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Speak up. Be heard.

With the general election fast approaching, I’ve been thinking about how the political process works. Politicians from each party share their ideas and plans with us, and then we go to the polling station, mark our choice on a piece of paper, and… that’s it.

2 years ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

The importance of listening to young people

As the CEO of a local support charity, I often ponder whether we're genuinely hearing the voices of those we aim to help.This concern struck me recently when I attended an event at the House of Commons designed to foster dialogue between young people and the decision-makers who shape their lives in the UK.While many young people were passionately voicing...

2 years ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

Is mentoring the new political football?

Here at LifeLine, we have been working closely with the Mayor of London to mentor young people across the capital for the last 15 years. And, while the holder of the title has changed, we are pleased to see that this commitment to mentoring has remained broadly consistent throughout. Now, more than ever, we hope that the power of mentoring...

2 years ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

Absenteeism: the legacy of lockdown

Educational neglect. Emotional-based schools avoidance. School refusal. Non-attending. Persistent absence. Serious absence. Missing. It's often said that the Inuit have dozens (or more) different words for snow, because they have a lot of it. We, however, seem to have a lot of different names for those repeatedly absent from school. What then does that say about the state of school...

2 years ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

Mind the Gap: Are the wheels coming off the system?

A couple of weeks ago I was listening to the excellent BBC Sounds programme, World of Wisdom. On this episode, a listener called in with a problem concerning the 24-hour news cycle of the world we now live in. She said that all the negative reporting, especially of world conflicts, was making it hard for her to raise a child...

2 years ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

Using social media for good

This is my first piece of the year—but I won’t be talking about the New Year resolutions you should consider or how 2024 will be your year for personal growth. I’m returning to a theme that often comes up—change, particularly when it comes to new technology. We live in the Information Age, where we have immediate access to a vast...

3 years ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

Do what you can, with what you have

Each December, as it gets closer to the end of the year, I find myself becoming more reflective– thinking on what we've gained and what we've lost over the past twelve months.We've taken on quite a few new staff, lost a couple along the way, and welcomed back some former colleagues to LifeLine once more. We've forged new partnerships, helped...

3 years ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

We want to double down and provide more support in London

Last month, I shared some thoughts I had whilst on sabbatical. I hope you didn't mind the excessive sharing or personal photos. I expected that, on my sabbatical, I might reconsider LifeLine's vision, mission, and activities. I thought visiting other charity leaders would inspire me with new ideas that I would be raring to apply to East London. I was...

3 years ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

Returning, reflecting

Having worked at LifeLine for 19 years now---with 15 years as part of the Senior Management Team and 5 years as CEO---the trustees suggested that I take a sabbatical. When it was first suggested to me, I thought the idea was outrageous. How would the organisation cope? How would I cope? What would I do? Would there be an organisation...

3 years ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

Why does a boomerang come back?

This is my first month back at work after taking a sabbatical. Luckily for me, as I step back into the role, not much has changed. Same desk, same office space. The one thing that has changed is me–but that's a story for another time. It did get me thinking, however, about other members of our team who moved on...

3 years ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

A righteous cause

My team at FaithAction have developed a great way of working together. They're able to able to focus on working hard, support one another, and enjoy each other's company. Some of us may take a job because we're impassioned to make a difference, because we enjoy the community feeling of the workplace or, quite frankly, because we need the money....

3 years ago

 by Nathan Singleton

Articles

Creating a workplace that’s like a friendly open home

One of the things I love most about watching the finals of competitions is how the first-time winners react. These moments seem to sum up so many things that we value in life–hard work, the miracle of succeeding, teamwork, family, sacrifice, and the tears of joy. When Carlos Alcaraz won his first Wimbledon men's title and he ran up to...

3 years ago

 by Nathan Singleton

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