During the 2021-22 academic year, DMH Stallard partnered up with accountancy firm Kreston Reeves to deliver a mentoring initiative to students at Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA). The programme is called Dare to Dream, and it is a Love Local Jobs Foundation initiative. The foundation is a community interest company with a vision to raise the life and career aspirations of the next generations across Sussex.
Dare to Dream aims to develop vital life skills, boost self-confidence, and help the next generation realise their potential and is spearheaded by local celebrity Jack ‘the Lad’ Hayes. Mentors from DMH Stallard and Kreston Reeves have worked with Jack throughout the year, giving presentations to the year 10 PACA cohort and mentoring a select group of students.
The DMH Stallard mentors included
Jo Potbury (Senior Associate, Family),
Rob Ganpatsingh (Partner, TMT Dispute Resolution) and
Beatrice Bass (Solicitor, TMT Dispute Resolution). They all volunteered their time to attend three sessions at PACA which included inspirational assemblies presented by Jack, followed by team building exercises and one to one mentoring; reinforcing Jack’s message and helping to improve the students' confidence and getting them to think about their future.
The programme culminated in the students visiting the DMH Stallard Brighton office in September where they were given the chance to see a proper working office environment and given presentations to show them how they could embark on a career in law, how they should start to think about their personal brand, and a talk about the ‘dos and don’ts’ of CV writing and preparing for interviews.
Jo Potbury said:
“Being involved in the Dare to Dream programme has been a fantastic experience for me and the rest of the DMH Stallard team. It has been truly inspirational seeing first-hand the positive impact the initiative has on young people in our local community.
Having the opportunity to mentor some of the students at PACA has been incredibly rewarding - it's been lovely to see the students develop over the sessions we've had with them. A fantastic project to be a part of!”
Jack ‘the Lad’ Hayes said:
“It was a pleasure to be able to work with our friends from DMH Stallard on this year's Dare to Dream programme. The mentors they provided us with to help inspire a student cohort from PACA really engaged with the programme's messages, content and most importantly the students they were paired with. They really did do a fantastic job and it was plain to see that DMH Stallard really does care about the well-being, aspirations and dreams of the next generation coming through. I know that myself and the rest of the team at the Love Local Jobs Foundation would be delighted to have the opportunity to work with them again."
To learn more about the Love Local Jobs Foundation and the programmes they run head over to
https://www.lovelocaljobsfoundation.com.