Mentoring can provide young people with a source of support when they need it most – whether it is sharing their ambitions, working through challenges or seeing things from a different perspective.
That is something 19-year-old care leaver Nas has discovered since being matched with mentor Ana through Ealing Council’s partnership with mentoring charity MCR Pathways and the council’s care leavers team.
The pair have been meeting for around an hour every week since last summer, sometimes at the council’s Horizons Centre, which supports young people in care and those who have recently left care.
‘Quite scary…but worth it’
Nas said: “It’s good to have a mentor and someone else’s perspective on what’s happening in your life and Ana has been a good match for me. It is quite scary putting your trust into someone, but it’s been worth it.
“Ana’s very friendly, understanding and supportive. She’s fantastic.”
‘Not a teacher or social worker’
Ana, who works in fashion and enjoys art and ballroom dancing in her spare time, signed up to become a mentor because she wanted to support young people alongside her full-time job.
She said: “When I met Nas, I found him very articulate and funny, and someone who had lots of interests,” she said.
“A mentor is not a teacher or social worker. It’s an opportunity to offer guidance to a young person, help them with things they might like to achieve, and sometimes it’s just about being someone that they can share things with.
“I want to feel useful to Nas. These young people have their whole life ahead of them, and I can be a small part of that.”
Keeping students at school
Their story reflects the wider impact of volunteer mentors in the borough, who spend just 1 hour a week building relationships with young people.
As well as working with the care leavers through the Horizon Centre, MCR Pathways also runs similar schemes in 2 of the borough’s high schools and is looking to offer it to more.
Recent results have highlighted that young people who were regularly missing school when they joined the programme are attending more often, staying engaged in education, and avoiding suspension.
The programme is also benefiting those who volunteer. They say that it gives them a sense of fulfilment, helps develop their active listening skills, and makes them feel more connected to their local community.
Become a mentor
MCR Pathways is looking for more volunteer mentors across the borough. Anyone aged 21 or over can apply and no previous mentoring experience is needed. Volunteers receive training, safeguarding guidance and ongoing support. To find out more, go to the MCR Pathways website.
