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James Hensman
Chief Executive Officer

by James HensmanTeam Members
The Team / James Hensman
Chief Operating Officer

James
Hensman.

James drives growth, strengthens delivery and keeps Youth Unity firmly aligned with its mission.

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James Hensman, Chief Operating Officer of Youth Unity
20+ years

Experience in strategic planning, operational management and service development.

01

Leading operations

James is the Chief Operating Officer at Youth Unity CIC, bringing over 20 years of experience and a strong track record in strategic planning, operational management, and service development. As a key leader within the organisation, he drives growth, strengthens delivery, and ensures that Youth Unity remains firmly aligned with its mission: achieving better outcomes for young people.

James oversees a diverse portfolio of early intervention and social care services, ensuring they remain responsive to emerging needs and vulnerabilities. His leadership is rooted in partnership working, system change, and innovation, enabling Youth Unity to adapt effectively to the evolving challenges faced by young people and communities today.

02

Partnerships that protect

Deeply committed to improving the lives of vulnerable groups, James excels in building purposeful, multi-agency collaborations. These partnerships enhance Youth Unity’s ability to address issues such as criminal exploitation, county lines, serious youth violence, and organised crime.

Achieving better outcomes for young people.
03

Before Youth Unity

Before joining Youth Unity, James worked extensively in safeguarding and community consultancy, supporting local authorities, policing bodies, and multi-agency partnerships to strengthen their response to youth vulnerability and exploitation. Prior to his consultancy work, James spent 14 years in the police service, where he contributed to training development, best-practice strategy, and frontline intervention services focused on gangs, criminal exploitation, county lines, and organised crime.

His experience also includes commissioning, integrated service design, and providing specialist advice to safeguarding partnerships, education trusts, and regional NHS trusts. James has worked nationally with NHS Trusts and Safeguarding Children Boards, influencing both policy and practice at strategic and operational levels.

04

Creative roots

Earlier in his career, James achieved a BA (Hons) in Visual Communications from the Kent Institute of Art, specialising in graphic design and photography. He continues to apply this creative background within Youth Unity’s projects, using arts-based engagement to inspire and connect with young people.

An alumnus of Wilmington Grammar School for Boys, James maintains a strong interest in the arts and is particularly passionate about supporting young people with SEND, championing inclusive opportunities and creative expression for all.

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Shirley Jackson
Managing Director & Founder

by Shirley JacksonTeam Members
The Team / Shirley Jackson
Founder · Managing Director

Shirley
Jackson.

Shirley turns good ideas into well-run, high-impact programmes.

Get in touch → LinkedIn
Shirley Jackson, Founder and Managing Director of Youth Unity
25+ years

A background in corporate finance, project management, marketing and branding.

01

Leading the organisation

Shirley Jackson is the Founder and Managing Director of Youth Unity. With a background of over 25 years in corporate finance, and vast experience in project management, marketing and branding, she leads the organisation’s full operational delivery, from scoping need, designing programmes and securing strategic partners, to managing project budgets, risk, compliance, monitoring and evaluation.

Shirley also oversees all back-end operations for Youth Unity, including financial planning, operational systems, marketing materials, digital communications and internal workflows that keep the organisation running smoothly.

02

Hands-on with delivery

Beyond strategic leadership, Shirley project-manages a number of Youth Unity’s enrichment and community programmes, coordinating delivery teams, ensuring safe practice and maintaining a strong focus on quality, inclusion and impact. Clear KPIs, transparent reporting and effective systems form the backbone of her approach, ensuring every project is accountable and genuinely serves the needs of young people.

Building services that are practical, accessible and rooted in dignity and respect.
03

Where it began

Shirley’s journey began through creative community platforms, from running successful online radio stations to producing large-scale community events that gave people a space to be heard. These early experiences shaped her passion for building positive, empowering environments.

04

Lived experience

As a single parent of two (now grown) and someone who has lived experience of domestic abuse, Shirley brings deep empathy and authenticity to her work. She is a strong advocate for young people and families facing adversity, understanding first-hand the pressures that instability, trauma and social challenges can create. This drives her commitment to building services that are practical, accessible and rooted in dignity and respect.

05

Brand & creative

Shirley also leads Youth Unity’s brand and creative strategy, ensuring the organisation communicates with clarity, honesty and pride in the communities it serves.

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Brian Lewis

Brian Lewis (ACMA, MBA)
Chief Financial Officer

by Team Members
The Team / Brian Lewis
Non-Executive Director

Brian
Lewis.

Brian brings senior finance leadership to the Youth Unity board, contributing to governance and strategic oversight so the organisation stays strong, accountable and focused on young people.

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Brian Lewis, Non-Executive Director of Youth Unity
ACMA · MBA

A chartered management accountant with extensive experience in finance leadership roles.

01

On the board

Brian is a Non-Executive Director at Youth Unity CIC, where he contributes to governance and strategic oversight. He is a seasoned finance professional with extensive experience in leadership roles, and he brings that experience to the questions every board has to answer: is the organisation well run, is its money well spent, and is it set up to keep delivering for young people in the years ahead?

A non-executive role means offering both support and challenge. Brian gives Youth Unity an independent, financially rigorous view, which helps the team make sound decisions and gives funders and partners confidence in how the organisation is led.

02

Finance leadership in education

Brian serves as Chief Finance and Operations Officer (CFOO) at Aspire Schools Alternative Provision. He works closely with the CEO and the Executive Leadership Team, driving strategic initiatives and overseeing financial operations.

Alternative provision supports young people for whom mainstream school has not worked, so Brian understands first-hand the pressures facing many of the young people Youth Unity is here for. He knows what it takes to run services for them properly.

Accountability, transparency and community.
03

A wider portfolio

Alongside these roles, Brian operates as a self-employed Chief Financial Officer and has recently become Chairman of the Audit & Finance Committee at Buckinghamshire New University, where he is responsible for ensuring financial accountability and transparency.

Previously he was Finance Director at HRH HILL LTD, where he implemented financial strategies and managed key processes. He holds an MBA from The Open University and is professionally qualified as an ACMA with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

04

Serving the community

Brian’s commitment to community service runs through everything he does. He is Charity Chairman of Wycombe Multicultural Organisation, working to enhance support for diverse communities.

That same commitment is what he brings to Youth Unity. He combines the discipline of a finance director with a genuine belief in the work, and he wants every young person we support to get the very best from it.

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Nick Darvill
Senior Project Lead

by Nick DarvillTeam Members
The Team / Nick
Youth Intervention & Crime Reduction Lead

Nick.

Forty years in public service and youth intervention, from three decades in the Metropolitan Police to pioneering football-based work with hard-to-reach young people.

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Nick, Youth Intervention and Crime Reduction Lead at Youth Unity
40 years

Supporting young offenders, victims of crime and families affected by violence.

01

Forty years of service

Nick brings a 40-year career in public service and youth intervention to Youth Unity, with unparalleled expertise in supporting young offenders, victims of crime and families affected by violence. His journey began with a distinguished 30-year tenure in the Metropolitan Police Service, where he developed a deep understanding of the challenges facing vulnerable young people and communities affected by crime.

02

Leading DIVERT

During his policing career, Nick became the national project lead for DIVERT, a pioneering custody intervention programme for 18 to 25 year olds. DIVERT provides tailored pathways into education, apprenticeships and employment with the aim of reducing re-offending. Supported by the Home Office and the Mayor’s Office, the programme places skilled intervention coaches in custody suites across London.

Under Nick’s leadership, those coaches consistently showed courage and dedication, engaging young adults at critical and often life-changing moments and continuing their support long after release.

Meeting young people at the moments that change everything.
03

Crime reduction through football

After leaving the police, Nick spent six influential years leading and expanding the crime reduction programme at the highly regarded Charlton Athletic Community Trust. The role, the first of its kind across the Premier League and Football League, redefined how professional football clubs work with hard-to-reach young people. Nick delivered and managed interventions funded by The Football Foundation and the Premier League Charitable Fund, and his work earned recognition from the Premier League Kicks management board and MOPAC, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.

As part of the award-winning Kickz Management Team, a collaboration between The Football Foundation and the Metropolitan Police Service, Nick played a pivotal role in developing a football-based diversionary project for at-risk young people. His ability to combine criminal justice insight with sports-based engagement made him invaluable to the programme.

04

On the pitch

Nick holds the UEFA ‘A’ Football Coaching Licence and is an active member of the FA Coaches Association, with extensive coaching experience from his work with West Ham United and Charlton Athletic Youth. For many young people, the pitch is where the conversation starts.

05

Safer, stronger communities

Driven by a lifelong commitment to improving outcomes for young people, Nick’s depth of experience, innovative thinking and trusted partnerships make him a leading figure in tackling youth violence and creating safer, stronger communities.

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Paul McKenzie

by Paul McKenzieTeam Members
The Team / Paul McKenzie
Film Maker • Mentor

Paul
McKenzie.

Paul has spent more than 30 years mentoring young people through county lines, grooming and criminal exploitation, and he puts their stories on screen so others can learn from them.

LinkedIn
Paul McKenzie, film maker and mentor at Youth Unity
30+ years

Mentoring young people affected by county lines, grooming and criminal exploitation.

01

Three decades alongside young people

Paul is a film maker and mentor at Youth Unity CIC with more than 30 years of experience supporting young people affected by county lines, grooming and criminal exploitation. He understands how exploitation starts, how it tightens its grip, and what it takes to help a young person find a way out.

His route into the work was not a conventional one. Paul left an office career as a solicitors’ account manager to volunteer on youth programmes, and a mentoring role in a primary school convinced him this was where he belonged. As serious youth violence grew, he took the work to street level, engaging young people where they were and earning respect in communities across London.

02

Behind the camera

Film is how Paul takes those conversations further. He makes documentaries and short films about the issues young people face, and he makes them with young people, so their voices run through every frame.

His short film SICK, which tackles mental health in young people, was screened at the National Gallery in London. WILLIAM: The Dangers of Grooming and Crippled Karma: The Story of a Victim take on grooming and youth violence with the same honesty. His films are widely used in schools, colleges and statutory organisations, and they have reached thousands of young people, parents and professionals.

“The behaviour is never the real person.”
03

Leading from the street

When a Youth Unity project calls for film or street interviews, Paul leads on it. He has a gift for getting people to talk on camera, whether that is a young person on their own estate or a passer-by on the high street, and those honest conversations are what make the finished films land. The outcomes speak for themselves, time after time.

One example is Point of View, which took a group of young people from inner-city London to the beaches of Cornwall to see life from a different angle, with Paul capturing the journey on film.

Alongside the filming, Paul delivers workshops and talks on serious youth violence, grooming and drugs awareness. He is an experienced public speaker, a life coach and an NLP Master Practitioner, and he is as comfortable in front of a school hall as he is behind a lens.

04

Seeing the potential

Everything Paul does, on camera and off, is about creating spaces where young people can discover what they are capable of. Paul believes every community has people with the potential to be great, and he has spent 30 years proving it, one young person and one film at a time.

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The Team / Paul McKenzie
Film Maker • Mentor

Paul
McKenzie.

Paul has spent more than 30 years mentoring young people through county lines, grooming and criminal exploitation, and he puts their stories on screen so others can learn from them.

Get in touch → LinkedIn
Paul McKenzie, film maker and mentor at Youth Unity
30+ years

Mentoring young people affected by county lines, grooming and criminal exploitation.

01

Three decades alongside young people

Paul is a film maker and mentor at Youth Unity CIC with more than 30 years of experience supporting young people affected by county lines, grooming and criminal exploitation. He understands how exploitation starts, how it tightens its grip, and what it takes to help a young person find a way out.

His route into the work was not a conventional one. Paul left an office career as a solicitors’ account manager to volunteer on youth programmes, and a mentoring role in a primary school convinced him this was where he belonged. As serious youth violence grew, he took the work to street level, engaging young people where they were and earning respect in communities across London.

02

Behind the camera

Film is how Paul takes those conversations further. He makes documentaries and short films about the issues young people face, and he makes them with young people, so their voices run through every frame.

His short film SICK, which tackles mental health in young people, was screened at the National Gallery in London. WILLIAM: The Dangers of Grooming and Crippled Karma: The Story of a Victim take on grooming and youth violence with the same honesty. His films are widely used in schools, colleges and statutory organisations, and they have reached thousands of young people, parents and professionals.

“The behaviour is never the real person.”
03

Leading from the street

When a Youth Unity project calls for film or street interviews, Paul leads on it. He has a gift for getting people to talk on camera, whether that is a young person on their own estate or a passer-by on the high street, and those honest conversations are what make the finished films land. The outcomes speak for themselves, time after time.

One example is Point of View, which took a group of young people from inner-city London to the beaches of Cornwall to see life from a different angle, with Paul capturing the journey on film.

Alongside the filming, Paul delivers workshops and talks on serious youth violence, grooming and drugs awareness. He is an experienced public speaker, a life coach and an NLP Master Practitioner, and he is as comfortable in front of a school hall as he is behind a lens.

04

Seeing the potential

Everything Paul does, on camera and off, is about creating spaces where young people can discover what they are capable of. Paul believes every community has people with the potential to be great, and he has spent 30 years proving it, one young person and one film at a time.

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Stephen Wright, Artist

by Arts & CultureTeam Members

Steve is the creative force behind the vibrant murals that bring Youth Unity’s projects to life. A skilled and passionate artist, they turn walls into powerful visual stories that reflect the voices, dreams, and resilience of the communities they serve.

With a signature style that blends bold colour, intricate detail, and layered symbolism, Steve’s murals do more than beautify spaces, they spark connection, dialogue, and creativity. A regular Youth Unity collaborator, they gravitate toward projects that empower young people and strengthen community pride.

Beyond murals, Steve is an accomplished tattoo artist, crafting intricate designs that honour personal stories and cultural identity, showcasing both versatility and a deep commitment to meaningful expression.

Equally dedicated to mentoring, Steve enjoys working alongside young creatives, sharing skills and confidence. Whether painting a wall or co-creating with youth, their work channels the unity, hope, and cultural diversity at the heart of Youth Unity’s mission.

When not painting or tattooing, Steve explores new techniques, connects with local communities, and draws inspiration from the energy and spirit of the young people they work with.

wayne

Wayne Hill
Lead Serious Youth Violence & Gang Exit Specialist

by Team MembersWayne Hill
The Team / Wayne
Lead Serious Youth Violence & Gang Exit Specialist

Wayne.

Wayne leads our work on serious youth violence and gang exit, with more than 25 years spent alongside the young people others have given up on.

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Wayne, Lead Serious Youth Violence and Gang Exit Specialist at Youth Unity
25+ years

At the forefront of tackling youth violence and gang exploitation in our communities.

01

At the forefront

Wayne is a dedicated and passionate advocate in the field of serious youth violence and gang exit work. With over 25 years of experience, he has been at the forefront of efforts to address the impact of youth violence and gang-related harm within our communities.

Having witnessed first-hand the devastating consequences of youth violence, Wayne has committed his career to creating positive change and providing real alternatives for young people at risk. He has designed and delivered intervention programmes that prevent young people being drawn into gangs, and that support those who want to leave that life behind.

02

The ones others give up on

At Youth Unity, Wayne leads our mentoring for young people affected by serious youth violence. He has spent more than three decades working closely with the young people who are hardest to reach and hardest to engage, and he keeps going where others step back. His approach is trauma-informed: he understands that behaviour which looks like defiance is often a response to what a young person has lived through, and he works with that reality rather than against it.

That persistence gets results. Wayne has an outstanding track record of achievements with the young people he has worked with, and his determination to guide each one towards a better future is what defines him.

A way out, and someone to walk it with.
03

Trauma-informed, contextual safeguarding

Wayne’s expertise extends to contextual safeguarding: understanding the risks young people face beyond the family home, on the street, online and among their peers. He built that insight over many years working in children’s care homes, where those risks are often at their sharpest.

It means he sees the whole picture around a young person, not just the behaviour in front of him, and he can work with families, schools and services to change the environment as well as the individual.

04

Why it matters

Gang exit work is demanding, slow and often unseen. Wayne takes on those responsibilities with skill and real commitment, and the young people he supports know they have someone in their corner for as long as it takes.

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Jason Hill
Mentor

by Team Members
The Team / Jason Hill
Ambassador • Retired Met Police Officer

Jason
Hill.

Jason spent his police career working with the young people nobody else wanted to take on. Now retired from the Met, he brings that experience, and a lifetime of building partnerships, to Youth Unity.

Jason Hill, Ambassador at Youth Unity, wearing a navy Youth Unity t-shirt
Partnership first

“We cannot simply arrest our way out of the current situation.”

01

The kids nobody else wanted

Before retiring, Jason was the Metropolitan Police’s Youth Engagement Coordinator for the North East Sector. He ran his own football-based Friday night project for at-risk young people and supported a further 14 projects across Newham and Waltham Forest, reaching more than 2,000 young people.

“Basically, I work with the kids that nobody else wants, or they find too difficult to handle,” he said at the time. Many had been through the custodial system or were on the edge of it, referred in by schools, pupil referral units and social services. Others were privately educated and wanted to be lawyers. On Friday nights, they all played football together.

02

From six to hundreds

Jason’s Salisbury Hall Friday Night Project in Waltham Forest started with just six young people. It grew to around 100 every week, with nearly 800 registered and young people travelling from all over London to take part. Some went on to Crystal Palace and Peterborough United.

Alongside football, the projects he supported offered cricket, dance, bike building, theatre, gardening, mental health sessions, and rap and grime workshops. Young people moved on to apprenticeships, coaching qualifications and the Police Cadets, and anti-social behaviour fell by 6.6% in the areas where the projects ran.

You’ve got to work as a collective.
03

Bringing everyone round the table

Jason has always believed that partnership is the only way. As a police officer, he could bring schools, charities, coaches, councils and former young offenders together with no political or financial agenda, once getting 27 partners around one table. He also championed a Youth Independent Advisory Group, making sure young people with lived experience had a real say.

Above all, it comes down to rapport and trust. On his projects, young people stopped batting an eyelid at a police uniform, because the officers just joined in and started chatting. Breaking down those barriers is what Jason now brings to Youth Unity as our Ambassador, helping to spread the word about our work and bring new partners and supporters on board.

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Riyad
Sessional Youth Worker

by Team Members
The Team / Riyad
Youth Worker • Qualified English Teacher

Riyad.

Riyad has been part of Youth Unity since the very start. Now a qualified English teacher working in Saudi Arabia, he jumps straight back into youth work whenever he’s home in the UK, bringing his teaching expertise with him.

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Riyad, Youth Worker and qualified English teacher at Youth Unity
Teacher & youth worker

He sees past the behaviour, and sees the young person.

01

Part of Youth Unity from the start

Riyad has been with Youth Unity since the very beginning, growing up alongside the organisation. From those early days he has had a real passion for youth work and for making genuine, lasting change in young people’s lives.

02

From the classroom abroad to youth work at home

Riyad is now a qualified English teacher living and working in Saudi Arabia. Teaching brings generous time off, and whenever he is back home in the UK he jumps straight back into his youth worker role.

He brings his teaching expertise into the mix, combining the structure and skills of the classroom with the trust and informality of youth work.

He sees past the behaviour, and sees the young person.
03

Seeing past the behaviour

Riyad understands that behaviour is often a young person’s way of communicating something they can’t yet put into words. Rather than writing anyone off, he looks beyond it to the person underneath, building relationships based on patience, respect and belief in what they can achieve.

04

Literature through philosophy

One of the things that makes Riyad’s sessions stand out is the way he introduces young people to elements of literature through philosophy. Using stories, poems and big questions about life, fairness and identity, he gets young people thinking, debating and sharing their views.

It is a way in that helps them build critical thinking, confidence and their own voice, often without even realising they are learning.

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Jhiselle Feanny – Consultant & Clinical Supervisor

by Team Members
The Team / Jhiselle
Clinical Supervisor • Team Wellbeing

Jhiselle.

Jhiselle Feanny is our Clinical Supervisor, helping to ensure the mental wellbeing of the Youth Unity team. She brings over 17 years of experience in social care and management, working with children, young people and families.

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Jhiselle Feanny, Clinical Supervisor at Youth Unity
17+ years’ experience

A well-supported team is the foundation of good work with young people.

01

Looking after those who look after others

As Clinical Supervisor, Jhiselle helps to ensure the mental wellbeing of our team. Supporting young people can be demanding work, and she gives our staff a space to reflect, process and grow, so they can keep showing up at their best for the young people who rely on them.

02

17 years in social care

Jhiselle Feanny has over 17 years of experience in social care and management, specialising in leading teams and ensuring high-quality services for children, young people and families. She focuses on fostering a solution-focused and systemic approach, embedding best practices and driving meaningful interventions.

Jhiselle excels in creating collaborative cultures and championing evidence-based practices to set benchmarks for excellence and positive change.

Supporting the team, so the team can support young people.
03

Expertise that makes a difference

Her expertise spans management, safeguarding children and families, and addressing adolescent risk. She has worked extensively to prevent reactive care entries, resolve housing and homelessness issues, promote reunification and reduce offending behaviours.

We are pleased to welcome her expertise to the Youth Unity team.

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