Annual General Meeting 2013

Urban Synergy held it’s Annual General Meeting at State Street, Canary Wharf earlier this month. The evening was opened by Reza Khan VP at State Street, followed by Leila Thomas who talked about our mission and goals for the year ahead. Through a series of ‘Top Tips for the Top’ Role Model Seminars, ‘Think Further’ Academic Seminars and one to one mentoring, Urban Synergy has been able to reach hundreds of young people in the Lewisham Borough over the last year. Our goal is to continue and expand by training and offering our growing pool of mentors to more young people.

Demand for mentors to inspire young people is growing, and to meet these needs, Urban Synergy requires the help of the community and industry. If you would like to help, offer work experience or donations from individuals or corporate, please see our Donate page for more details. PA Consulting sponsored a recent mentoring project at Addey and Stanhope school allowing us to pair 10 young people with mentors to help them attain better grades at GCSE.

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We also heard from our Chair, Courtenay Griffith QC, who talked about his experience as a barrister and how he believes education is the key to achievement. As a community, we can change the lives of young people, show them how academic achievement can lead to worthwhile and fulfilling careers.

Dianne Johnson spoke about the 2012 achievements, 30 mentors trained, Academic and Role Model seminars delivered, Apps for Good, Internships/Work Experience, Life Enrichment programme and Awards for Urban Synergy and staff.

Several students from St Matthew Academy Lewisham also spoke about the positive impact of their work experience at Thomson Reuters, and how another was inspired to pursue Photo Journalism as a career.

Two mentors shared their experiences of working with young people. Seymour as a new mentor talks about making a bond with a mentee, and Gordon, who has already mentored 2 young people talks about what mentoring means to him.

John Dixon, Deputy Head at Addey and Stanhope talked about how our Academic Seminar inspired so many students, and this led to a group of students being partnered with mentors. One of the key messages is students hearing from young professionals (not just teachers) that good grades are the key to success. Seeing and meeting professionals from their own community also made a big impact.  One of the mentees in from Addey and Stanhope also spoke about her experience on the programme and how she’s now aiming high for A grades.

The evening was closed by Dr Keith Davidson who talked about the difference to young lives the work of Urban Synergy has made. This is a community based project that needs your help to continue inspiring the next generation. To make a donation, or see how else you can get involved, please follow these links.

Our thanks to State Street who graciously supported and hosted our AGM.