Yorkshire Mentoring

In 2014 Yorkshire Mentoring began a project with with Trinity Academy supporting and working with look after students,  the scheme has continued and was rolled out in 2018 to Rastrick Academy and Calder High in partnership with TLC , a charity that works to support children who are looked after in the Calderdale District. 

Information sessions were delivered to 6th form students to identify those who wanted to become mentors. A more in depth workshop followed which included a session on safeguarding. The schools then identified looked after students who they thought would benefit from mentoring. Am information session was delivered to potential mentees making it clear that participation was voluntary. The next stage was matching mentors and mentees based on interests related to both school, hobbies and career. Yorkshire Mentoring provided a supervision and review programme reporting to the school and the funding partner TLC. Outcomes from the review suggested that mentees had improved their confidence, attendance and achievement in school and felt more positive about their future. Mentors commented that they had developed skills in communication particularly questioning and listening and had been able to use their experience as evidence for CVs, University and job applications. 

Yorkshire Mentoring worked in partnership with St Giles Trust in Leeds, where they put together a bid to develop the Women's "Change" Project. The work was a unique piece of work with Female Ex Offenders. Yorkshire Mentoring successfully applied and were funded from the Big Lottery Fund for the C.H.A.N.G.E Project. Yorkshire Mentoring worked  with St Giles Trust till September 2017 to provide a support service to women from disadvantaged backgrounds including focus group sessions, a weekend residential to explore development opportunities and creation of an online community network to provide support.  The project  provided emotional and practical support to improve women’s wellbeing and life skills. 

The iFEMALE pilot project came about  through a sucessful bid we put in to Yorkshire Bank . We delivered sessions to 17 women via 3 cohorts. Each cohort had a maximum 7 women, who undertook two, one hour thirty minute sessions. 

The #iFEMALE project was developed by Yorkshire Mentoring and with collaboration of St Giles Trust and Ripon House (Approved Premises) in Leeds who we have historically worked alongside on previous projects.

The iFEMALE Financial Empowerment project aims to raise the capacity and confidence of women ex-offenders, to take control of their personal financial circumstances, which in most cases will be chaotic and precarious. Many of the women are parents and all are economically inactive. Supporting women to better "get by" is the first step towards increased financial confidence and agency.  

The project offered financial empowerment coaching sessions for women, including a digital element. This is particularly important in an economic environment where local bank branches are closing and customers are encouraged to bank online. St Giles Trust clients / Ripon House residents will typically have low levels of digital resilience. The sessions are facilitated using Thinking Environment principles and the consistent use of thinking rounds throughout.

As a result of the success,  Yorkshire Mentoring went on to deliver the same programme to Adelaide House in Liverpool in 2018 

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Past News Awards For All Funding 

As a result of securing funding from Awards for All, Yorkshire Mentoring Forum has worked with 6 partnerships to deliver activities that support the transition of young people at key points in their lives. The projects have supported transition from school to college, within college from one level to another and into education in the UK. Projects took place in Leeds, Hull, Wakefield and Rotherham with young people from the ages of 11 – 18.

The projects have focused on the recruitment and training of volunteer mentors and has  worked with young people at risk of exclusion. Yorkshire Mentoring Forum has provided consultancy support and workshops and ensured that sound quality standards are in place.

The outcome of the projects were disseminated at YMF Celebration event held on the 13th July at Wakefield College’s Castleford Campus in 2013

Project summaries

Leeds – Valued Youth

6 students from Guiseley School were trained as mentors and matched to students from the schools feeder primary schools in years 4 and 5. The students reported that they had gained planning and organisational skills which had enabled them to meet their own targets such as submitting homework on time. They also felt that there social skills were developed with increased patience. They had supported the primary school pupils with maths and English.

Hull MIND

Four volunteer mentors were trained in Youth Mental First Aid to develop their skills in mentoring young people at risk of developing mental health difficulties and those experiencing mental health difficulties. Clients and mentors reported that their support networks have been strengthened, their levels of activity have increased and the clients have visited their GPs less frequently. Some of the volunteers have gone on to obtain paid employment.

Hull Refugee and Asylum Seeks at Endeavour School

Young people who had arrived at Endeavour School as asylum seeks and refugees were matched with mentors from their own country of origin to support their introduction and integration into the UK. The mentors were all volunteers who were trained by Hull Compact. Team building and problem solving activities helped the young people to work as a team and cooking activities supported cultural awareness.

Leeds Looked After Children

Young people in Leeds were supported by undergraduates from the university who had been trained as mentors. The support increased self confidence and academic achievement raising aspirations about future education and career plans. Visits to the university were included. The mentors received a small payment as a reward for their support.

Wakefield Post 16 transitions

A group of construction students had been identified as needing intervention to support their transition to level 2 of their course and to ensure their retention into the spring term. A group of level 3 students were trained as mentors to offer peer support to the level 2 students who were briefed on the programme. The retention of the students increased from 60 to 95% and achievement rates increased by the end of the programme as well as progression into level 3.

Rotherham school to college transitions

Rotherham College had identified 3 stages of transition that could be supported through mentoring. Transition from school to college, within college and college to work. This project focused on school to college transitions for pupils with ASD, Volunteers were recruited from the staff and students and received training on both mentoring and working with students with ASD. Mentors will be matched to those pupils who enroll at the college in the Autumn term.