Meet the Team

The charity is led by our Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Gray, who has responsibility for managing the charity and its activities.

Stephen Gray | CEO

Stephen has spent all his professional life in the education and social care sector. Following his graduation from Kingston University in 2001 gaining a BSc Hons in Psychology and Sociology, he worked as a Youth Worker and Advocate for looked after children. Gaining a post-graduate Diploma in Management Studies with the University of Kent, he took on more senior management responsibilities and co-founded YLF in 2007.

Stephen enabled the charity to achieve successful external accreditation’s, such as Investing in Volunteers, and stepped up as CEO with overall responsibility for the charity in November 2012. Since then, Stephen has led the charity through a period of continuous development and improvement, managed the successful re commissioning of local authority contracts, launched new services and introduced a Fundraising Strategy to ensure the charity is sustainable and can continue making a difference to children and young people across the South East.

Stephen is an acting Trustee of the National Appropriate Adult Network and an FA registered Football Coach, volunteering in children’s football.

Stephen has led the charity in achieving the Kent Children’s Charity of the Year Award and The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest accolade a voluntary organisation can receive. In 2022, Stephen was invited to be a Kent Ambassador.