All Youth at Risk staff are dedicated professionals, passionate about empowering vulnerable young people to transform their lives and fulfil their potential to build a worthwhile future
Our Management Team
Neil Wragg MBE
Chief Executive
Neil served in the military for five years before qualifying as a social worker in 1990. He worked extensively in the public and voluntary sectors before joining the London Borough of Enfield as the senior manager responsible for community development. In this capacity he was tasked to commission Youth at Risk’s first UK programme on behalf of the borough.
Such was the success of this programme and the impact it had on him personally that he made the decision to leave his position and join the charity, where he became Chief Executive in 1994.
He was a member of the Government’s Crime Reduction Task Force from 2000-01 and is currently a member of its Social Work Taskforce. Awarded an MBE for his services to young people in the Queen's 2008 Birthday Honours, he is also an ambassador for Make Justice Work and a member of the Army Training Regiment Bassingbourn's Independent Advisory Panel
Beki Martin
Business Development Director
Beki, a qualified teacher, was initially a volunteer coach before joining the charity's permanent staff in 1995 since which time she has worked in various training and operational management capacities. As Head of Operations she was responsible for developing and managing the delivery of Youth at Risk’s acclaimed ‘Ballet Hoo!’ project before becoming its first Business Development Director in 2008.
Beki is responsible for extending the reach of Youth at Risk by securing resources to develop and deliver new programmes. With her team she will establish strong multiagency partnerships and ensure that services are aligned with and contribute to current and future youth and community agendas.
Mark Charley
Training & Curriculum Director
Mark is an internationally recognised consultant in the field of personal development.
After graduating from the University of Alabama with a BSc in Criminal Justice and Political Science he spent several years as a Youth Advocate for the Roxbury Courts in Boston, Massachusetts, where he recognised the value of transformational work as opposed to incarceration. Subsequently he became Programme Director and Senior Trainer for The Breakthrough Foundation.
Mark has worked collaboratively with numerous statutory and voluntary organisations and civic activists in various communities to assist in empowering young people to meet the challenges posed by crime, violence, drugs, limited educational opportunity and teenage pregnancy.
For Youth at Risk Mark manages the development of our curriculum, the design of programmes, the training of our trainers and the quality control of our training standards, as well as being the lead trainer on major projects.
Ellie Garraway
Head of Operations
Ellie graduated with a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Theatre Studies from Leeds University in 1994 and went on to complete a post-graduate diploma in acting at The Welsh College of Music & Drama in 1996. During this period she also set up and ran her own touring theatre company, writing, directing and acting in seven national tour productions before turning her attention to education and training. She became Training & Development Manager for a fundraising company in 1999 but found herself looking out for something that could better encompass her passion for transforming lives.
She answered an advertisement to become a Trainer and Coach for Youth at Risk in July 2000 and found herself joining the team in the October. Since then Ellie has gone on to oversee our Education and Employment programmes, progressing to Head of Operations in succession to Beki Martin in December 2008.
As Head of Operations Ellie is responsible for the successful transition of projects from design and development into actual delivery and is ultimately responsible for the projects achieving their target outcomes. She is also responsible for ensuring that Youth at Risk's exacting training quality standards are met and that all programmes are managed and delivered in line with the charity's ethos and strategy.
