Volunteer Mentors needed to support vulnerable young people in Swindon & Wiltshire
Local youth development charity, the Youth Adventure Trust, is looking for committed and enthusiastic volunteers who can mentor a vulnerable young person for approximately two hours every fortnight for up to one year from September. Mentors will be matched with a young person based in Swindon or Wiltshire and provide one to one, personalised support to help them achieve their full potential.
The Youth Adventure Trust’s bespoke mentoring scheme focuses on young people who have completed the three year programme designed to build resilience, develop confidence and teach essential life skills that will help the participants face the challenges in their daily lives. The scheme provides additional support for a select number of young people who would benefit from further individualised support. After a comprehensive training programme and with ongoing support from the charity’s Mentoring Manager, Mentors will be required to give support, guidance, empathy and encouragement to their mentee.
Shaun, current mentor for the Youth Adventure Trust says “When I joined the mentoring scheme I was hopeful I might be able to help someone else. I just never imagined how positive and rewarding the journey would be for me too.”
By becoming a mentor, you will be making a very real difference to the lives of vulnerable young people: “It’s helped me with my confidence most definitely and with my trust – definitely helped me with my trust. I just want to say a big thank you because without everything that the YAT has done, I would be so different and it’s like you guys have changed me and for the better.”
As role models to the young people, volunteer mentors must be enthusiastic, reliable, responsible, good at communicating and have a desire to help young people. To find out more about the role please visit www.youthadventuretrust.org.uk/mentoror contact Becky Brown, Mentoring Manager 07592 644679 or becky@youthadventuretrust.org.uk
- The Youth Adventure Trust has been using outdoor adventure to inspire young lives for 27 years.
- Since we began, we have helped around 3,900 vulnerable young people aged 11 – 16
- Our specially designed Youth Adventure Programme runs over 3 school years and includes 3 residential camps and 8 different one-day activities. The young people are supported throughout their Youth Adventure journey by their dedicated Programme Manager.
- We also offer a mentoring scheme for selected young people who have completed the main programme, but are identified as in need of further, more individualised support.
- The challenges our young people face are wide ranging. They include: bullying; struggling with the transition from primary to secondary school; low self-esteem; lacking friendships and suffering from social isolation; chaotic or unstable home lives; a lack of positive role models; low aspirations and low expectations of what they can achieve; behaviour issues; living in poverty, care or rural isolation; or caring for a family member.
- Our young peoples’ circumstances can lead to them making poor choices that will affect the rest of their lives. On our programme they learn to make positive decisions, believe in themselves, exceed their expectations and achieve their full potential.