An MA Charity Management student at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham is hoping that his studies will help him push his family’s message of peace.
St Mary’s MA Charity Management student Billy Mizen has been working tirelessly with his family for The Jimmy Mizen Foundation, a charity created in memory of his younger brother Jimmy who was killed by a 19-year-old man in 2008. “The core purpose of the charity is to create meaningful, real and purposeful opportunities for young people to be safe,” Billy said.
“It all really started with my parents going into schools to share Jimmy’s story and to affirm young people. They tell young people they’re valued, that they’re loved and that what they do makes a difference.”
Promoting the message of peace and keeping young people safe, Billy admits that the family had “absolutely no idea” what they were doing when they launched The Foundation so he decided to expand his knowledge in the charity sector.
“Studying the MA Charity Management course really helped us to become a much more professional organisation” Billy said. “Everything I learn on this course I implement into our charity. Every class adds something more to The Foundation and to Jimmy’s legacy. It’s my one chance to escape from the office but without losing focus on where we as a charity are heading.”
Billy is in his second year of the course, studying part-time. He praises the lecturers at the University College for not only offering advice about the course, but also about the charity itself. He also embraces the fact that fellow students on his course share the same problems within their charities as he does, and that they are able to help one another.
“You get to learn and grow as an organisation in that way. The course itself gets you to think about some of the things which you may not have thought about earlier on, so it’s really about going back to the root of the charity; why you’re doing it, what you believe, taking your beliefs and values and building off those. So the way the course is structured allows you to do that as opposed to just doing random modules,” he adds.
With the majority of income raised through fundraising events, the charity hopes to develop the trading subsidiaries of The Foundation so that funding comes from a sustainable source. They have already launched a Café of Good Hope and are setting up the Good Hope Festival in August this year. While both will generate income for The Foundation, they also provide work experience for young people. The Festival aims to create 300 volunteering opportunities and at least 35 meaningful work placements for young people, while the Café of Good Hope trains young people in work place discipline, time management and team building; not to mention how to make a great coffee!
The hard work of the Mizen family does not go unnoticed, as the parents of the nine Mizen siblings, Barry and Margaret, were awarded MBE’s for their services to young people in the New Year Honours list – which is particularly special to Billy as it recognises his parent’s response of non-retribution and peace following his brother’s death is making a difference.
He adds, “Giving to charities is not all about giving money, if anything that’s the easy option. You can do a bit more than that. Give your time, give your experience but do something positive.”
To learn more about the work of The Jimmy Mizen Foundation please visit www.jimmymizen.org
“It all really started with my parents going into schools to share Jimmy’s story and to affirm young people. They tell young people they’re valued, that they’re loved and that what they do makes a difference.”
Promoting the message of peace and keeping young people safe, Billy admits that the family had “absolutely no idea” what they were doing when they launched The Foundation so he decided to expand his knowledge in the charity sector.
“Studying the MA Charity Management course really helped us to become a much more professional organisation” Billy said. “Everything I learn on this course I implement into our charity. Every class adds something more to The Foundation and to Jimmy’s legacy. It’s my one chance to escape from the office but without losing focus on where we as a charity are heading.”
Billy is in his second year of the course, studying part-time. He praises the lecturers at the University College for not only offering advice about the course, but also about the charity itself. He also embraces the fact that fellow students on his course share the same problems within their charities as he does, and that they are able to help one another.
“You get to learn and grow as an organisation in that way. The course itself gets you to think about some of the things which you may not have thought about earlier on, so it’s really about going back to the root of the charity; why you’re doing it, what you believe, taking your beliefs and values and building off those. So the way the course is structured allows you to do that as opposed to just doing random modules,” he adds.
With the majority of income raised through fundraising events, the charity hopes to develop the trading subsidiaries of The Foundation so that funding comes from a sustainable source. They have already launched a Café of Good Hope and are setting up the Good Hope Festival in August this year. While both will generate income for The Foundation, they also provide work experience for young people. The Festival aims to create 300 volunteering opportunities and at least 35 meaningful work placements for young people, while the Café of Good Hope trains young people in work place discipline, time management and team building; not to mention how to make a great coffee!
The hard work of the Mizen family does not go unnoticed, as the parents of the nine Mizen siblings, Barry and Margaret, were awarded MBE’s for their services to young people in the New Year Honours list – which is particularly special to Billy as it recognises his parent’s response of non-retribution and peace following his brother’s death is making a difference.
He adds, “Giving to charities is not all about giving money, if anything that’s the easy option. You can do a bit more than that. Give your time, give your experience but do something positive.”
To learn more about the work of The Jimmy Mizen Foundation please visit www.jimmymizen.orgMedia enquiries
Press team
020 8240 8262