Mayor’s record £34m mentoring programme on track to deliver for 100,000 young Londoners

• As part of the Mayor’s commitment to provide positive opportunities for young Londoners and to tackle the causes of crime, more than 70,000 young Londoners have now received mentoring support since September 2020 thanks to record investment from the Mayor. Thousands more are set to benefit in the coming months
• Sadiq’s record investment is on track to deliver his manifesto commitment of providing high-quality mentoring opportunities to an unprecedented 100,000 young people most in need by the end of 2024
• The Mayor has funded over 150 mentoring projects for thousands of disadvantaged young Londoners, with evidence showing it is helping them to improve their mental health, personal skills and relationships with family
• Mayor visits Switchback in Tower Hamlets today to see first-hand how mentors he is funding are helping young men to rebuild their lives after prison

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced that his record £34m mentoring programme has expanded to reach more than 70,000 young Londoners and is on track to reach its 100,000 target before the end of 2024.

As part of the Mayor’s commitment to provide positive opportunities for young Londoners and to be tough on the causes of crime, City Hall and the Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit are funding 150 organisations to provide dedicated mentoring support to young Londoners most in need of support. This includes children and young people who are not in mainstream education, those who have been excluded from school or college, as well as young people impacted by exploitation, domestic violence, living in poverty, and those in the care system. It also involves working with young people who have gone through the criminal justice system and helping them to develop the personal skills and practical training they need to build a more positive future.

Overall, it is estimated that there are 100,000 young people in London who face these kinds of challenges. The Mayor’s mentoring scheme is working closely with schools, community groups and local authorities to reach those young people most in need of support to divert them away from harm and crime and to help them achieve their potential.

This is a £34m package of support – the biggest fund ever invested by any UK city in providing mentors – through the Mayor’s New Deal for Young People programme¹.The Mayor is determined to support young Londoners as the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact our city and ensure that those in greatest need receive the support they deserve.

Evidence² from grassroots community groups shows that the mentoring is working and helping thousands of young Londoners find paths to training, improving their mental health, personal skills, relationships with family and also diverting them away from harm and exploitation.

Mentors are recruited from a wide-range of backgrounds and Sadiq encourages those who are interested to apply to become a mentor³. They provide support and encouragement to children and young Londoners at a critical stage in their lives by acting as a role model, providing advice, listening to their concerns and taking an interest in and supporting their passions.

The importance of a trusted adult relationship in a young person’s life is crucial and that's why the Mayor is committed to providing access to a dedicated mentor to young Londoners who face the biggest challenges in London.

Today, the Mayor joined Lib Peck, the Director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, who is also co-chair of the New Deal for Young People, in a visit to Switchback in Tower Hamlets, which is offering one-to-one mentoring support for ex-offenders and those serving community orders.

It means that 752 young men from across the capital will now receive mentoring and dedicated support until the end of 2025 to prevent them from reoffending, help seek employment opportunities, and go on to live stable, rewarding lives.

Some of the Mayor’s investment is delivered through Propel – a ground-breaking collaboration including the Mayor, Bloomberg, City Bridge Foundation, The National Lottery Community Fund, Trust for London and London Legal Support Trust.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “As part of our efforts to tackle violent crime and to support young Londoners in need, I made a commitment to provide a mentor for an unprecedented 100,000 young people in our city. I’m proud that, working with others across the capital, we are well on track to deliver on that ambitious promise.

“Too many young people in London face barriers to achieving their potential and sometimes those barriers – like poverty, being exposed to domestic violence and exploitation – are out of their control and can set them on the wrong path. That’s why having one-to-one support is so important and can make all the difference between a vulnerable young Londoner being drawn into a criminal gang or turning their life around.

“I know first-hand the difference a trusted mentor can make and it’s great to see the difference our investment is making. It means that more young people and families across the capital can benefit from the life-changing impact of mentoring and coaching as we continue building a better, fairer and safer London for everyone.”

Lib Peck, Director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit and co-chair of the New Deal for Young People mission, said: “We're committed to investing in mentoring and in the 150 grassroots organisations delivering it across our city because of the impact we know it has on supporting young people away from exploitation and violence and towards education, training and employment.

“Mentoring comes in all shapes and sizes, and that's because each young person's needs is different. What we do know is mentoring and the impact of a trusted adult relationship at a key moment in a young person's life can be transformational.  

“That's why the Mayor's investment and commitment to mentoring is crucial and it's why we'll continue to support from the VRU in providing mentors in communities and in education because we believe violence is preventable, not inevitable.”

 Antonia May Cross, Head of Influencing at Switchback, said: “Switchback support young men in London to find a way out of the justice system to build stable rewarding lives they can be proud of. 91 per cent of Switchback Trainees do not reoffend on release from prison within a year of release, compared to around half of prison-leavers nationally. Our effective programme is centred around 1-2-1 relational mentoring. Through consistent, motivational relationships with a Switchback Mentor on both sides of the prison gate, we support young Londoners to change their relationship with society. So, we are grateful for forward-thinking grant funding through Propel, which is being delivered as part of the Mayor’s New Deal for Young People mission. It was great to welcome the Mayor today to see his commitment to mentoring in action and support for young men in London. As an organisation, we are proud to continually provide a human service that really works, and it is important that investment in these services is sustained.”

Adam Chaab, who has received mentoring support at Switchback, said: “Mentoring has unlocked my true potential which I knew was always there and it has given me excellent resources and skills which apply to all aspects of my life.

“My Switchback Mentor Abbie gave me the best advice to prepare for job interviews and this helped me to secure a role as a Talent Acquisition Apprentice in a global engineering consultancy company. I also received life-changing career guidance from my other Switchback Mentor, Celine, who shared wisdom and knowledge about the importance of taking my time to achieve my goals and ambitions.

“No matter what age you are or what background you come from, development through mentoring is long-lasting. It has helped me to find out new things about myself, explore new passions and become a better person. I’m now a mental health advocate and love giving back and helping others by sharing some of the lessons I have learnt over the course of my life so far.”

ENDS

[1] Projects funded most recently through A New Deal for Young People include:

• Resources for Autism who are delivering mentoring for 120 autistic young people aged 14-25 at key transition stages in their lives.
• Sister System who will deliver lived-experience peer mentoring for 96 girls who are in/affected by the care system across 4 North London boroughs.
• Barnet Carers Centre who will deliver their academic mentoring programme to 250 young carers.

Read more about A New Deal for Young People: https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-mayor-does/priorities-london/londons-recovery-coronavirus-crisis/london-partnership-board/recovery-context/new-deal-young-people.

[2] Outcomes of Mayor’s mentoring support

• The focus of the Mayor’s New Deal for Young People is on building trusted relationships, over time, with some of the most disadvantaged young Londoners aged 10-24. Young people engaged include those experiencing low income and poverty; those at risk of violence or exploitation; those with mental health concerns; those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND); those at risk of exclusion for school, and those known to social care.
• Some of these young people will not have had experience of trusted relationships in their lives and we know that building effective trusting relationships can take significant time and skill.
• So far, over 50,000 (53,468) young people have completed their mentoring through the Mayor’s investment and significant outcomes have been achieved with young people. Evidence includes improved mental health; improved relationships; improved socio-emotional skills; improved learning and work outcomes; reduced risk and harmful behaviours. These are all areas of significant positive progress and change in a young person’s life and are supported by many inspiring case studies shared directly from young people.
• Whilst some of the outcomes achieved do include accessing employment and training, given the age range of young people participating and the levels of need being addressed, they are not the aways the main measure of impact.
• Given the range of support needs faced by young people, mentoring organisations funding by the New Deal for Young People have each adopted an evidence-based approach, in line with the Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit’s outcomes framework, to report individual progress of a young person, through their mentoring relationship.

[3] Accessing Opportunities

• Anyone interested in becoming a mentor can search for opportunities through the link below: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/volunteering/search/.

Welcome to Team London volunteering | Team London

• Young People searching for mentors and activities for young people can search for opportunities through the Local Village Network: https://www.lvn.org.uk/signpost/.

Propel Collaboration

• Some of the Mayor’s investment is delivered through Propel. Propel is a ground-breaking collaboration powered by membership body London Funders and supported by funders including Bloomberg, City Bridge Foundation, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and The National Lottery Community Fund and main advice funders, such as Trust for London, co-ordinated by London Legal Support Trust.

  The collaboration supports organisations led by and for disadvantaged groups, including women and girls, LGBTQ+ communities, Deaf and Disabled people, and communities experiencing racial inequality.

  Read more about Propel here: www.londonpropel.org.uk.

The Mayor’s London’s Violence Reduction Unit

• The Mayor set-up his London Violence Reduction in 2019 – the first of its kind in England and Wales – as part of an approach to tackling violence which is rooted in prevention and early intervention.

  It brings together a team of specialists who, across London, work together to better understand why violence happens and take action to prevent it now, and in the long-term.

  The VRU’s approach is rooted in prevention and early intervention and it is a champion and a voice for young people and communities in the capital.

The VRU provides thousands of positive opportunities and programmes for young Londoners. Find out more here: https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/communities-and-social-justice/londons-violence-reduction-unit.

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