JOEL
First interaction with Badu
Aged 11, 2012
School
The City Academy, Hackney
Background
Joel’s first interaction with BADU came in secondary school where Mr Badu and Mr Warburton taught him P.E. A young man, with a high level of skill in sport, Joel naturally gravitated towards BADU coaches, naturally building a relationship that blossomed into mentorship and constant guidance throughout school and after. As a student who showed a lot of potential, Joel started off working with us as a mentee in the BADU Mentoring group, and later working as a Young Leader coach. Assisting as a football coach and holiday camp worker set the foundation for the role he has grown into and the work he does for the organisation.
Results & Progress
Joel is now a key member of our media team, running projects such as Proud 2 Be and leading our new Digital Creative Hub initiative which we hope to launch next year. Whether it’s creating content, brand marketing or social media management, Joel is key in making the brand what it is. Also a budding artist who has already featured on the likes of Kiss FM, Joel works just as hard in creating a name for himself in music. We know he will continue to shine and reach his goals.
“During my time in secondary school, Mr Badu and Mr Warburton were two coaches who I can say really had an influence on me as a student. I could tell that they always looked out for me as they always made sure to help me outside of P.E. lessons. Whatever problems I may have had in school, I always knew that I could go to BADU coaches without any judgement. This kind of guidance continued after secondary school. During sixth form, I was part of the group that started BADU Mentoring. Here I really began to explore my potential and develop the skills I needed to succeed.”
