Ray Lewis (youth worker)
Ray Arthur Lewis is a Guyana-born youth worker in the United Kingdom and a former Deputy Mayor of London. Career Ray Lewis is founder and director of Eastside Young Leaders' Academy, a youth leadership development organisation based in the Newham, east London. Other roles have included Senior Advisor to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, focusing on solutions to youth crime and mentoring. Lewis was educated in a school in Walthamstow. He began his career in the civil service, then studied Theology at Middlesex University. He later worked as a prison service manager at HM Prison Woodhill in Milton Keynes. Established in 2002, Lewis' charity has become a model of excellence as it transforms the lives of young people at risk of social and educational exclusion. EYLA focusses on leadership skills, supplementary education, aspirational opportunities, family support, health and well-being. There are now 5 other similar projects across the UK based on the YLA model. Personal life Born in Guyana, Lewis has three grown up daughters. He is a social entrepreneur, life coach and expert in transformational programmes for youth. He was appointed a commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours for