About Resilient Lives

Resilient Lives is a community interest company based in Devon working to strengthen connection and resilience through practical programmes, supportive relationships and meaningful activity.

Our work focuses particularly on supporting men, while also creating opportunities for young people — especially those who may struggle in traditional education — to build confidence, skills and a sense of direction.

We bring people together through shared experiences such as cooking, learning practical skills and community projects. These environments allow trust to develop naturally and create spaces where people can connect, reflect and support one another.

Why We Do This Work

Many men grow up without spaces where they can talk openly about what is going on in their lives or learn healthy ways to support one another.

At the same time, there is growing concern about the challenges many boys and young men face as they move through education and into adulthood. Boys fall behind girls across much of the education system, are more likely to be excluded from school and are increasingly represented among young people not in education, employment or training.

These challenges are often even greater for young people in alternative provision or those with additional needs, many of whom face a difficult transition when formal education ends.

Resilient Lives was created to respond to these challenges by offering a different approach. By bringing people together through practical activity, shared food and supportive community, we create environments where connection develops naturally and people feel able to be themselves.

Our Focus

Our work focuses particularly on supporting men and boys, while also collaborating with schools, youth organisations and community partners who want to create healthier environments for the people they work with.

Programmes currently include youth engagement initiatives, employability opportunities connected to our Pizza Pirates social enterprise, and men’s programmes such as Dough Bro’s.

Over time many participants become part of the wider Resilient Lives community, with some men choosing to support younger participants or contribute to programmes as mentors and positive role models.

Meet the Team

  • Simon Dyer

    FOUNDER

    Simon combines extensive experience managing complex projects across the charity and education sectors with a strong commitment to improving engagement and wellbeing for men and boys.

    His background includes work in homelessness, mental health and recovery services, where he developed a deep interest in trauma-informed approaches and the importance of supportive community environments.

    Simon founded Resilient Lives to create practical programmes that strengthen connection and resilience for men and young people.

    Simon’s own experiences of mental health and neurodiversity also shape the ethos of Resilient Lives, helping to create programmes that value authenticity, connection and psychological safety.

    He is passionate about supporting men’s wellbeing, creating opportunities for young people and building strong local communities.

    Simon is also a trained coach, lead facilitator for the organisation — and an expert pizza spinner.

  • Derek O'Toole

    DIRECTOR / SAFEGUARDING LEAD

    Derek brings extensive leadership experience across the statutory, voluntary and independent sectors, including senior roles in NHS commissioning, social care and mental health services.

    Before retiring from the NHS, Derek served as Head of Mental Health and Social Care Commissioning for Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, where he was responsible for overseeing the overall mental health commissioning budget for both children and adults across the county. His career has included work in NHS and social care management consultancy as well as serving as a national lead for prison mental health within the Department of Health and Social Care.

    Alongside his professional career, Derek has always remained closely connected to community life. He is a facilitator in the Incredible Years parenting programme, a trained outdoor education and leadership mentor, a personal trainer and a presenter on a local community radio station.

    His experience across public services, community work and leadership brings valuable perspective to the development of Resilient Lives.

    Derek supports the strategic development and governance of Resilient Lives.

  • Kurt Gillespie

    DIRECTOR / WELLNESS BUILDER

    Kurt is a trained carpenter who has run his own building business for more than 25 years. Alongside his construction work, he has also gained experience in catering and healthcare during his early career in his native Canada.

    He first became involved with Resilient Lives in 2023 as a volunteer facilitator with the Dough Bro’s programme. His calm, practical approach and natural ability to connect with people quickly made him a key part of the team, and he now co-leads Dough Bro’s groups while contributing to the wider development of the organisation.

    Kurt brings a hands-on philosophy to the work of Resilient Lives, believing that practical activity can be a powerful way to help people build confidence, connection and resilience. His skills in construction and making also support the development of future initiatives such as the Wellness Builder project, which will use practical building projects to engage and support participants in the same spirit as our food-based programmes.

    His supportive and thoughtful nature makes him a trusted presence within the Resilient Lives community.

  • Silver Levy-So

    COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR

    Silver is a self-taught photographer, filmmaker and visual storyteller whose work has long explored the relationship between people, community and the natural environment.

    Alongside his creative work, Silver has developed a deep interest in mental health, neurodiversity and the social pressures facing boys and men today. Drawing on both personal experience and his own journey through mental health support services, he brings empathy, openness and insight to his work with the Resilient Lives community.

    Silver first encountered Resilient Lives as a customer of Pizza Pirates, where a shared background in catering and hospitality sparked a connection with the team. After later joining the Dough Bro’s programme as a participant, he became increasingly involved in the organisation and is now a core member of the team.

    As Community Engagement Coordinator, Silver leads on media, storytelling and community engagement, helping to share the work of Resilient Lives and connect with the wider community. He also brings experience supporting young people through previous roles as a football coach, breakdance teacher and photography instructor.

    Silver’s journey from participant to team member reflects the community-driven nature of Resilient Lives.

  • Aydin Boyacigiller

    DIRECTOR / STRATEGIC ADVISOR

    Aydin is an experienced educator and facilitator with a long-standing commitment to supporting wellbeing and personal development through practical, nature-based activity.

    His career began in outdoor education, working with young people across the UK to build confidence, resilience and life skills through shared experiences in the natural environment. He later became a Regional Manager at Raleigh International, where he mentored and trained young people and volunteers for development programmes in the UK and overseas.

    After completing his PGCE, Aydin continued his work in adult education with the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA), developing and delivering programmes focused on personal development, wellbeing and community engagement.

    Aydin is now a Director at Greenwood Music CIC, a key partner organisation of Resilient Lives, and works closely with the team to develop programmes such as Ageless Man. He brings extensive experience in facilitation, mentoring and social enterprise development, supporting the strategic growth of the organisation.

  • Maisie Clark

    THERAPEUTIC ADVISOR

    Maisie is a registered Occupational Therapist with extensive experience working across both the NHS and charitable sectors.

    Her professional background includes frontline roles in community and residential mental health services, where she developed particular expertise in trauma-informed practice and person-centred approaches to recovery.

    As Therapeutic Advisor to Resilient Lives, Maisie helps ensure that our programmes align with occupational models of wellbeing and recovery — supporting the principle that meaningful activity, supportive relationships and community connection play an important role in helping people build resilience.

    Her guidance helps the organisation maintain safe, reflective and psychologically informed approaches to the work we do.