Projects for Older Adolescents Who Stammer

ASC Mentoring Scheme

Our mentoring programme launched in 2021 and pairs professionals who stammer with young people who stammer (aged 18 – 25) embarking on the transition to higher education or the world of work.

In collaboration with our partners, Iain Wilkie and Sam Simpson, young people who stammer benefit from 6-months of one-to-one career mentoring with an adult who has experience of navigating their own career path with a stammer. The mentoring scheme is coordinated by our partners and you can find out a little more about them below.

Sam Simpson is a speech and language therapist and person-centred counsellor. She works in independent practice and contributes to the development and delivery of the professional training programmes offered by the City Lit speech therapy team, intandem (a supervision, training and development partnership) and Metanoia Institute. Sam has over 20 years’ experience of supervising in a range of contexts, including the public, private, education and voluntary sectors. She teaches about supervision at undergraduate and post-qualification levels and co-wrote the 2017 RCSLT professional guidance on supervision.

Iain Wilkie is an experienced mentor and executive coach who stammers. Using experience gained from over 20 years as a partner and UK leadership team members in the professional services firm Ernst & Young (EY), he is committed to supporting all people who stutter to achieve their full potential in their work. Iain is the founder of the EY Stammering Network, the UK’s Employers Stammering Network and, in 2019, ‘50 Million Voices’ – a campaign bringing together employment leaders from around the world to transform opportunities at work for people who stammer.  Iain is also a Trustee of the Business Disability Forum.

Applications for the third cohort of the mentoring scheme are due to open at the end of 2023.