The Academy challenges young people to take responsibility for past behaviour that has hindered their progression towards success in their professional and personal lives.

Through a four-step programme of development and support, as well as attainable avenues to qualifications and other fields, young people are given a new lease on life while being empowered to make better decisions.

All through primary school, secondary school and college, I had a quick temper and a relatively short attention span. I wouldn’t get into that much bother with teachers but I would get into a lot with other pupils. I found the writing and reading difficult and any kind of exam or essay was even worse.Nobody ever told me I would amount to anything and I never believed I couldn’t do things; I just lacked motivation and found the work very hard. I have always admired friends that have made it through college and university. I think it is important for everybody to know where their strengths and weaknesses are. Although I am not that great on the academic side of things I am a great communicator and ‘people person.’

Working at JUMP 2K has also allowed me to work and learn at the same time. There was a time in my life when I thought the only way for huge success was through music. It is not a bad thing to want to do music, but I think I only did it because I saw it as one of the only ways out of the life I was living. I have always wanted to be successful, but I used to limit myself and only look at commercial routes. Since I joined the leadership academy I have met so many people doing so many different things, my eyes have been opened to a world I never knew about. I now know there are so many careers out there and people.