Mentor a child in Southwark! Be the person you needed growing up.

What will I be doing?

• The Kids Network is looking for committed, fun and passionate volunteers who live or work near the London Borough of Southwark, to make a difference to the children of London! Our structured mentoring programme supports 8 -11 year old's, based in Southwark, to support with their social and emotional development before they transition into secondary school.
• As a mentor, you will hold weekly one on one sessions of 1 -3 hours. You will help to build confidence, resilience and help your mentee to manage feelings through a series of fun and positive experiences and activities.
• We particularly encourage men and people of the global majority to apply.
• The weekly sessions can be flexible between weekdays and weekends.
• You will get to meet fellow mentors through our peer network and are supported by an experience Programme Manager throughout!.

What impact will this have?

• Help build resilience and confidence in children as they transition from primary to secondary school.
• See London through the eyes of a child as you explore new and familiar places in this wonderful city we live in!.
• Learn from fellow mentors with our amazing peer network.

Commitment

• This is a year long mentoring programme. We ask that you are ideally able to volunteer once a week for 1-3 hours.
• There is flexibility between weekend and weekday mentoring sessions.

What else do I need to know?

• *Covid-19 Safety Volunteering Precautions*. Weekly mentoring sessions will be in line with the government guidelines. This means sessions could be over the phone in an interim period if necessary. For many children the mentoring will be an imperative time for them to have connection and support.
• All volunteers will go through virtual training which will include safety inductions for volunteers including clear social distancing guidelines. We will be adhering to government guidelines throughout these processes.

Expenses

• Volunteers have a budget of £30 per month. We are also able to cover travel expenses.

Background checks

• A DBS check is required

Training

• All volunteers will go through one in person training and one virtual training.
• The training includes safety inductions, understanding what mentoring is and skills to bring to the role.
• We also have monthly mentor meet ups which provide continual support for the mentors.
• Mentors will have a direct contact at the organisation, their Volunteer Coordinator (VC). VC's provide support, encouragement and advice throughout the whole year of your mentoring.
• They will also be provided with a Volunteer handbook and a Google drive full of resources and activity ideas.