Alan Maphosa, is 27 and came to the UK as a refugee from South Africa aged 17, following concerns for his safety when there were many attacks happening in the community (Alan and his family were originally from Zimbabwe). He was then in care until the age of 21 when he was referred to YMCA…
Last night our nominees for a Team London Volunteering Award were recognised for their hard work and dedication and were winners! Llewellyn Alleyne won an individual award for his volunteering at YMCA Hayes in West London. Our Inclusive Lives team won an award for their EveryBodyCanDance fitness instruction video (produced with Filmanthropy UK). Volunteering at Hayes Llewellyn has…
We believe every young person should have someone they can trust and a safe place to stay, which is why our Housing Support Officers play such a key role in the lives of our residents. Patricia Lumeca has been a Housing Support Officer at YMCA South Ealing for the last two years and is the…
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week (08-14 Oct) Two thirds of us experience a mental health problem in our lifetime, and stress is a major player. The Mental Health Foundation has a Stress Test – how do you score? Release Counselling is based at YMCA Surbiton and offers support to people who are experiencing...
We believe every young person should be able to fulfil their potential. Whether that’s learning a new skill, training for employment or improving their self-confidence as they take on new challenges. Sa’ida Mohammed, 30, has been a resident at YMCA Walthamstow for the last three years and is employed and training as a playworker in…
Martin Francis, 36, is the Maintenance Worker at YMCA Wimbledon and has been a resident in the hostel three times. He first came to the hostel in 2005 and stayed a couple of months, then returned in 2013. This was a difficult period for Martin as he was trying to gain custody for his son…
With summer now in full swing, YMCA is calling on people to show their real-selves and pledge to ‘be real’ in order to fight against body image negativity that arises from the constant bombardment of ‘beach body ready’ adverts, pictures and magazine features. Previous YMCA research has revealed that young people are heavily influenced by…
Over the past few months members of our Inclusive Lives Project team has been working with Filmanthropy UK to produce a user-led fitness instruction video. Funded by the Big Lottery. It’s aimed at everybody in the community, to encourage people to get active, dance and have fun! Even our care givers got involved in the video, showing us how...
On Sunday 8 July we’re hosting the 11th Junior Tennis tournament – join us to support the youngsters as they compete! It’s a Knock-out format, and all singles finals will play over a set of six games. Some of the players will be seeded, based on draw size and matchplay rankings when the draw is…
Ingrid Posada, 42, is a resident at YMCA Surbiton. Originally from Columbia, a talented singer/songwriter and a presenter on Relaks Radio, Ingrid was left homeless when she escaped domestic violence. She was in a formal relationship for just a year, but in that short space of time she suffered emotional and physical abuse, which left…
