Volunteer Mentors

Some young people are from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and are in need of extra support and guidance from a positive and trustworthy adult role model; our mentors provide help and support to these young people.

The one thing that all the young people we work with have in common is low self esteem; by helping young people to discover activities and new skills, we can really help them to become resilient,  and improve and achieve in many areas of their lives.

Each mentor is matched with a young person or care leaver that they have something in common with, perhaps a shared hobby. The first couple of weeks of the arrangement are about developing a trusting relationship; this gives the mentor an opportunity to find out more about the young person or care leaver and the type of goals that they might like to achieve over the six month mentoring period.

Each young person has individual needs so the support you will offer may vary. For young people receiving mentoring through our HeadStart programme, this could include encouraging them to attend school on a full time basis, join a club, supporting them with reading skills. For care leavers it may be to understand how to live independently, such as cooking healthy meals, budgeting, finding a job or reducing isolation and loneliness.

The young people and care leavers we help are from socially disadvantaged backgrounds or vulnerable; this may mean they struggle at school, are at risk of offending or they are neither in education or employment.

Young people under HeadStart are all aged between 8 and 17 years of age and live across Kent, the care leavers we mentor are within the Medway area. They are referred to us by HeadStart Kent, or by their Personal Advisor. They have all volunteered to be mentored and our aim is to give them every opportunity to reach their full potential.

The minimum requirement for HeadStart mentors is a weekly meeting of 2 to 3 hours over a period of 4 to 6 months. Also, telephone calls, letters and emails are all contact methods that can be used to supplement the weekly meetings. You may be needed to meet during the day or evening but always at a convenient time for yourself and the young person.

As care leavers need different levels of support, you may be asked if you are able to visit a care leaver anywhere between once a week or once a month, with phone calls in between. We ask volunteers if they can initially commit to once a week, as they would need to build a trusting relationship and to help build the care leaver’s independent living skills. The aim is to give them the knowledge and skills to live independently, and reduce the frequency of visits slowly, with more phone support in-between visits. The meetings can be weekdays, evenings or weekends, dependent on what the visit is about. But meetings and phone contact is always at a convenient time for yourself and the care leaver.

We ask for a minimum of a 6-month commitment, however some arrangements may finish earlier or go on longer.

Nothing other than your time. All authorised expenses are reimbursed, including travel.

The matching process is taken very seriously by your Coordinator and you will be carefully matched with a young person with whom you will have at least one shared common interest.

We discuss with all volunteers during their accreditation interview any preferences they may have taking into consideration your hobbies, interests, geography, skills, and your personal wishes and feelings as well.

Don’t worry, full training is provided, totaling 10 to 12 hours. There is a short monthly diary form and expenses claim to fill in, with regular meetings to review progress.

A mentoring handbook is also provided that covers the role of a mentor, policies and procedures, safeguarding, as well as useful information about how to carry out your role well.

A mentoring handbook includes all you should need to know about mentoring. Back-up telephone support from your Coordinator is provided, and a handy emergency contact card. All volunteers receive supervision and if you require more support a one-to-one meeting in person can be arranged as well as support via phone and email as regularly as required.

In addition, there will be a number of informal social gatherings where mentors can meet and share their experiences. There is also a private YLF Facebook group that you are invited to join where we share stories, tips and useful information.

Don’t worry, this rarely happens. You will be carefully matched with the young person you are mentoring. However, if it really doesn’t work out on either side we would support the closure of the arrangement and organise a new pairing.

If either the mentor or young person moves away from the area, the formal mentoring arrangement would end. However if you were still within reasonable travelling distance, we would explore how the arrangement might continue.

Yes. All volunteers are required to complete an enhanced DBS form; we also seek
a reference from your current employer and two others (whom you have known for over 5 years).

You would need to complete and return an application, safeguarding and data protection form (there is also an optional equal opportunities form).

You can apply directly online here, or download these forms from our Resources page and send them by:

Email | volunteering@ylf.org.uk

Post | YLF Volunteering, 71 College Road, Maidstone, Kent ME15 6SX

If you require hard copies, they are available upon request.