Volunteer mentoring
We recruit, train and support adult volunteers to mentor young people in need of early help, offering time and space to explore difficulties and follow their positive interests
Kitchen sink
How we help
Mentoring Plus supports young people in Bath & NE Somerset who are facing challenges. We help 5-25 year olds feel connected through award-winning mentoring schemes, youth clubs and inspiring activities programmes in our community.
Our impact
600
Hours of mentoring sessions
30
New mentors
220
Youth Club Hours at Riverside Youth Hub
We did it!
A big thank you to everybody who supported our Big Give Appeal - we reached our target and raised £20,000. We can't thank you enough for helping us raise this amount to support our primary mentoring programmes.
Select us as your cause
We have been selected as one of the Co-ops recipients of it's local community fund. Donations raised will help us keep providing food at our youth clubs and activitiy sessions.
Select us as your chosen cause here https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/69526 and for every £1 you spend 1p will be donated to us.
Charity places availiable for the Bath Half 2023
Join team Mentoring Plus and run the Bath Half 2023 to raise vital funds for us which will help us to keep on providing our services for children and young people in Bath. Send us a message to register your place.
Become a mentor
Our volunteer mentors come from all walks of life, all age groups (over 21) and all life experiences. They are all kind, reliable, committed to a year-long mentoring relationship, and enjoy getting out and about with their mentee, following the young person’s interests and trying new things around our county. We always need our next cohort of mentors and provide full training at intervals throughout the year.
Learn new skills
As well as the rewards of making a difference to a young person needing support, volunteer mentors tell us they have learned confidence, listening and communications skills, self-knowledge and lots about what’s going on in our community. Lots return to mentor again, and some make a career change as a result.
What is mentoring?
Mentoring is spending time one to one regularly with a trusted adult. For children and young people referred to us, a mentor can offer the chance to talk, explore issues and come up with their own ways to cope. But mentoring is also about positive activities following the young person’s interests and goals. It’s about getting out and about, trying new things and connecting with our community.
Who needs mentoring?
The real answer is: everyone! We all need a friendly ear to listen and not judge. But for young people finding school, college or employment a struggle, or those affected by poor mental wellbeing or difficulties at home, a mentor can make all the difference. Mentors can help young people build confidence, self-esteem, skills and aspirations, improve relationships and plan pathways forward.
Can anyone access mentoring?
Most of our support is offered to young people in Bath & NE Somerset (though our professional mentoring service can be available beyond). There are referral criteria for each service. Mentoring is funded by local authority commissions and charitable donations, so our capacity is limited. There’s lots more information available on this site.
What mentoring can bring to you
The values we work to are
Work generously, collaboratively and creatively
Advocate for young people’s voices to be heard
Communicate with honesty and clarity
Approach challenges with kindness, compassion and rigour
The costs of delivering our services are shooting up, and demand for mentoring is at an all-time high. Meanwhile our charitable income has been hit hard by covid restrictions and the rising cost of living.
Please, help us build for the next 25 years by making a donation to support young people in our community. One off or regular, large or small, whatever you can afford – you’ll be making a massive difference.
Support us today
Please, support the work of Mentoring Plus with vulnerable children and young people. Any regular amount you are able to give is hugely valuable to us.
What does your donation buy?
It buys time. Time for a young person to spend with a positive, inspiring mentor. That mentor has been recruited, screened, trained, supported and managed by our professional practitioners – but the benefit is their time. Time with mentors makes young people feel valued, confident and aspirational.
£10 Time to talk
Just £10 could provide precious time and space to chat - perhaps for a hot chocolate in a café or a board game
£50 Time to inspire
Your £50 could provide the chance to try something new - perhaps a day trip, a new activity, a play, an exhibition or a sporting event
£100 Time to connect
Your £100 could pay for a young person to make friends by joining an open youth night or group activity
£250 Time to change
Your £250 could help a young person to grow in confidence, to explore a range of opportunities, and find a new path forward