Interview with Graham Brown, CEO of Future for Heroes by Tim Robb

Future for Heroes is one of the wonderful charities we support…

What is the main aim of Future for Heroes?

Future for Heroes develops the ability of both service leavers and retired members of the armed forces to manage the dramatic change in cultures when resuming civilian life, enabling them to participate fully in society.  Spouses or partners of delegates may also attend.

How do you achieve this?

We run free residential personal change programmes, held over four days with The Brathay Trust in the Lake District.  In the last year we have helped around 100 people in this way.  We focus on aspirations, ambitions and needs to help individuals become independent.  We replace fear of the unknown with curiosity.

We use Challenge by Choice – the beginning of a journey to improve self-esteem, confidence and build a sense of worth. This helps  realise the benefits of the qualities, strengths and experiences gained from time in the military.  We find that employers value these skillsets.  We offer mentor support during and after our courses too.

What are the benefits of your approach?

– Enhancing self-awareness

– Setting and achieving personal goals

– Harnessing the power of positive reframing

– Demonstrating the behaviours and characteristics of effective teams

– Recognising and controlling emotions

– Understanding the importance of disclosure and feedback

– Getting the most from relationships by appreciating different levels of communication

– Understanding and embracing the process of change

– Employing effective listening skills

– Recognising the value of having a balanced lifestyle

– Understanding the importance of a mentor

If you could change one thing, what would it be?

To raise awareness to a far wider audience the issues our delegates face and to see widespread, non-charitable funding available for those service leavers and veterans who struggle with the transition from the military.

What achievements are you most proud of, as a charity?

Getting our delegates on the road to job training and employment or just simply to partake fully in society.

We are delighted to be supported financially by City Championships (www.citychampionships.com), the three major services benevolent charities, The Royal British Legion (www.britishlegion.org.uk) as well as many others.

What can our blog readers do to help?  How could we get involved?

We welcome donations of all sizes – the course is free to our delegates; all costs fall to Future for Heroes.  www.mydonate.bt.com/charities/f4h

We are partnered with Work for Good (www.workforgood.co.uk) which is a great new charity fundraising platform for businesses.  By building giving into the work your business already does, you can also engage employees, impress customers and strengthen your brand all at the same time.

We partner with giveasyoulive (www.giveasyoulive.com/signup/choose-charity?q=future+for+heroes) for individuals shopping online – an easy way to give at no cost to you.

We welcome more mentors and trainers – anyone can volunteer, but having a military background is extremly helpful.  Details can be found by emailing admin@f4h.org.uk.  We would love more corporate support, perhaps course sponsorship or funding for delagte travel costs – directly or indirectly.

What has Miramar done to help the charity?

Miramar help by carrying our brand into the business community, raising awareness of the issues we deal with and the benefits we deliver.  Some of their people provide mentoring and advice pro bono for us.  Next year they are running a team in Tough Mudder to raise funds for a multi-media campaign on our behalf.

For more information, contact

Graham Brown, CEO at Future for Heroes

Email:  admin@f4h.org.uk

Web:  www.f4h.org.uk

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