YAT Mentoring Programme
“My mentor's really cool and I like hanging out with her and have a good time. She understands me on a good level ”
Lucy, age 15
Contact the team if you have any questions about our Mentoring Programme
What is a mentor?
A mentor is a volunteer, just like the ones who have helped you on the camps and activity days. They will spend time just with you rather than in a group with other young people.
Mentors help different people in different ways. You will decide together what you would like them to help you with, and come up with a plan of what you will do to work towards your goals. For example, you may want to build on your confidence and join an activity club in your local area, or do some voluntary work and need a bit of extra help and encouragement to get this underway. It may be you just need someone to chat to about things, and some support through challenges you are facing.
They will:
- Usually meet with you for a couple of hours every two weeks, although arrangements may sometimes vary
- Take time to get to know you
- Listen to you
- Support and guide you
- Help you to work towards your goals
- Do activities and have fun with you
I think we connected really well. We’ve got a really good bond with each other and I’ve got someone to talk to if I don’t want to talk to mum or dad or anybody else
Ellie, age 15
Who can have a mentor?
If we feel that having a mentor would benefit you, your Programme Manager and the Mentoring Manager will have a chat with you about it and explain a bit more about the programme. We’ll give you some time to think about it, and talk to someone at home to decide if it’s something you’d like to do.
I just love it, I feel like I’ve got that person if I need to I can lean on
Eliza, age 14
How does it all work?
If you’d like to go ahead, the Mentoring Manager will visit you to find out more about what you’d like from having a mentor. Then we’ll look for a volunteer mentor who we think would be a good match for you. It’s very important that we find the right person for you, and this could take a little bit of time. If we find a suitable mentor, we’ll introduce you to them and help you plan what you will do together. After that you’ll meet up with them every couple of weeks to do something fun together, and work towards the goals you have agreed.
I can have a laugh with someone and they won’t judge me whereas if I was with my friends and I laughed, they would judge me a lot.
Matt, age 15
