Mentoring

Wanted: Positive role models for black boys in London

The Mayor's Mentoring Programme will provide appropriately trained adult volunteer mentors for a minimum of 1,000 black boys aged 10-16 who may be at risk of offending in seven target boroughs in London - Brent, Croydon, Hackney, Haringey, Lambeth, Southwark and Waltham Forest.

We need as many volunteers from these communities as possible to help – mentoring at a crucial stage in these boys' lives can help them make positive decisions when it comes to education and make them more resilient to the pressure they can face from their peers to engage in criminal activity.

• Sign up to register as a mentor

As part of Team London, the Mayor's action plan for volunteering, the University of East London will lead a consortium of organisations in running the scheme. Once selection and training is complete, matching will commence from summer 2011.

Latest news

• Mayor Boris scheme gets 1,700 volunteers to support young black boys

Ian Wright: what it means to be a mentor

Football legend Ian Wright has helped turn around the lives of many young offenders through mentoring and is a champion of the scheme. He spoke to us in 2010 about what it means to be a mentor:

• Read what Ian Wright had to say about mentoring in his 2010 blog
• Read the 2010 blog by Ray Lewis, the Mayor's Mentoring Champion,

Volunteers, a force for positive change

Volunteers have an important role to play in creating positive and lasting change in our communities. Mentoring is a highly effective and rewarding way to volunteer and the Mayor has put mentoring at the heart of plans to tackle some of the critical issues facing young people in the capital.

Time for Action

We want to do more for black boys, who we know are at greater risk of becoming involved in violence. As part of the Time for Action programme, we are calling on volunteers to mentor black boys in their communities, helping them to improve their self-esteem, life choices and prospects.

Real life experience

We’re looking for real life experience rather than academic qualifications. The most important thing is that you can give someone time to listen and support them.

If you have any questions at all about the programme, please do get in touch - email mentoring@london.gov.uk.