One-to-one mentoring
Every young adult is matched with a mentor who helps them build confidence, self-esteem and employability skills, one conversation at a time.
Registered charity in England and Wales
Supporting young adults in Bucks and South Oxfordshire to become productive members of their communities by gaining confidence, independence and employability.
EYAI provides young adults aged 18 to 25 with practical training alongside one-to-one mentoring, giving them the skills and confidence to move into work, further education and independent life.
Free support for young adults aged 18 to 25 across Aylesbury, High Wycombe and surrounding areas.
- Registered charity no. 1195406
- Part of the Bucks Family Hub network
- Safeguarding policy available to download
- Wheelchair accessible café with parking
Why we exist
The step from 18 to independent adult life is the hardest one. We walk it together.
Turning 18 can mean support falls away exactly when it is needed most. EYAI works in that critical transition space: the years between 18 and 25 when confidence, skills and the right encouragement decide whether a young adult moves forward or gets stuck.
We pair every young adult with a mentor, then back the mentoring with real work experience at Pippa's Community Café, our training hub. It is a safe, friendly place to learn practical skills, serve real customers and build the self-belief that leads to employment and independence.
What we do
Practical support that leads somewhere real
Café work experience
Pippa's Community Café is our training hub: real shifts, real customers and real skills, in a supportive environment before stepping into the wider workplace.
Experience for 16 to 18s
The café also provides work experience for 16 to 18 year olds who need alternative education provision or experience for their college applications and CVs.
A safe-space community café
Pippa's is a warm, welcoming café for the whole community, and part of the Bucks Family Hub network. Everyone is welcome at the counter.
Employer partnerships
Local employers offer work placements and interview practice to café-trained young adults who arrive motivated, prepared and supported.
Volunteering
Mentors, café helpers and skill-sharers make EYAI work. Give a few hours and change the direction of a young adult's life.
Our training hub
Pippa's Community Café
Based at Stone Village Hall near Aylesbury, Pippa's is where mentoring turns into momentum. Trainees learn barista and food-service skills, work as a team and serve a community that cheers them on. For visitors it is simply a lovely local café: for our young adults it is the first line on a CV.
How it works
Four calm steps from first hello to independence
Get in touch
A young adult, parent, carer or referral partner contacts us by form, phone or email. We reply quickly and arrange a friendly, no-pressure chat.
Meet your mentor
We match each young adult with a mentor and agree simple goals together, at a pace that feels comfortable.
Train at Pippa's
Supported shifts at the café build practical skills, workplace habits and the confidence that comes from doing a job well.
Step into work
With a CV, references and real experience, we help each young adult move on to employment, education or a placement with a local employer.
18-25
the ages we support
164
young adults supported
37
volunteers and mentors
1195406
registered charity number
Kind words
What our community says
When I started at Pippa's I would barely speak to anyone. A few months of shifts and chats with my mentor and I walked into my first proper job interview feeling ready. I got it.
The change in our daughter has been remarkable. She has somewhere to go, people who believe in her, and real skills on her CV. EYAI gave her a path when school ended and everything else fell away.
I mentor one young adult a week and it is the best hour of my diary. You watch confidence grow in real time, and the café gives them somewhere safe to practise every new skill.
Ready to take the first step?
Whether you are a young adult looking for support, a parent, an employer or a future volunteer, we would love to hear from you.