My five year old nephew, Jack Patrick, came to lunch today. He brought his mum and dad, his little brother and his grandma with him, but, as he helped me microwave the frozen peas and lay the table, it did feel as though it was him I was entertaining rather than anyone else. “I
Thirty years on…
Never go back. That’s what they say; whoever ‘they’ may be. I’ve taken that advice for thirty years, but a few weeks ago I decided to go and visit the school where I spent my adolescence. I hadn’t visited since I left there a month before I turned eighteen and have never
The youngest headteacher in the world
Babar Ali lives in Murshidabad, West Bengal. He attends the Raj Govinda School, a 10km auto-rickshaw ride away. He is the first person in his family to go to school. He is 16 years old and he is a model student. But it’s not what he does at school that is so extraordinary. It’s
Some lessons for Millennials
A few days ago, whilst visiting Jakarta, Indonesia, I was asked by some young people if I had any advice for them. I was flattered, of course. But talking to Millennials about the challenges they face is difficult. It feels rather presumptuous to lecture the current generation of up-and-comers. Having grown up with high-tech, they’re
Business system definitions
Just found these buzzing around the internet,(with thanks to my friend Boz for pointing me to them)… I know they defer to outrageous national stereotypes, but I do think they’re funny. I suspect the original list was put together by an Australian! SOCIALISM You have 2 cows. You give one to your neighbour
Rules for the daily commute…
Each weekday morning when I’m in the country I catch the 7:38 from Bicester into Marylebone. It used to be the 7:52, but Chiltern Railways changed the timetable a couple of months ago so that I could reach work by 9:00am. Very kind of them. For those that don’t know about commuting on Chiltern Railways, I
SOS Children’s Villages
Last week, I spent an afternoon at the SOS Children’s Village in Kakiri, about 20km north of Kampala in Uganda. I felt privileged to be able to present Bronze and Silver Awards to a host of talented young people who live there. The first time I heard about SOS Children’s Villages was as a child.
1066 and all that
It is not often that I find myself agreeing with the UK’s Secretary of State for education. Indeed, in the past I’ve found myself sitting opposite him vehemently disagreeing with him about his apparent desire to ignore the importance of vocational education. But today, I would like to offer Mr Gove two and a half
Remembering the Puffin Club…
I don’t usually post things from my Facebook page, but this little trip down memory lane is worth keeping for posterity! https://www.facebook.com/johnccmay/posts/10151499571491420?comment_id=27737123¬if_t=feed_comment
Examining diversity in Scouting
Diversity Today I had the opportunity to speak to adults and young people from the South East region of England at their day-long conference held at Gilwell Park. They had spent their morning exploring how they could improve links with local communities and how they might better engage young people in their corporate decision-making
I have always found John to be a person of passion and inspiration in the area of maximising potential. He is friendly, a strong communicator yet has a steely determination for achieving what is right for the development of others.
John has a great grasp of the current challenges in education and articulates these well and persuasively...
John is an outstanding personality, full of energy, enthusiasm and wit, who sets extremely high standards and always delivers on his promises. His passion for lifelong learning and long experience of working with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds make him a skilled and sensitive coach and manager. John is a natural and visionary leader who inspires others and helps them achieve their full potential.
John is an exceptional person. I never stop being surprised with his energy, vitality and determination with which he carries his massive responsibility. I am honoured to be associated with the Award Program and it gives me a great satisfaction to be able to work with John as its leader.
Successful not-for-profit organizations run themselves in a businesslike way, planning strategically, and making themselves properly accountable for their actions and impact. John May is just the sort of person a good not-for-profit needs. I have worked with him for the last five years and greatly value his passion for helping young people succeed, his strategic and management skills and his ability to get disparate groups of people to work in partnership. John May makes things happen.
Having worked with John on various charitable causes I cannot speak highly enough of the work he does...
John has a fantastic sense of humour and was such a great person to work for! He is a great leader, communicator and networker and I learned a lot from him. His passion, enthusiasm and commitment to his work with young people is really inspiring and first rate. He is incredibly generous both with his experience and knowledge and always has time for people.
John is adept with people--able to understand issues quickly and apply his highly positive attitude towards solving them. His leadership style is collaborative and open but he is also very clear about what needs to happen and why. A creative and entrepreneurial person, he brings new and refreshing ideas to the table...
John is a great person to work with. He is inspiring, knows non-profit management and campaigning. John communicates well with all different kinds of people. He is a true connector and makes people smile a lot! He knows the difference between being serious and acting seriously!
John has been great at developing cross sectoral relationships between business, public and voluntary sectors. This understanding of balancing the needs and aspirations of all partners is one of the reason he has been so successful in developing campaigns and organisations.
John is great to work with. His sense of humour and engaging personality should not mask the fact that he is fundamantally a high achiever who has the confidence to tackle big challenges...
John is quite simply an inspiration. He has been responsible for improving the life chances of a vast number of young people who might otherwise have missed out on the chance to build a career for themselves. He is affable, committed and always positive and enthused about his role which makes working with him a very rewarding partnership.
John is committed to making a difference for young people and he lives this as well as talks this. Moreover, my experience is that an organisation he runs will be highly professional, hard-working, and demand the same quality from their customers and partners as they will provide themselves. I moved into teaching to provide opportunities for pupils they wouldn't have had otherwise. Because of John, it has not been a wasted move...
I have worked with John over a number of years on a variety of projects that require tact, diplomacy, cooperative working and just good old fashioned passion. John is engaging, positive and has a great desire to get things done. 
John is an adept strategic thinker, leader and people manager. His engaging and conscientious work ethic is exemplary.
John is an inspiring colleague and leader. In 1995, Scouting and Guiding together took more young people to an overseas event than ever before (World Scout Jamboree). Working with him for 2 years in the run-up was an exceptional experience for me - although Guiding sent fewer girls, I felt equally valued and included in all the planning. Balancing the needs of the young people and leaders was achieved with great finesse and the event was a huge success for all the UK particpants.
John is an exceptional and inspiring leader and a major authority on youth education and development in this country and around the world. In addition to his track record of transformational leadership in a number of significant organisations, John is well known and respected as a public speaker. 
Having been one of John's pupils some 25 years ago in primary school, I can say that to this day he has left a memorable impression that will be with me for ever. He is truly a fantastic role model for the next generation.
John May wears his obvious enthusiasm for Youth Development and Organisational Vision on his sleeve when he presents. Listening to John speak at The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Americas Regional AGM in The Bahamas not only brought clarity to how The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Association was going to meet its Vision and Mission, but made the entire room excited to be a part of if all!
During the time in which I have worked with John I have found that, not only is he a hard working and enthusiastic individual, he is also someone who is easy to work with. He is quick to understand the issues involved and then to help formulate responses, sometimes with little or no notice. Although possessing a great sense of humour he does not shy away from being serious and to the point when the occasion demands. He appears to be a great team leader as well as being a team player
I first taught John a very long time ago, which of course therefore makes him very old. He was an argumentative young man, and still is. Focused, driven, able, principled - just we want in an organisation like the DofE.
John is a fabulous speaker who is able to adapt to meet the needs of the group with whom he is working. I have heard John speak in many situations and he never fails to impress and inspire both adults and young people. John is passionate about what he believes in, and as one of the young people whom he has supported I am forever grateful for his time in helping me learn new skills and develop personally.
John is a great organizer, who keeps focus; yet is open to new inputs and ideas. He is sensitive to different cultures and keeps everyone happy while the ball is rolling...