James Mayes
Mentor
Hey there, I’m James. I’m an early years practitioner, experienced in working with children with varying SEN needs including Autism, ADHD and PDA.
Originally, I trained as a music producer working self-employed helping musicians to translate their ideas into songs and editing their music for final release. As I progressed through this time, I picked up skills in video filming and editing which I currently use to create gaming content for YouTube.
After having 2 children it was hard to manage a business so I looked for another role. A position training for early years became available to me after dropping my children off one day and the head noticed how I interacted and connected with the other children. This was one of the best jobs that I have ever worked! I enjoy helping children and seeing how they progress while learning skills in a positive environment. I ran my own small group sessions while in the nursery doing yoga with stories I had created and props to make the session more engaging. Alongside the yoga I ran music sessions where we could basically just make as much noise as possible with whatever instruments we had chosen that day!
When my children became old enough for reception me and my wife took the decision to homeschool and we believe it’s one of the best decisions we have ever made.
The opportunity to work with MindJam is incredible and the values of the company are something I strongly believe in. Having a child in an environment where they feel comfortable gives them the ability to flourish, whether it’s building a house in Minecraft or gaining victory royales in Fortnite, it gives children a way to express themselves. The skills that we pick up through gaming without even knowing it, the relationships we build with characters in the games and with people that we play with and the satisfaction of beating that one boss that has eluded you for hours. Gaming for me is so important and the fact that I can share these experiences and recognise skills with other people is amazing.
I am DBS checked and have completed my safeguarding training.
My favourite games are: Kingdom hearts, Banjo Kazooie, Switch Sports and Crash Bandicoot although I play just about everything!
My hobbies include: D&D (I run sessions with my children), board games, retro game collecting of course tons of gaming!
Favourite Games
Kingdom Hearts, Crash Bandicoot, Call of Duty, Banjo Kazooie, A Plague Tale, Baldur’s Gate, Counter-Strike
Hobbies
Creating/Recording Music, Filming/Editing Video, Tabletop Games, Board Games, Fishing
We'd love to hear from you.
If you would like our team to get in touch with you to discuss how we can help you and your young people through our services, please feel free to fill out our contact form, and we will be in touch as soon as possible to talk you through enrolling with one of our mentors or counsellors