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Mike
Youth Worker

by Team Members
The Team / Mike
Youth Worker • Sport & Fitness Lead

Mike.

Mike uses sport and physical activity to engage and support young people, running high-energy sessions that build confidence, teamwork and a sense of belonging.

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Mike, Youth Worker and Sport and Fitness Lead at Youth Unity
On & off the pitch

Sport is more than physical activity. It’s a tool for connection.

01

Sport as the way in

Mike is a dedicated youth worker who uses sport and physical activity as a powerful way to engage and support young people. With a strong passion for fitness, he delivers high-energy sessions that encourage participation, build confidence and promote positive lifestyle choices.

02

Structured but fun

Through football, basketball and group fitness, Mike creates an inclusive environment where young people can develop teamwork, discipline and resilience. His sessions are structured but fun, giving young people the chance to stay active while building strong peer relationships and a sense of belonging.

Everyone gets a game, whatever their ability. The point is not who wins, but who turns up, joins in and comes back next week.

Supported on the pitch, and off it.
03

More than a game

Mike understands that sport is more than just physical activity. It is a tool for connection. He uses it to open up conversations around wellbeing, mindset and personal growth, helping young people feel supported both on and off the pitch.

Some of the most important conversations happen on the walk to the changing rooms, or catching a breath on the sideline. That is where Mike does some of his best work.

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Zipporah

by Team MembersZipporah
The Team / Zipporah
Young Ambassador • Podcast Host

Zipporah
Podcast Queen.

Zipporah is our Young Ambassador and the voice of the Youth Unity podcast. She earned the crown by turning up every single week.

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Zipporah, Youth Unity Young Ambassador, at the podcast microphone wearing headphones
Every week

She shows up, gets involved and makes the conversation better.

01

She kept showing up

Nobody handed Zipporah a title on day one. She came along, got involved, and then came back the next week, and the week after that. Each time she took on a little more, asked better questions and grew in confidence.

It did not take long for the team to notice that she has a real flair for communication. She listens properly, she puts people at ease, and she can say in one sentence what others take five minutes to get to.

02

Earning the crown

So we gave her the microphone, and a title to go with it: Podcast Queen. Zipporah now leads on our podcast, helping to shape the conversations and making sure they sound like young people talking, because they are.

When a young person hosts, guests open up differently and listeners hear themselves in the room. That is something no adult presenter can fake, and it is why Zipporah is at the heart of what we record.

Giving young people a voice, and the opportunities to use it.
03

Studies come first

Zipporah is a student getting ready for her A-Levels, and at Youth Unity her studies always come first. Recording fits around revision, never the other way round, and if she needs to step back at exam time, the microphone will be waiting when she returns.

We see the two as working together. The confidence, preparation and clear thinking she is building behind the mic are skills she takes back into the classroom, and on to whatever comes next.

04

Growing with us

Zipporah is young, so she does not do any of this alone. Our team supports her throughout, from planning an episode to the conversation afterwards about what went well and what she would like to try next.

As our Young Ambassador she represents exactly what Youth Unity is here for: giving young people a voice and opening up real opportunities. As she grows, we intend to grow those opportunities with her, and we are excited to see where she takes them.

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Thomas Anderson

Thomas Anderson

by Team MembersThomas Anderson
The Team / Thomas Anderson
Senior Serious Youth Violence Mentor

Thomas
Anderson.

Thomas mentors young people affected by serious youth violence, bringing a boxing coach’s discipline and a DJ’s ear for what moves people.

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Thomas Anderson, Senior Serious Youth Violence Mentor at Youth Unity
25+ years

A wealth of experience, brought to every conversation with a young person.

01

Someone in their corner

Thomas is the Senior Serious Youth Violence Mentor at Youth Unity CIC, with a wealth of experience spanning more than 25 years. He works alongside young people who are caught up in violence or at risk of being drawn into it, and he stays alongside them for as long as it takes.

Mentoring at this level depends on trust, and trust is slow to earn. Thomas earns it by turning up when he says he will, listening before he speaks, and being straight with young people about where their choices lead. As the senior mentor on the team, he also sets the standard for how that work is done.

02

In the ring

Thomas is a boxing coach, and the gym is one of the best mentoring rooms he has. Boxing asks for discipline, self-control and respect for the person in front of you. It gives anger and energy somewhere safe to go, and it shows a young person, round by round, that effort gets results.

Some of the most honest conversations happen between rounds on the pads. A young person who would never sit across a desk and talk will often open up with gloves on.

Meeting young people where they are.
03

Behind the decks

Thomas also knows his way around a set of decks. He DJs and mixes music, and he uses that skill the same way he uses boxing: as common ground. Music is already a huge part of most young people’s lives, so it is a natural place to start a conversation.

Learning to mix takes patience, timing and a good ear. It also gives young people a creative outlet and something they can be proud of, which matters a great deal to someone who has mostly been told what they are getting wrong.

04

Why it works

Put the three together and you get a mentor who can reach young people in more than one way. Some connect through sport, some through music, and some just need a steady adult who will not give up on them. Thomas offers all three, backed by 25 years of knowing what helps.

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