Impact & evidence

Derrick Twum conceived MEM while serving a prison sentence in the United States as a teenager. His vision was simple: build a brand that empowers underserved young people through fitness. That idea became MEM Academy — Mentoring, Educating, Motivating. In 2017, Derrick was invited by Penrose London CRC to a prison employment fair at HMP Pentonville. Amongst far larger organisations, he had the most visited table, because candidates heard his story and recognised something none of the other tables could offer: proof. Since 2015, MEM has delivered fitness mentoring inside HMP Pentonville, YOI Isis and HMP Belmarsh, and across some of London's most deprived areas — active in Ealing and expanding. What follows is the theory of change, the delivery record, and the outcomes the platform tracks as it scales.