Youcef, volunteer tutor and Diversity and Inclusion Manager for TFL

Having moved from Birmingham to London over 10 years ago, Youcef wanted to find a way to give back to his local community. He was the first person in his family to go to university, and now works in the diversity and inclusion space.

Youcef says:

Coming from a working-class background, good quality comprehensive state education with access to amazing teachers enabled me to progress and get on in life. I was one of the lucky ones, as I know many working-class kids don’t get the opportunities and luck I had.

I think it’s really important to give back to your local community, and I can think of no better way of doing this than giving a small amount of my time to help less affluent kids with their education through tutoring. Not coming from London, tutoring also gives me the opportunity to engage with my local community, which is important to me.

No one day is the same when tutoring, and I you regularly must think on your feet to continually engage the kids. I feel I like I have improved my communication, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness skills. 

I enjoy watching my pupils learn and grow, particularly when their reading and communication skills improve. One of my pupils was very shy and reserved when I first started tutoring them, and it was great to see as the tutoring progressed, she came out of her shell and engaged in the learning.

Tutoring is one of the few things I do that gives me real satisfaction, enjoyment, and self-fulfilment. It’s very rewarding to be able to give something back to your community.