When mentors are integrated into school environments, they are better able to advocate on their mentees' behalf. They can speak directly with teacher staff and resolve problems before they escalate.
The school setting enables behaviour and academic issues to be addressed before exclusions or successful reintegration back into mainstream education following exclusion.
All young people have the potential to succeed in life and contribute to society. However, not all young people get the support they need to develop the skills necessary to make this happen.
Without positive interventions by motivated adults, some young people can and do make negative choices that not only damage their futures and could lead to anti-social and offending behaviour.
When properly structured and delivered, school based mentoring programmes have proved to be a powerful and effective tool in helping young people identify their weaknesses, cultivate their strengths and reach their potential.
The mentoring service we will provide is outcome based. The outcomes we have identified are as follows:
• A safe and secure place to live – our impact will be changing mind sets and attitudes towards unproductive lifestyle and resolving conflicts towards win-win outcomes; supporting young people and providing them with options to move away from negative influences affecting them.
• Suitable employment, education or training – our impact will be helping young people to engage with educational services to improve their academic or vocational achievements; access services providing CV writing, applying for employment, training, apprenticeships; supporting them at interview, etc.
• Access to legal sources of income – our impact will be helping and supporting young people to access services through which they might be eligible to claim educational allowances, grants, job seekers allowances, etc.
• Physical, emotional and mental good health and a reduction in harm related behaviour – our impact will be in providing holistic advice and guidance in regards to substance misuse; high risk sexual behaviour; good diet and nutrition; healthy lifestyle practices and signposting to other services where relevant.
• Positive peer networks and activities – our impact will be in providing up to date relevant advice and guidance in regard to the CJS, and steering away from gang, weapons and drug crime; strategies to avoid negative peers and activities and supporting them to access positive peer networks or activities e.g. sports, The Challenge (National Citizen Service (NCS), summer schools, etc.
The delivery of our mentoring service can range from 1 session to 3 sessions per week for 3 months up to 1 year. Each session is 2 hrs long.
