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…
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….
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…
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
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…
Last year, I sat down for a coffee and a chat with an old friend who is a senior Scouting volunteer in a country in Africa. We talked about the state of youth work in a country that has seen more than its share of civil conflicts, poverty and health pandemics, but is now becoming…
I’ve been lucky enough to meet some very, very successful people over the last few years; not just business people, but adventurers, philanthropists and sporting heroes as well. I’ve always thought it was ridiculous to suggest that they all have the same traits in common and that success can somehow be distilled into an amalgamation of…
I admit it. Despite my best efforts, I’m a sucker for TV talent shows. I know researchers look everywhere for just the right ‘sob story’. I know that producers ensure that shows are carefully edited to produce the maximum emotional impact. I know that Simon Cowell has been made rich by capitalising on the…
2013 will be the year that I am finally exposed as the bigoted, prejudiced and intolerant person that I really am. For, whilst I would like to think that I relish inclusivity in most parts of my life – and indeed have been known actively to fight discrimination and injustice – there is one…