The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has appointed Ray Lewis, as a senior Mentoring Advisor at City Hall.
Ray, who is the executive director of Eastside Young Leaders Academy, previously volunteered as the Mayor's Ambassador for Mentoring. To help drive forward the expansion of the Mayor’s mentoring programme, Ray will now take a paid role working closely with the Greater London Authority's youth and education team to help organisations in London develop their mentoring programmes.
He will also be spending time advising on the GLA's own mentoring programme, which will be awarding up to £700,000 of funding. The mentoring projects will be in Brent, Croydon, Hackney, Haringey, Lambeth, Southwark, and Waltham Forest. They will receive grants between £75,000 and £200,000 to help them build on their strong track records in mentoring and enable them to help many more young boys.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said “Ray Lewis has a wealth of experience helping vulnerable young men turn their lives around. His work at Eastside Academy proves how decisive positive role-models can be in steering boys back on to the right path. As a passionate supporter of mentoring, I believe he is the right person to help us take forward our expansion in this area."
Ray Lewis said: “For many, mentoring can have a dramatic and positive effect, helping teenagers turn their backs on the lure of gangs or criminality. I look forward to helping the scheme expand and help fill our young men with the confidence to achieve great things, through positive mentoring."
Notes to editors
Ray Lewis has been appointed Senior Adviser, Mentoring, working part-time (one day a week) at City Hall.
The salary for this role is £20,000 (£100,000 pro-rata)
The Mayor is entitled to make up to 12 appointments under section 67 (1) (a and b) of the GLA Act 1999, often referred to as the ten plus two (10+2). The Mayor has appointed Mr. Lewis as one of the 10.
The Mayor’s Mentoring Programme is aimed at supporting and inspiring young black boys aged 10-16 years of age. It is a key element of Team London, the Mayor’s ambitious vision to get more people volunteering in the capital and to help tackle some of the cities social issues. For more information visit www.london.gov.uk/mentoring
Ray Lewis was born in Guyana in 1963 and attended schools in Walthamstow. He began his career working as an administrative officer for the Civil Service before becoming a Clerk in Holy Orders for the Church Commissioners in 1990. During this time he gained a degree in Theology & Pastoral Studies from Middlesex University. After working at HM Prison Woodhill, Milton Keynes, Ray became Executive Director of Eastside Young Leaders' Academy in 2002. Based in the London Borough of Newham, Eastside works with African Caribbean boys at risk of exclusion to fully develop their potential through a rigorous programme of supplemental academic provision, leadership skills, community service, mentoring and parental support.