Our Operations Team
Amira Asantewa
Operations Manager
Amira is responsible for managing all elements of programme delivery on a day-to-day operational basis to enable milestones, outputs and outcomes to be achieved, to time and on budget. This involves managing the interface between Youth at Risk, the commissioning bodies (our clients), delivery partners and all other organisations involved with our programmes, such as members of local strategic partnerships
Amira began her Youth at Risk career in 1998 as a volunteer on a ‘Coaching for Communities’ programme in Leeds, progressing rapidly to become project manager. She then coached the development and follow through phases of 'Coaching for Communities' programmes in Liverpool, Hammersmith & Fulham, Buckinghamshire and Essex between 2001 and 2003 before taking on her present role.
Kam-Mei Chak, Keri Caines, Lola Green, Clare Turnbull & Sinead Garry
Programme Managers
Programme Managers play a vital role ensuring the many elements involved in a Youth at Risk programme come together and that the programme is delivered to plan. They develop and maintain key relationships with our clients and partners in the many environments in which we work and also with our trainers and volunteers.
Kam-Mei became involved with Youth at Risk as a volunteer performance coach before joining the Operations Team on a permanent basis in 2007. She has a strong background in project management, previously heading up a team in a London media agency. Kam-Mei holds a BA (Hons) in Oriental Studies from the University of Cambridge.
Keri spent 9 years working in finance for Cadbury Schweppes before opting for a career change and joining Youth at Risk. She has also spent time as an humanitarian aid worker in Romania and as a teacher in Japan. Keri holds a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences.
Lola’s background is in media project management and languages. Prior to joining the Youth at Risk OperationsTeam she worked in France and Germany before spending 5 years as Head of Project Management at a subtitling and voiceover company in London. Lola holds a BA (Joint Hons) in European Languages, Culture and Society with French and German from Goldsmiths College, University of London.
Prior to joining Youth at Risk Clare worked as a researcher, investigating the impact of the arms trade on human rights. She has worked with children and young people as a classroom assistant in and as a personal tutor. She also spent time volunteering for a charity for deaf children and adults in Tamil Nadu, South India. Clare holds a BA (Hons) in Development and Peace Studies from the University of Bradford.
Sinead has an MA in French from University College Cork and has worked and volunteered with young people for all her adult life. She taught English in France, French in Ireland and Psychology in the UK, in addition to a spell as a special needs teaching assistant in a special primary school in Dublin. Sinead also volunteers with a charity called Nightstop in Bradford that provides emergency accommodation for homeless young people and is an advisor for the Citizens’ Advice Bureau.
Jack Mashburn
Production Manager
As Production Manager Jack has responsibility for the logistics that enable our programmes to happen.
Born in Saigon, Vietnam in 1967 his introduction to Youth at Risk was in 1988 as a volunteer in Dallas, Texas. He then came to Britain where he was part of the team to deliver Youth at Risk’s very first UK programme in Enfield, North London in 1992. Since then Jack has worked for Youth at Risk in many capacities, as a consultant as a contractor and now as a staff member
He holds a BA (summa cum laude) in Criminology/Criminal Justice from the University of Texas at Arlington, is a Member Alpha Chi National Honor Society, a Member Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honor Society and a Member of the American Society of Criminologists.
