poet and rapper, Mekhi is letting all of his talents shine.

Charlie - One of the facets of Mentivity is community outreach and that is exactly how we met Charlie. A community football and mentoring session on his housing estate became a weekly mainstay for around 3 years and a great relationship was formed. Charlie put his trust in Mentivity and always checked in to see how we were and for some advice and guidance. On one occasion he talked about starting a career in football. A conversation with his parents and Charlie began to cut his teeth as a volunteer with us at our club. He always had a great rapport with the children and great technical knowledge, and the continued desire to learn has landed him a role as Academy Coach at his beloved Arsenal, a degree and his own company, coaching and guiding budding footballers.

Ezra - Son to a firefighting mum, nephew of Mentivity and grandson to superwoman. Some would say Ezra has big shoes to fill. His big personality, heart and dreams mean that his future looks very bright. His inquisitive and competitive nature and love for fast cars could point to a number of destinations. One thing for sure is he will have the support of family and friends to ensure he achieves whatever he sets his sights on.

Max & Lewis - Identical twins born with complications and feared the worst. But with extremely supportive parents who fostered a can-do attitude the boys have continued to grow, definitely physically but also in intellect, empathy and awareness. Confidence was the issue with the boys, so the majority of work was done on the football pitch a few years back. The boys have taken those transferable skills; the work ethic, leadership, learning concepts and working well under pressure and turned into young men that we can all be proud of. Always thoughtful and considerate of others, Max & Lewis are a true credit to their parents and an example of what is possible when you create an environment that is both nurturing and challenging across the board.

Ayomide - We first came into contact with Mide at 11 years of age, an energetic and inquisitive student with a good moral compass. By Sixth Form the wheels were slowly falling off and Mide was struggling with focus and feeling the pressure of deciding what he was going to do for the rest of his life.  With support from Mentivity, Mide avoided dropping out and built the confidence to make changes based on what he wanted rather than the expectations of others. He stepped away from physics to pursue computing and he hasn’t looked back! Mide has completed his software engineer apprenticeship, secured a job and plans to start a business within the creative software industry. Be sure to check out his podcast, the “Outchea Podcast”.

Jennifer - Where do we start? Superwoman, herself. Mother, grandmother and God-mother to countless children and now adults, as well as her own 7 children and 6 grandchildren. A true matriarch and abundance of wisdom, love and nurturing. A teacher in spirit and in trade. Mum (out of respect, just in case she finds out who wrote this) has forged an excellent career in education and has been adored by all her students everywhere she has been, despite choosing the most difficult environments to ply her trade. Mum has endured some difficult times to say the least, but to continue growing and learning through it all and keeping her sense of humour has been a joy to watch and experience. Thank you will never be enough! 

Oliver Boyd - Ollie met Mentivity at around 15 years old and things were very different. He was at a Pupil Referral Unit and was holding on to hope in areas that he wasn’t in control of. Mentivity helped Ollie to figure out what was important, family, football but most of all, himself. His trajectory changed and the brightness returned. Ollie disappeared into the big wide world where he experienced success in finding a number of lucrative opportunities in the construction industry, but he wasn’t fulfilled. An Instragram message and a couple of phone calls started the process of welcoming him back to Mentivity, but as an employee, surely one of our proudest moments.

Carl - One of our longest serving members of staff, an unsung hero who quietly goes about his business. Carl’s ability to tell it like it is in a way that resonates with his mentees has been one of the qualities that the young people gravitate towards. His sense of humour and open mind have always meant that he can relate to the majority of personalities, a great asset in this line of work. Carl has filled a number of roles in a few very different industries, but it's safe to say, he has found something that he is truly great at here. He takes his role extremely seriously and can be found educating fellow staff members of what’s going on with young people in and around schools. His many years of experience in this role are on show everyday, as he finds ways to support and build relationships with the most hard to reach.

Shemare - “We Made It!” These were the words we shouted at Shemare’s Year 11 Prom. The feeling was that regardless of his GCSE results it was a true achievement for him to finish his exams with a place in a mainstream school. He had many doubters, we had met Shemare at a pupil referral unit and vouched for him at his new school and continued our work with him throughout his last year and a half at school. Shemare re-paid our faith in him and himself as he left school with qualifications under his belt. Did we mention that he ‘shut down’ his own prom, playing an iconic DJ set that left the venue rocking. Shemare has continued into adulthood making statements wherever he goes, securing a role in digital marketing and continuing his career as a highly sought after DJ.

Ashan - At times, Ashan has carried our female mentoring program on her back. She has found ways to make many of the complex issues that a lot of our female mentees experience simpler. This show of wisdom beyond her years has had a profound impact on the lives of these young girls. Ashan has at times had to play many roles to connect with the young people; disciplinarian, shoulder to cry on, accountability auntie and many more. She has done this with aplomb and continues to be a huge asset to Mentivity and most importantly the mentees she serves.

Juliet - Juliet is a very talented football player that has played for Crystal Palace Ladies FC and Millwall Ladies FC. After completing her GCSE’s Juliet received an offer from Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club to be a part of the Women’s Dual Career Academy, where she is currently undertaking her A-Levels, not bad for someone that was written off by her school and wasn’t keen on education! Juliet made her first team debut for Brighton back in August 2021 and went on to represent Nigeria U20’s in their Women’s World Cup qualifiers against Cameroon and Congo in early 2022.

Tierney - Still a talented footballer, dancer and performer, Tierney has added social media marketing to her repertoire. We met Tierney when things seemed to be falling apart around her. We challenged her to change her outlook and take control of her life through holding herself accountable.. She has shown exemplary commitment to the Mentivity ideology and has gone from strength to strength. At one point it was predicted that Tierney wouldn’t make it through school, she is now considering university offers from the UK and US! Arguably one of Mentivity’s biggest supporters, we’re excited to see how far she can go.