Meet our Mentors

“I took retirement 5 years ago after building my own successful construction business, and kept myself occupied as Chair of a club and Site Development Officer until last November. Very quickly I became bored to tears.

“It’s an ideal opportunity to pass on my carpentry and general building skills. I’ve gained much satisfaction from meeting nervous students to seeing them quickly gain experience and confidence, not only working with tools and materials, but also working as team players. It’s great to see the young learners achieving skills that are no longer taught in schools.”

“The ethos of VIY helping young people learn really appeals to me and I really enjoy helping the young people achieve their goals.

I love seeing the look of achievement on their faces when they have worked towards an end result.”

I work for VIY to give someone a chance at the possibility of a future through learning a trade and I love the opportunities to help those who need a bit of encouragement.

My personal highlight so far with VIY is seeing the success on a young person’s face when they’ve achieved a task!

When you start a project and young people come to site not knowing much about trade skills, but achieve so much and get their accreditation at the end. That’s why we do this job. We’re helping them make a positive change in their lives. All young people deserve a chance, a helping hand.

We’re also helping communities. It makes me feel proud when we get great feedback from the place we’re renovating and when we get the young people asking to join us on another site.

“I wasn’t very academic at school and I know that having a positive opportunity to learn outside of the classroom was a release for me from the everyday pressures of schooling and I hope it’s the same for younger people today – and combining this with the transformation of buildings that are really important for local communities makes VIY one of the best initiatives I’ve ever encountered.”

Dan is a former prison officer and first volunteered with VIY in 2017. He has a particular passion for carpentry, whilst also having other trade skills. Dan enjoys his role because: “No two projects are the same. Each one poses its own challenges, which we always overcome. I also meet young volunteers who have been through the justice system and it’s brilliant to see the impact that VIY has on their confidence and prospects.”

Alan joined the VIY team early in 2017, first as a volunteer in his local area, then became Lead Mentor, and is now one of our longest-serving mentors. A talented carpenter and multi-skilled tradesman from East London, he has a passion for helping young people who are facing challenging circumstances, having passed through the care system himself as a young person.