Eight years on, he is now a part-time young facilitator with the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) and the co-founder of an ambitious social enterprise working with young sportsmen.
As a youth facilitator, Ari encourages young people to get involved with decisions on the policies and projects of NCVYS and its members. He took up the position last year following years of volunteering with Hackney-based charity Citizen, where he undertook peer mentoring, research and youth participation work.
Johnson hails the transformational potential of youth work but fears this is now in danger as a result of government cuts.
"The (Labour) government built up a system which makes youth work dependent on grants but with the financial situation it has been left almost high and dry," he says.
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