Volunteering Matters and Ipswich Borough Council are working in partnership to help young people aged between 16 and 24, who are NEET (not in employment, education or training) through EQUIP Mentoring Ipswich.
The project recruits volunteer mentors who have valuable lifetime skills and experiences to share. This enables them to empower young people to unlock their strengths and reach their full potential.
This is a free service delivered by Volunteering Matters and funded by Ipswich Borough Council.
A mentor can support a young person in a number of ways:
- Help them set and achieve goals related to education, employment, training, and overall wellbeing
- Provide emotional support by listening and offering advice when needed
- Improve life skills such as DIY, cooking, budgeting, and managing a household
- Help to find social groups which can help with health and wellbeing
- Signpost them to public services for housing, legal, and financial assistance
- Offer guidance on building positive relationships with those around them
Make a referral
Are you, or do you know, a young person who could benefit from a mentor? The young person must not currently be in employment, education, or training, live in Ipswich borough and be aged 16-24.
Complete this short form
Becoming a mentor
Our mentors complement the work schools and youth services do to support young people in the Borough. Mentors work with the young people in specific areas where they might need some help or guidance. This could be one or more of the following duties at any given time.
- Help your mentee set goals concerning education, employment or training
- Improve life skills, self-esteem and confidence
- Provide advice on managing emotional/physical wellbeing
- Signpost to public services that offer support
- Offer guidance on building positive relationships and avoiding negative influences
- Basic IT and communication skills
- Can be any age over 18
- Be open-minded, empathetic, patient and helpful
- Committed to meeting a mentee weekly for a minimum of 6 months
- Networking and building relationships with other mentors
- Obtaining an insight into the challenges faced by young people
- Ability to claim expenses incurred during active mentoring sessions
- Great sense of satisfaction from making a difference in a young persons life
- Learning new perspectives and approaches in dealing with challenging situations
- Becoming competent in engaging and communicating with young people in general
- Getting involved in purposeful and interesting activities with mentees and mentors
If you would like to apply to become a Volunteer Mentor, please follow this link – Volunteer Mentor Application Form
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