Volunteer Mentoring - what's involved
Through our Volunteer Mentoring Programme, we recruit, train and support adults to volunteer as mentors for young people in Bath & North East Somerset aged 7-25 years.
Our Volunteer Mentors are positive role models, who listen, chat, and encourage their mentee to explore their interests. Mentoring sessions are positive, playful and create the space needed for change.
Meeting weekly for 1-2 hours with a Volunteer Mentor can be life changing for a young person struggling at home, school or in their community.
To find out more about our referral process please read on or click below to become a Volunteer Mentor.
Why does Volunteer Mentoring make such a difference?
Young people are quick to see the difference between a volunteer and a professional care worker. They understand that a kind and empathetic adult has made the choice to spend time with them, to focus on their interests and be ready to listen and not judge.
Volunteer mentors are well trained and supported by us, but they can only safely support young people up to a certain level of need or complexity of circumstances. Our volunteer mentoring projects are early help services, and we may have to decline an application to refer if needs are too high – in which case our Professional Mentoring service can be more appropriate.
Read on to find out more about our referral process
7-11 year olds referrals
For children aged 7-11, we offer mentoring across Bath and North East Somerset. Local schools refer students directly to us or through Primary Inclusion Panels. Individual schools support mentoring by offering time within the school day and places to meet.
If you are a professional or family member seeking mentoring for a 7-11 year old in those areas, please speak directly to the relevant primary school.
11-21 year olds referrals
For young people aged 11-21 (plus 21-25 for young adults with a SEN diagnosis and in need of early help), we open to applications to refer direct 3-4 times per year. Applications to refer can be made by schools, professionals or families, or on request we can support young people to refer themselves. Demand far outstrips capacity so we operate a blind ballot system to select applications.
Our referral criteria checklist is a useful starting point to see if volunteer mentoring is right for the young person needing support. You can also read our service overview.
We have some useful Frequently Asked Questions about referring and encourage you to take a look.
