Mentee News!

Thrilled my former mentee Christopher Tahaney (once part of the violent Valley Gang in Glasgow and a persistent young offender) has completed his first year at Edinburgh University reading Spanish! Chris decided he wanted to study Spanish after sailing to Venezuela and being inspired by the work of gang rehabilitation program Proyecto Alcatraz. He intends to return to Caracas to work with the program full time upon graduating.

Equally proud of Chris’s Sailing Miss Sadie shipmates Sam Todd and Geoffrey Nga’nga. Sam works full time as a professional sailing instructor for a disabled sailing charity in Southampton, while Geoffrey is currently training to be an actor with the National Youth Theatre. He works part-time in a vintage clothing store in Notting Hill & studies creative writing as a student at Brunel University, London (UCL). Geoffrey has also been developing TV projects with ITV Fixers.

Daniel Doran is to present a documentary for ITV Fixers drawing attention to the challenges faced by 16-year old Care-leavers. Dan, who grew up in Care himself, was my first mentee at HMPYOI Feltham. He has just been appointed a mentor himself by The Prince’s Trust at Lewes Prison. He begins training in Jan.

Luke Tucker has recently returned from working as a trainee horse whisperer with Susannah Armstrong in Spain. He now owns his own horse and is planning to do a charity horse ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End in Cornwall! In May 2012, Luke will ride over 2800KM across France to London for a second time to raise money for disabled charities.