Josh Blanchard
Mentor
Hello there! I’m Josh, and I love a bit of gaming. I started getting interested in gaming when I was a kid, and loved to watch my dad play games like “Pro Evolution Soccer” and “Gun” on the PlayStation 2. As I got older I used to play Halo all the time with my younger brother, particularly Halo 3 and Halo Reach, and it really helped us bond.
I started out quite casually on my own playing single player games, but during lockdown I really started playing online games with my friends and got into online gaming. It was a lifeline for me, being able to play games with my friends and have the online social interaction with my friends that I was unable to have face to face. This has only allowed my love for gaming to grow!
Gaming has allowed me to make friendships, get closer with my friends and provided an escape I needed when things have been hard in life. I’ve also been able to show people close to me games I think they would enjoy, and seeing them play them feels amazing. I’ve played pretty much every genre of gaming there is, and if someone likes a game and suggests it to me I’m always happy to give it a go.
I have a BA Hons degree in Theology and Ethics with Education Studies, and am undertaking a
masters in Social Work. Because of this, I’ve had a lot of experience working with people of varying needs, including Autism and ADHD, and children in care. A highlight of this has been creating escape rooms for children in care to complete, and working one on one with children with Autism to ensure they were supported appropriately in their educational establishment.
I myself have ADHD, and was diagnosed as an adult, and so was unable to access the kind of support that mindjam provides, and so it’s great that I can be a small part of something that is supporting neurodivergent people.
Some of my interests outside of gaming include music (from classical to indie to funk to jazz),
cooking, and watching sitcoms. I also have three cats and they are all nightmares but I love them
anyway.
Favourite Games
Pokemon: From Red and Blue to Scarlet and Violet , Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 , Fall Guys, Halo, Sea of Thieves, It Takes Two, Medieval Dynasty, Mario Kart, Gang Beasts, Rubber Bandits, Party Animals, Uncharted, FIFA and EA Sports FC.
Hobbies
Animals (Love dogs and I have 3 cats), Cooking, Films, TV (Love sitcoms!), Music, Escape rooms, Crazy golf, Nature, swimming.
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