Connect Mentoring provides trained mentors who give one-to-one support for local secondary students who need someone to listen, encourage, empower and support them through whatever challenges they are currently facing.
Connect Mentoring provides support for young people who are facing challenges that are likely to lead to serious mental health issues resulting in poor social, health and educational outcomes. Each young person receives a series of at least six one-to-one sessions within school with one of our mentors.
We currently work in seven local secondary schools.
Our Solution-Focused Approach
Our mentors are trained in using the Solution-Focused approach. The young person is encouraged to focus on one or two areas of challenge within their life and to think about how they would ideally like those areas to be; what their best hopes are. Each week the mentor works with them encouraging them to find the resources within themselves to take steps towards their best hopes. The approach is highly effective with almost 100% of mentees reporting an improvement in their chosen areas of focus by the end of the sessions.
We work with young people to not just improve these areas but also to develop a confidence in their own power to positively affect their life by using the resources they have within themselves.
As the pandemic has progressed and health and social services have become more stretched, we have seen an increase in demand for mentoring.
205 young people
have benefited from Connect Mentoring this year
- 98.5% reported improved well-being 98.5%
It helped to make my thoughts clearer and helped me work through things that didn’t really make sense when I was on my own.
M participated in the Connect mentoring programme last year, which greatly boosted his confidence. His behaviour had often stemmed from avoidance and a lack of confidence, but the programme helped him engage more positively, resulting in just one detention all year.
X seems happier and more able to articulate how she is feeling. She has told me the sessions have helped her to communicate better at home.
If you would like to find out whether Connect is available in your school, you need help getting a referral, or have any other enquiries, please contact Angie
£15 a month for a year could provide mentoring for one young person.