Lennon Bensaou
Mentor
Hi! My name’s Lennon and I’m French and Japanese. I grew up mainly in France, then moved to the United States to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Harvard University. I have extensive experience working with Children and Young People, as a tutor, a teacher, but most passionately, as a mentor.
After graduating, I moved to the UK and served as a Youth Mentor for the mental health charity Mind. I specialised in working with NEET Children and Young People, helping them rediscover their personal sense of growth. During my time at Mind, I have completed many training courses, including safeguarding and crisis intervention. My work has included cases of anxiety, depression, trauma, self-harm, Autism, PDA, learning difficulties, and physical disabilities. Helping my clients establish and implement strategies for their health and confidence, guiding them at their own pace and comfort level, and ultimately witnessing their personal sense of achievement has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. I aim to continue to develop as a Mentor for MindJam.
I am most thrilled about using video games and game design as the perfect springboard and environment for care and support. Gaming is more than a passion for me, being both a safe haven and creative outlet as well. For instance, while moving countries, video games have often offered me not only a much-needed sense of constancy and control amidst drastic change, but also the opportunity to develop world-wide friendships. Likewise, during the pandemic, I am certain countless children benefitted from gaming’s safe space and communities.
As a natural evolution of my relationship with video games, I have taught myself how to develop in Unity and can code in Java and C#. I love exploring all genres, but if I had to choose 3 favourite, I would have to say Open-World Action-Adventure, narrative-driven RPG, and Puzzle. I am also passionate about music, both listening and producing, and am delighted to offer my support within the context of music as well.
I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and be a positive influence for today’s youth. Looking forward to working with your family!
Favourite Games
Grand Theft Auto 3, Red Dead Redemption, Dark Souls, Life is Strange, Tetris Effect, The Last of Us Part II, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Skate 3, Rock Band, Journey.
Hobbies
Music, Psychology, Philosophy, Mindfulness/Meditation, Batman, Graphic Novels, Boxing, F1, Japanese Culture, Science.
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