Mentoring - Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any particular personality traits or skills that mentors need?
What age range should the mentors be in?
Are people being sought as mentors from particular geographical areas?
Are people being sought as mentors from particular communities?
Why is the focus on black boys as mentees?
What are the main benefits for mentors?
How will the mentees be identified?
Will there be any on-going support available for mentors?
What happens if it doesn’t work out?
What difference can mentoring make?
How many mentors will be recruited?
Are there any particular personality traits or skills that mentors need?
We are not looking for academic qualifications or formal experience. What’s most important is the motivation and ability to provide on-going support and advice to a young person in need of help.
Often some of the best mentors are people who have experienced some difficulties in their own lives and managed to overcome them. What we are looking for are people who are able to relate to what the young people are experiencing, to help them focus in a positive way, to give them the kind of guidance that really suits their needs and to turn their lives around if they are heading in the wrong direction. We are looking for mentors to help young people make the most of themselves and their lives.
What age range should the mentors be in?
Mentors can be any age from 18 to 80+. What we are interested in is their motivation and ability to provide on-going support and advice to a young person in need of help.
Are people being sought as mentors from particular geographical areas?
The most important thing is not where people live, but the skills and enthusiasm that they bring. We are initially trialling the mentoring programme in seven key boroughs where we know the problems are most prevalent. These are:
- Brent
- Croydon
- Hackney
- Haringey
- Lambeth
- Southwark
- Waltham Forest
So people should be able to take up mentoring within one of these boroughs to be part of this scheme.
How can I get involved?
You can register your interest by emailing mentoring@london.gov.uk. We are running information sessions over the next few months, so people can ask questions in person and hear more about the scheme.
Who will the mentees be?
The mentees will be black boys aged 10-16 from the seven boroughs mentioned above. In time we hope to roll the programme out to all 32 London boroughs.
Are people being sought as mentors from particular communities?
We are primarily targeting black men as they are likely to be the most appropriate role models for this target group of mentees. We are really looking for people whose background and experience means that they can relate to their mentee as closely as possible.
There might be other opportunities for other people, depending on demand and how the programme develops. The scheme will not exclude anyone who is a good mentor and a willing volunteer.
Why is the focus on black boys as mentees?
The statistics show that, as well as doing less well in academic attainment and securing employment, black boys are much more likely to be affected by crime and violence than the average person. This is both as victims and perpetrators. We also know that if a young person is a victim of crime the likelihood of them joining a gang – to boost their sense of security – increases.
We are therefore looking for black men with a similar background and experience to these vulnerable young people to provide appropriate guidance and support as a mentor.
What are the main benefits for mentors?
Mentors get a lot from the experience too. It is a real opportunity to do something significant and meaningful and offer their skills and knowledge to someone facing challenging choices. Not only will mentors be helping their mentee, but as a group they will be helping to build stronger communities and contributing to a safer London.
Will mentors get paid?
Mentors are being asked to volunteer their time for free. This is an unpaid role. However there will be a lot in it for volunteers. In our experience, almost all mentors find it a very positive experience and get a lot from it. On a practical level this includes the training they receive and the skills they develop, as well as the knowledge that they have made a real difference to someone’s life at a crucial time – the satisfaction of knowing that their life experience can have a greater impact and legacy within the wider community and society.
How will they be trained?
At the moment we are in the recruitment stage. We want to raise awareness of the role mentoring can play and to encourage black men to register their interest and come and find out more about the difference they can make.
We will have a full programme (funded through the LDA) up and running from the beginning of 2011. Once the full programme is running, training will be provided for mentors. The details aren’t yet decided, but it is likely to cover areas such as: safe-guarding young people, planning journeys and safe routes, basic psychology, setting goals and achieving outcomes, confidentiality and appropriate boundaries.
What will they do?
Mentors will act as a critical friend to their mentee. They will provide reliable, on-going support and advice at a crucial point in their life. The aim of each mentor is that they create a meaningful relationship with the mentee and become someone they trust and can depend on.
A mentor and mentee will exchange views and ideas. They will discuss the key issues facing the boy and possible approaches to them. They can also plan ahead by setting goals and working out ways to achieve them.
Very often even the process of developing a relationship with an adult that has chosen to be in that relationship – rather than being paid to do it as a teacher or probation officer for example – can bring about great changes and results in itself.
How much time is needed?
A mentoring relationship takes time to develop. Both people need time to get to know each other and build trust. Usually mentors offer a few hours a week of their time.
Typically a mentor would agree to mentor someone for between 12 and 18 months. However often people choose to continue for longer. On the other hand, if the relationship didn’t work out then they could change who they were working with. It very much depends on the individual circumstances and dynamics.
How will the mentees be identified?
The boys who will be mentored in this programme could come from a variety of routes. These include people who have had contact with the criminal justice system that we think could be helped by mentoring, or young people who are having problems with attending school for example. They are likely to be people who are struggling to cope in one way or another and are either likely to go off track or have already got themselves in trouble.
Will there be any on-going support available for mentors?
As well as the formal training provided to mentors at the beginning of the scheme, the mentoring will be monitored throughout the programme to ensure it is running smoothly and that both the mentor and the mentee are getting all the support they need.
What happens if it doesn’t work out?
A mentoring relationship takes time to develop. Both people need time to get to know each other and build trust. But if after an initial period the relationship didn’t work out then they could change who they were working with or pull out altogether if needs be. It very much depends on the individual circumstances and dynamics.
Has this been done elsewhere?
Mentoring is well established as a way of providing people with tailored support and advice. There are many mentoring programmes running worldwide, including ones focusing specifically on troubled young men and those who have been involved in the criminal justice system.
What difference can mentoring make?
One of the aims of this programme is to help black boys and young men achieve tangible goals and make the most of their abilities. Very often at this stage in life that means staying in school, completing study or exams and getting qualifications that will help them do something productive with their life.
Mentoring schemes are proven to be a very effective way of helping to motivate people, helping them to set their own goals and achieve them.
In addition we are specifically looking to reduce the likelihood of the young people getting involved in violent or criminal activity and to show them positive alternatives.
How many mentors will be recruited?
Initially we are looking for 1,000 black men to volunteer their time as a mentor. We have already had more than 100 come forward to express an interest and to find out more. We are hoping that we can recruit at least ten times as many people within the next few months as part of this initial programme. We will then see what is possible for the future.
