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How We Turned £1,000 into Life-Changing Impact in Croydon


In September, we were awarded a £1,000 community grant from Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield via Croydon Voluntary Action. While it might not sound like a lot, this small fund had a huge impact on the lives of 9 young men in Croydon through our Mentoring 4 Mandem programme💥


Over just 10 weeks, we delivered:

✅ Over 20 tailored one-to-one mentoring sessions

✅ 10 powerful group workshops

✅ Opportunities to give back through community service

Our sessions focused on:

  • Entrepreneurship & employment pathways

  • Mental health and confidence-building

  • Personal development & leadership

  • Conflict resolution and goal-setting


🧠 The Results?

  • 80% gained self-confidence

  • 73% felt less isolated

  • 54% said they had a more positive outlook on their future

  • 40% discovered local support services



👥 Who we worked with: Young men aged 19–33, business owners, personal trainers, students, part-time workers but also NEET individuals, young offenders, care-experienced men, entrepreneurs, and those on DWP support—90% from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds.


🎯 What’s powerful is that many of our participants are now giving back—mentoring others, launching businesses, delivering school workshops, and creating community events.

📖 Real stories, real results:

  • A 22-year-old launched his property business and began public speaking

  • A future school founder in Ivory Coast started mentoring his peers

  • A clothing entrepreneur got his business online and into local events

  • A dad created a Christmas event that brought 11 fathers together with their kids

  • A podcast founder hosted his first ever mental health drive for Croydon residents



🔁 Our biggest learning? Word-of-mouth is our strongest referral pipeline. Our programme has built trust in the community—and when people see results, they refer their peers.


📍We’re now applying for £5,000 to deepen the support we offer and reach those currently on our waiting list—football coaches, creatives, ex-entrepreneurs, youth workers and more.


We’re not just mentoring—we’re building ecosystems of opportunity, resilience, and leadership.


🙏 Huge thank you to Westfield and CVA Croydon for believing in grassroots work.

If you're a funder, supporter, or collaborator—we’d love to chat.



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