Mindset and Mentoring: Sayce Holmes-Lewis Inspires CCC Sixth Form Students

Sixth Form students heard from award-winning youth advocate Sayce Holmes-Lewis as part of the college’s Black History Month programme.

As part of this year’s Black History Month, which focuses on the theme of “Standing Firm in Power and Pride”, students from Capital City College’s (CCC) Sixth Form in Angel attended an event on 9 October featuring Sayce Holmes-Lewis, a former professional footballer, football coach and CEO of Mentivity. 

Mentivity is an organisation that provides tailored mentoring programmes as well as safe spaces for learning and development for young people through community-rooted services in the UK, Barbados, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.

Having grown up on the Aylesbury Estate, a large housing estate in South East London, Sayce Holmes-Lewis pursued a career in professional football, coaching emerging professional players, and founded Mentivity. Following an assault by a serving police officer and numerous stop and search experiences, Sayce has also advised the Mayor of London and serves on the London Policing Board, training services on how to effectively engage with the Black community.

During his inspiring talk, Sayce shared some of his life experiences with the students, many of whom were familiar with the area in which Sayce grew up. He candidly discussed the setbacks he has encountered, highlighting how maintaining a positive mindset and reframing challenges have helped him build resilience. Sayce also talked to students about the importance of setting meaningful goals and the critical roles of both education and personal development. 

The students had the opportunity to learn about the development of Mentivity House, a youth club which provides a valuable space for young people to learn and grow. Mentivity and Mentivity House are supported by a diverse network of mentors that contribute to the organisation’s various activities spanning inclusion, education, wellbeing, culture and connectedness and civic responsibility.

The event was organised by CCC Enrichment Officers, Aleena Sharif, Saranya Jeyarajah, and Fiona Small.

Fiona said: “I found Sayce’s talk to be highly engaging and inspiring. From a young age, he developed a strong internal drive, consistently setting and working towards meaningful targets, which has enabled him to achieve remarkable accomplishments. The presentation had a significant impact on both students and staff. Sayce warmly invited everyone to visit his youth club and encouraged us to take positive action.”

At CCC, we provide our students with a range of enrichment activities as well as having dedicated Career support and work experience and Support and wellbeing teams.

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