team members

At ACE, our Creative Guidance Mentors are skilled, supportive, and embody the relevant life-experiences to be positive role-models within the communities we serve. We believe it is important to offer services that are set to meet the individual needs of young people, to help them overcome challenges and reach their potential. Their hard work and dedication to ACE are appreciated. With our growing team, we want to thank everyone involved!

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Andre Currie, a Creative Guidance Mentor, wants to be remembered for being the one that made people enjoy life. To laugh and appreciate everything. Moving to Bristol at a young age, Andre has a lot of life-experiences under his belt, which he teaches the young people at ACE. Showing how to overcome certain challenges, and grow confidence within themselves and their future.

Andre doesn’t believe as though working at ACE is like the usual job environment. Starting back in 2013, Andre gets excited by the nice studio space, good vibes and worthy sessions provided throughout the day. He can tailor his destiny, and work with the young people he believes he can connect with.

“What inspires me are the aspirations of young people. Every day they show me something new. The start of 2013, I went on a residential trip with ACE, and I saw all these young people doing music every day – and then I was like, wow this is what I want to do. Music is what I want to do. I have been here ever since.”

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Andrew Gall, one of our other Creative Guidance Mentors, spends his time youth facilitating and recording music. Judging success from happiness, Andrew is most proud of becoming an educator. Being able to relate to situations and lead the youth within the community to drive success from within them. He will be remembered for putting in the extra effort to support people. Leaving an impact for a lot of individuals, that will then progress to the next generation.

“What inspires me is when people attempt to be better than what they are. Growth is a massive key to life.”

Andrew believes that the worst things within life, shape you to be the person you are today.  The extreme experiences have made you as you are. If everything is too easy, then you don’t use the high level of yourself.

“You don’t know what the light is if you haven’t seen the dark.”

Andre explains to me that – “It is about describing what the community wants, and how organisations will fit that. I think right now, the community is struggling for generational communication. What we offer is that bridge of communications, due to our work styles. We know different techniques, and we are actively adapting to change what that certain outcome is.”

The biggest value of ACE is breaking down the barriers that are stopping young people achieving their best potential. We want to be able to communicate to both the younger generation, and the older generation, about how to build those connections between them and break down challenging divides that are set in place.

Andrew feels as though, “ACE offers a different level of support. Everyone can connect with young people a lot better and stronger. The approach is different and I don’t think organisations can be on ACE’s level.”

“If your young people are a bit off the edge, it can then keep rolling on. That side of society needs to be adapted. The current state of our society I think is because of a lack of education to young people, and if that doesn’t develop then things will never change. That is why ACE offers amazing services, tackling that un-development within society.”

It is the guidance, and support from mature elders that can put positive seeds into the young people that come here. Interacting with ACE allows young people to come for support from people who know what it is like, and have experienced similar things.

“Teachers can sometimes be so different to the student, and then that is difficult to relate to- whereas if you can see a role model in someone then its more likely that things can change for the better.”

We love seeing the difference in individuals after joining us at ACE.

Andre: “A lot of the young people are more confident in themselves. I think we always put on young people the “big ideal circumstances”. Like, young people are expected to do all these big things, but I mainly look at the little things. Like self-confidence.”

“I like to see where this confidence has come from, I have seen a big change in a few of them. With their skills and development in the music aspect too. Now they’re popping tracks off and it is great to see. I like to see growth. Coming out of their shell. And just how they handle themselves. I have seen some young people outside of work, still dealing with situations accordingly, that they may not have done previously.”

Andrew agrees, in that –

 “I have seen a lot of development. I can see where some young people might go off in some troublesome ways, but I think that is changing to become more mature. Some troubles might still arise, yet they deal with those issued with a level of maturity with that.”

The main highlight for us at ACE is seeing the developments within young people rising. Understanding the certain direction that young people may be following, and lead them onto better paths. It is a big success to see how our young people grow, but also how our Creative Guidance Mentors grow with them. It is about building that bridge between the two and enjoying every minute of it.

Thank you for all the work and dedication our two Creative Guidance Mentors provide to us, and the young people of Bristol.

Written by Lucy Caswell. (Marketing Assistant.)