On Friday 19 August 2016, over 150 young people who were high risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) celebrated amazing academic and vocational achievements at a graduation ceremony hosted by the investment bank Nomura, at its headquarters in the City of London.

YouTube celebrity comedian, TV presenter, London Hughes hosted the event at Nomura, inviting young people up to the stage to celebrate their achievements.

The graduation coincided with the release of A Level results the previous day, giving many of ThinkForward’s young people double cause for celebration.

Amariah El-Bashary, 19, from Islington said: “Thanks to my Coach I’ve become more confident and open minded, which has made me more comfortable talking to people. I’ve also learnt that if you are focused you can achieve anything.”

Fatima Begum, 18, said: ‘Being on ThinkForward has been an amazing experience and my Coach helped me to become the person I am today. I’ve learnt that no matter what to never give up.”

This summer, for the third year in a row, we had a successful Community Day with volunteers from ELBA, State Street, Nomura as well as 9 of our Coaches and 20 ThinkForward young people who got their sleeves rolled up and got stuck in making a difference community.

Volunteers fist worked on painting a mural followed by mock interview sessions.

One young person said of the interviews, “It felt like a REAL interview. I learnt so much from everyone today.”

Another young person said of the session, “I feel more confident speaking in front of bigger groups now“.

Despite the rain, the day was a great success and special thanks to ELBA for organising as such events go a long way in helping the residents and the young people who attended.

The local community centre in Tower Hamlet’s whose mural they painted said, “the  mural has made a huge difference to the wall.  We have already had many good comments  about it making a difference, and how nice the colours are.”