REGENERATE - Key Persons
"If anyone needs anything chat to Aimée" seems to be the catchphrase. Aimée supports Regenerate all things HR, Admin, Operations and Facilities Management, as well as managing our social media and comms content. Aimée loves that there is always new ways to be creative and challenge herself at Regenerate, and she loves seeing the amazing work of the rest of the team. When she's not working, Aimée loves exploring new places, cooking up a storm, and discovering new music, especially rappers who are women. If she was to star in any movie, it would probably be Moana; as she dreams of sailing round the world, living off coconuts and vibes.
Asante is part of our brilliant youth team, her role involves facilitating youth club sessions for young people, and she is passionate about creating a safe space for them to hang out and be themselves. She also does 1-1 and group mentoring in schools as well as in the community. Asante loves the culture of Regenerate the most and the supportive and hardworking nature of everyone she works with. Asante is also a musician, and loves singing more than anything. She is also fluent in ‘bubble language' and is an avid charity shop crawler, always finding bargains and unique pieces.
Amina has been our in-house counsellor since 2018, working with us for one day a week to provide professional support to young people, their families, and also the staff team. Amina is a fully qualified integrative counsellor and psychotherapist, and has worked in a variety of settings including the NHS, youth work, higher education and private practice. In her spare time, Amina loves to paint, go running and go to live music events, and is also now a published children's fiction author!
When asked about her favourite part of working with Regenerate, Amina said "Regenerate holds a special place in my heart. There is a great atmosphere, the team is always friendly and welcoming, and it is clear to see they care deeply about the work they do. I am grateful to be able to provide counselling at Regenerate, it feels incredibly rewarding."
Seasoned educator, workshop facilitator and performance poet Andie supervises shifts on our Feel Good coffee carts. They have a passion for supporting our young people's development every day, and love getting to know each young person and seeing them develop over their time with The Feel Good Bakery. Lover of chaos and fun, Andie would love to play Marie in When Harry Met Sally. If England was on fire and everyone had to evacuate suddenly, there's no way Andie would be leaving without their notebook, typewriter and a good coat.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Co - Founder
- Co Founder and CEO
Andy is the Co founder and CEO of Regenerate. Andy loves being creative with how he leads the charity forward in line with our vision, mission and values, and he is constantly coming up with new ways of connecting with people from different walks of life through forming collaborations, organising adventures and initiating new projects.
In his spare time you might find him singing his heart out at Chelsea games, kayaking the length of the River Thames, jogging down the country or going on multi day bicycle rides.
If Andy could star in any movie, he would be skidding sideways in his mini as one of the ‘get away' drivers in the Italian Job.
Owner of Regenerate's resident dog Milo, Bella's main role is managing the team of young people employed at The Feel Good Bakery. This involves working with them and helping them to identify and work on any goals or challenges they have. Bella is also a lead youth worker for Regenerate and loves that she gets to have lots of fun running projects at our youth clubs. She also loves seeing The Feel Good Bakery team progress and grow, and the coffee is also a bonus! Bella also instructs group exercise classes as a side hustle, and then refuels on lots of chocolate. If she was Prime Minister, her first order of business would be to make cinnamon illegal, as she believes it is the centre of all evil.
Clare has had a leading role at Regenerate since its founding working in different capacities over that time, and is responsible now for the day to day running of the services and operations, working out the logistics and future plans for the charity and supporting the team to reach their aspirations at Regenerate. Clare loves the job because she gets to work with an amazing team and see young people pursue their passions.
On the side, Clare loves singing and writing music, as well as dressing up and going dancing! She believes a good tracksuit is the key to happiness and if she had to evacuate her home, she wouldn't go anywhere without her microphone.
Clifton is a qualified Youth and Community Worker, Coach, Consultant, Trainer and Workshop Leader in change management, conflict, facilitation, leadership and supervision. He has 30 years knowledge and experience of working with young people in youth organisations and schools. Clifton works with us quarterly, providing reflective practice and professional supervision for our youth team.
Clifton's favourite thing about working with Regenerate is seeing the team's passion, commitment and dedication for the work they do with and for the development of young people they work with. If he was the star of a movie he would be Carter in ‘The Bucket List -so that he could do all the things he's always wanted to do through travel, creating meaningful experiences, spending time with family, friends sharing and telling stories, playing games, laughing and partying.
Harriet has a background in working with and managing NEET young people since she was 18, and now supervises our TFGB coffee cart. She is passionate about ensuring that our young people are motivated and ready to work, and loves seeing their development week after week. In her spare time, Harriet likes to follow along to Bob Ross painting tutorials and explore the Surrey Hills. If England was on fire, she wouldn't be able to evacuate without grabbing her dog, her laptop and a hairbrush!
Helena's background as a Learning Support Assistant has given her an interest for helping to meet the needs of young people who require more complex support, and seeing young people grow in confidence, participating in new things, laughing and having fun is something that really motivates her. Her passion for this led her to Regenerate where she is now part of our brilliant youth team.
Helena, who has been named by friends as looking like a ‘spongebob extra', thinks it would be insane to live in an underwater city, and so feels that she would fit right in as a star of ‘Shark Tale'. Her secret talent is that she's a pro at doing the ‘worm' dance move.
With a background working with NEET young people as a teaching assistant and learning mentor, Jules is another key player in our youth and mentoring services. Jules takes a collaborative approach to developing activities with young people, working creatively with them to facilitate engaging activities as well as guiding and mentoring them to allow them develop and improve themselves.
Coming from Wandsworth originally and then being schooled in Australia, Jules loves learning new things and is the go to in the office for any kind of fun fact or hot take. They love art and cooking, and their proudest moment is being interviewed by Kylie Minogue who visited their school when they were 6.
Katie coordinates our Youth & Community Service, managing the Regenerate youth centres and outreach programs. Her role involves bringing the young people and teams ideas together to create effective programmes of engagement. She also leads youth sessions, does some mentoring and in 2020 took on supporting the coordination of the community box programme. You won't ever find Katie without her tin of ‘rosy lips' vaseline, and if she was caught in a fire the first thing she'd pick up is a pair of TNs. She also believes McDonald's breakfast should be all day and would make this her first focus if she was elected Prime Minister.
Job Titles:
- Supervisor
- TFGB Supervisor
TFGB supervisor Kurtis loves engaging with the young people he works with on a personal as well as a professional level, to help prepare them for the world of work and see them grow and develop.
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Personal Trainer and Sports Coach
Described by some as ‘a walking berocca', Louis is a qualified personal trainer and sports coach. Louis brings his passion for sport and getting active to his role, using it to inspire motivation and focus in the young people he works with, as well as as a tool to help them understand and release their emotions. In 2020, Louis created a ‘doorstep workout' scheme in his community, to help keep people healthy and happy during Covid Lockdowns. He brings this passion for energising people to Regenerate every single day. In his spare time you'll catch Louis in the middle of the dance floor flexing his moves or playing football with friends.
Youth work and Mentor Intern Maani loves his job because he gets to engage with young people, give them a space to express themselves and inspire them to be the best they could possibly be. Coming from a hospitality background, he knows communication is key,, and always has time to listen to young people and hear about what's going on in their lives.
Since he was a kid, Maani wanted to be a Jedi in Star Wars, and with his special skill being that he can balance a spoon on his nose, we think he'd be a great one! If he had to evacuate in an emergency, Maani wouldn't leave without his phone, record player and limited edition ‘Enter the Wu-Tang' album.
Nahwand Jaff (He/Him)
Margaret is our bookkeeper and helps to manage our finances. She makes sure the bills and staff are paid, oversees any financial admin and produces reports on a regular basis which help Regenerate to make informed decisions about our budget.
Margaret has 20 years experience working for youth charity, before she decided to train as an accountant. She then set up her own accountancy/bookkeeping practice working mainly with charities and churches, and loves that she gets to use her skills and experience to help make a difference in other people's lives. In her spare time, she loves walking in the countryside, gardening and reading.
"The coffee guy" Matt manages The Feel Good Bakery, making sure the carts are running smoothly and serving perfect coffees. Matt loves Regenerates values and the opportunities he gets to be creative in his role. Alongside being a coffee geek with a Speciality Coffee Association certificate, Matt also loves tech, his prized possession being his hard drive. He's also a massive F1 fan and in his spare time likes to play tennis and practice his diabolo skills, which he has proclaimed himself "insanely good at".
Nahwand has been involved with Regenerate in various ways for 15 years, and is currently our resident photographer and co-content creator for our social media. He has previous youth worker experience and is now a freelance photographer working in portrait and documentary. Nahwand's favourite thing about working at Regenerate is the collaborative culture that has been created within the team. When he's not working, Nahwand likes to go for cycle rides and travel wherever possible. He also has a passion for flatbread and won't go anywhere without his bluetooth speaker.
A youth club attendee since she was 13, Paige is a Regenerate veteran who has now joined us as a youth work apprentice. Supporting the delivery of our youth club and Roehampton sports sessions and attending trainings, learning all about the world of youth work and developing her skills as a future leader! Paige also studies sports and exercise science in college, and loves football, cycling and hanging out with her friends. If she could star in any movie, it would be ‘Ratatouille', because she'd love to try the food they make!
Coffee cart supervisor Ricky has almost a decade of experience across the hospitality industry, and utilises this experience to help young people achieve their potential; leading by example and encouraging them to strive to do their very best. In his spare time, Ricky plays guitar and makes music, and also loves to go and watch musicals, or have a day out visiting Kew Gardens. Ricky's special talent is that he can complete a Rubik's cube, however has admitted to us that while he'll gladly take the glory for this accomplishment, his technique doesn't always work…
Soroush supervises shifts on our coffee carts, encouraging the development of young people's professional skills. The thing he loves most about his role is the positive interactions he has with our Feel Good baristas.
When he's not working, you'll find Soroush trying his hand at anything music related, doing yoga, or watching football.