Hi and welcome to M4L. My name is Nicola and I am the founding director of F4L. I’m a qualified counsellor and do a lot of public speaking. I am passionate about supporting and enabling young people, in particular girls, to be the best version of themselves and to reach their dreams. I am excited to start this journey with you all.

Nicola Benyahia

Founding

Director

Hi everyone! My name is Raquel and I am M4L’s programme manager, a.k.a. the person working behind the scenes connecting all the dots! I am also a researcher and I am passionate about contributing to a society where everyone has a voice.

Raquel da Silva

Programme

Manager

My name is Amina and I am super excited to be a mentor for M4L. I immigrated to Birmingham from Pakistan in Year 6 and have since called Birmingham my home. I have a BSc in Psychology from the University of Birmingham and a Masters in Applied Human Rights from the University of York. I have a long history of mentoring and it brings me great joy to be able to support others in reaching their goals (personal or professional).

Amina Asad
Mentor

My name is Tchilissila but call me Chila – easier! I'm a clinical psychologist and I study families. I've been mentoring teen girls for over 15 years now (Portugal, Spain, Angola). I'm passionate about people, and I'm very excited to work with you girls! It's always a pleasure to get to know new people and provide my listening ear for the good and not-so-good stuff in our lives.

Tchilissila Simões
Mentor

I’m Jean and my counselling work focus on children and adolescents. I am a social being, who likes to take care of myself. I have an active family life (two small children!) and always welcome a new challenge or adventure. I’m a firm believer that it is important to look after yourself, so I try to meditate and incorporate a little yoga into my life.  I’d like to say I do this daily, but that is my aim.

Jean Mayo
Mentor

My name is Sajidah and I’m looking forward to working together as a group of young women and helping you to find your best self. I also work for a racial equality and social justice research centre and am passionate about working towards social justice.

Sajida Ali
Mentor