Lewisham
Alumni
Network
Giving Back
The idea of the Lewisham Alumni Network has always been in the minds of young people throughout the years, who after going through school and reaching a level of personal success have been looking for ways to give back. This has been happening throughout the borough on an individual level and in some schools however both previous young mayors and their advisors have pushed for this to become more formal in some way. The idea became more apparent during Laurelle Henry’s term as Young Mayor, where the proposal to create an Alumni was part of her budget. It was part of a wider initiative called the Curriculum for Life project, where the Young Mayor Team is working on supporting young people to learn a range of things they need or would like to know to help them through school and when they leave.
Cabinet Approval
Since Mayor Damien Egan and cabinet approved Laurelle’s budget proposal to pilot this programme the team have been working hard towards getting it off the ground.
On June 19th, 2020 we held the very first Lewisham Alumni event where over 25 former students and local residents attended to pitch in to give this initiative the support needed. Not only was their enthusiasm for the pilot, but a real passion was apparent in the room with former students sharing their experiences of growing up and schooling in Lewisham whilst pooling ideas on what the next steps will look like.
In our second meeting on July 24th, 2020 we met together to further ideas about how the network can contribute to supporting current students through sharing their experiences and stories and through taking part in classes which relate to their jobs, careers and experiences.
What we do
The Lewisham Alumni goal is to connect young people who live in the borough with young adults who have reached a level of personal success after leaving school. It will act as a network with the aim to advise and support young people in Lewisham who are making further higher education and or career choices and offer support with training and life skills they may need to take advantage of current and future opportunities.
As a collective our commitment is to share our stories with each other and young people to help create a culture of connection and communication between the current and previous generations. We will also endeavour to support Alumni members into positions of leadership within civic society and wider industries. Based on our availability this will be done by;
-
Visiting schools for assemblies and citizenship/PSHE days.
-
Running/supporting a life skills workshop with Curriculum 4 life.
-
Mentoring a young person through a partner organisation or informal with Young Advisors.
-
Supporting seasonal events and projects with the Young Mayors Team.
-
Attending a minimum of two meetings/activities a year to increase local communication.
-
Support the development of networking opportunities for young people and fellow members.
-
Signpost any work experience or enrichment opportunities to the young mayor team which will then share it with schools, PRUs and local youth networks.
-
Enrich local development through idea sharing with Lewisham council and increasing civic participation.
Find out more about members by clicking their pictures!
Meet The Alumni
During our quarterly meetings Alumni members are able to talk about their journeys up to where they are now, plan for future events and projects to support young people in Lewisham as well as share opportunities both within and outside of the network.
Quarterly Meetings
Where are we now
In light of Covid-19 all physical meetings have been put on hold however we are endeavouring to find new ways for the Alumni members to further discussions on some really exciting projects and events for the future. If you would like to become a Lewisham Alumni member do get in touch with the Young Mayors Team!
- Video masterclasses from our Alumni's relating to their careers and skills!
- Vlogs and blogs on what members are doing to keep busy during Covid-19
- Podcasts hosted by our Former Young Mayors with members on latest news
- Alumni zoom Conference
- And much more!