Meet the Team
Mel Young, President
Mel has nearly 15 years experience tackling the global issue of homelessness. Co-Founder of The Big Issue Scotland in 1993 he co-founded the International Network of Street Papers in 1995 of which he is Honorary President. In 2001 he co-created the Homeless World Cup and has since grown the tournament to involve over 48 nations with local grass roots programmes working with people who are homeless all year round. In 2002 he founded New Consumer Magazine, information and inspiration for consumers to change the world. He is a Schwab fellow and in 2007 was awarded an honorary degree from Queen Margaret's University, Edinburgh.
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Kat Byles, Communications & Media Director
Kat joined the Homeless World Cup in March 2005 with responsibility for strategic development, global brand and communications. This includes overseeing Homeless World Cup global partnerships with Nike, UEFA and Vodafone Foundation. With over 12 years experience in media and communication, Kat's passion and strength is pioneering positive social innovation into the mainstream. In 2001, after campaigning for many years against global brands neglecting their social and environmental responsibility, Kat founded Authentic PR, a communications agency dedicated to raising awareness of business with a positive purpose working with organisations such as Cafédirect, Yeo Valley Organics and Triodos Bank. She studied Economics & Psychology at Liverpool University.
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Bernard Wolf, International Co-ordinator
Bernhard has been with the Homeless World Cup from the beginning, organising the ground breaking first Homeless World Cup in Graz, Austria. He is responsible for liaison with the grass roots projects and national teams. At the beginning of the 1990s he actively took part in building emerging free cultural centres in Moscow and St. Petersburg during the blooming Russian Perestroika. He was the editor of Megaphon, the Austrian Street Paper, and has worked with Street Papers in Russia and the USA. Bernhard studied Law and Russian Language at the Karl Franzens University and speaks Russian, German, English, Spanish.
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Andy Hook, Sports Manager
Andy has been a football coach for over 30 years working at all levels from boys club to the senior teams with Hibernian and St Johnstone and with Adidas Scotland delivering the Coerver Coaching programme. As the Sports Manager at the Copenhagen 2007 Homeless World Cup Andy ran the football competition uniting 48 nations. He has also set up a football development programme ‘Serious Soccer’ bringing coaches together to give as many children of all backgrounds the opportunity to participate in football in Scotland.
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Callum Wellington, Team Assistant
Callum joins the Homeless World Cup from the leading ethical lifestyle magazine, New Consumer. Callum studied Marketing and French with a concentration on European Union Politics at university and has lived in France and the United States, which inspires him to work with international projects with a social purpose. Callum will be pooling all his skills to help the Homeless World Cup break stereotypes and promote encouragement and support for people who are homeless while ensuring the HQ runs smoothly.
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