ThinkForward and our partner, asset management firm ICG, have been celebrating after becoming the first recipients of the Sir Martyn Lewis Award the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards. The prestigious new award was inaugurated in recognition of the high calibre of this year’s applications and Sir Martyn’s long-standing service to the awards.

The partnership was celebrated for its work with young people at the London East Alternative Provision school (LEAP) in Tower Hamlets, east London. A ThinkForward coach supports students who have been identified as being at high risk of leaving school and becoming unemployed. ICG not only help to fund the programme, but also open their doors to young people who attend regular mentoring sessions with staff volunteers and valuable work experience opportunities. 

The partnership is now in its seventh year and this award recognises the achievements across the whole span of the collaboration.

The City of London said: “The judges were inspired to award this commendation to ThinkForward for their partnership with ICG Specialist Asset Management for their joint work with difficult to reach young people.”

ThinkForward at LEAP supports students like Rahat who were excluded from mainstream school. He has benefited from mentoring at ICG and, amongst other things, help from his coach with his personal statement and preparation for college interviews. Rahat secured five GCSEs and is now studying for a BTEC in motor vehicle maintenance.

ThinkForward Chairman Charlie Green commented: “ThinkForward and ICG are absolutely thrilled and honoured to win the new Sir Martyn Lewis Award.  Our work together is a great example of a true partnership that has brighter prospects for young people at its heart. Thanks to support from ICG, ThinkForward is working with some of London’s most disengaged young people and enabling and empowering them to develop the qualifications, work readiness skills and aspirations that will support them to get into sustained employment and create a better future.”

Benoit Durteste, Chief Executive Officer of ICG said: “I’d like to add my congratulations to ThinkForward and to the ICG employees who have contributed to their success.  We support ThinkForward in several ways; the most impactful is the time ICG volunteers give each month working with some very challenging young people and encouraging them to develop skills. By acting as positive role models, our mentors provide guidance and support to these young people and the results speak for themselves; over four years, our mentees are four and a half times more likely to achieve a Level 2 qualification.  The Sir Martyn Lewis Award is testament to the efforts of both ThinkForward and our ICG team and it’s fantastic their hard work has been recognised.”

John Bradshaw, LEAP headteacher, was delighted to see the partnership rewarded: “I am very familiar with the work of ThinkForward having worked with them in both mainstream schools and Alternative Provision. Winning the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Award is fantastic recognition for the partnership between ThinkForward, ICG and LEAP. This partnership supports some of the most vulnerable and disaffected young people to transition into the world of work and begin to see some of the opportunities that can be available to them.”

Students from Green Spring Academy Shoreditch were privileged to hear a thoughtful and thought-provoking talk from Dr Neville Lawrence, the father of Stephen Lawrence who was murdered in a racially motivated attack in London in 1993.

Dr Lawrence spoke to students at the school about why violence isn’t the answer, and also to support and encourage them to follow their dreams.

The ThinkForward coach at Green Spring, Adrian Binns, invited Dr Lawrence to the school. You couldn’t hear a pin drop in the packed assembly hall as students listened intently.

Dr Lawrence said: ‘Everyone has a dream, whether you want to be a pilot or a doctor. If you want to do something then the only person stopping you, is you. Don’t listen to people who tell you that you can’t do something.

‘My dream was that I was going to make sure that the people who killed my son would go to jail. I am one of those people who does not give up on anything. They took the life of a young, innocent person. I could not see why the colour of a person’s skin would make someone want to kill.’

In today’s social media world he also cautioned young people about fuelling disputes by filming and sharing arguments or fights, telling students: ‘Don’t take out your phone and film it and put it on social media. Be an example to your community. Be proud of yourselves, excel and make your family proud.’

After the talk, Dr Lawrence met with a group of ThinkForward students. He learned more about the programme and our work readiness capabilities and showed a keen interest in the aspirations and future of every young person round the table.

Dr Lawrence encouraged the students to ‘share kindness and positive messages’ on social media and counselled that ‘violence is never the answer’. He also told them: ‘Education is the key.’

After meeting Dr Lawrence, Lasharn, a Year 10 student who wants to become a police officer or fire fighter said: ‘I liked his message that violence is not a solution to problems, and to give back to the community. He is my hero.’

Kamel, also in Year 10 commented: ‘I have a lot of respect for him because he gives back and he inspires students.’

And fellow Year 10 student Ibrahim said: ‘I was very excited to meet him. He is an extreme role model, one in a million! He is an inspiration to me.’