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1:1 mentoring for young people

Each year, our inclusive, child-led mentoring programmes support over 200 young people aged 5–25 across Bath & North East Somerset who are facing tough challenges.

Our mentoring offers a gentler alternative to formal interventions like therapy or counselling. By creating a safe, relaxed space, young people can build trust, open up more easily, improve their wellbeing, and develop valuable life skills - all while being themselves.

If you know a young person struggling with school, family, or their mental health, mentoring could help.

We offer a range of services tailored by age and level of need, with different referral routes for each.

To find out how we can support your young person, contact our mentoring team:

📞 01225 429 694 (Mon–Fri, 9:30am–5pm)
📧 inspire@mentoringplus.net

Discover how mentoring changed young people's lives

To understand how mentoring could help your young person feel happier, more confident and hopeful for their future, read some of our mentees' stories. 

All our mentoring support works best when:

Young people agree to be mentored

There’s not much downside, but mentoring is not for everyone. Or there may be too many other things going on, or it’s not the right time. We check carefully that every young person fully understands what’s involved and actively wants to give it a go. Mentoring is never a requirement or a punishment.

Families support the young person to be mentored

Most do, and many refer their son or daughter themselves. But we always check families understand what mentoring is, how we focus on the mentee first and foremost, and how we work with any other organisations supporting the family. If families don’t consent (for under 18s) we don’t mentor.

Professionals work together

If school, care agencies or other charities are supporting the child and family, we always seek to work effectively with them and be joined-up. Often this means supporting the young person to be heard in these processes, or we can improve other relationships for the family which have come under strain.

Mentors can focus 1-1 on their mentee

Our professionals make sure the mentor, whether volunteer or staff, can focus just on their positive time with the mentee. Anything else which needs sorting out or communicating is the job of our skilled practitioners. Mentors don’t get involved in professional meetings or family dynamics.

Young people can choose what they do

Every young person gets their voice heard, about what’s affecting them, what they want, what they enjoy, and their best hopes for mentoring. And every mentoring session they help choose what they’ll do (within the constraints of time and budget!)

The mentor chooses to be there too

All our volunteers have actively chosen to be trained and supported as a mentor, including agreeing to thorough background checks. Our professionals like mentoring so much they do it as a day job. There isn’t a script or a tick list of things to achieve, just conversations flowing over fun activities.