Community Mentor (South Glos)

Become a Community Mentor and help young people to grow

About The Role

When done right mentoring can transform lives, both for the Mentor and the Mentee.

We are currently looking for individuals interested in volunteering as a Community Mentor in South Gloucestershire. You will receive training to enable you to mentor a young person aged 16 to 24 develop confidence, self-esteem and improved interpersonal skills and wellbeing.

You’ll do this by bringing a positive attitude, a fresh perspective and your own personal experiences. Sharing your knowledge, hobbies and interests you’ll support a young person to develop their own. You will also act as a positive, reliable role model and responsible adult in their life.

Mentors are a reliable and motivating figure in a young person's life. Mentoring offers young people the chance to be inspired, supported and encouraged to seek out opportunities that they might not have previously considered.

The young people we work with have all either been at risk of homelessness or have been homeless. They may be care leavers, have spent time in custody or be deemed at risk of custody. They may have experienced poor mental and/or physical health, addiction, been the victim of a crime or exploitation. They may be a young parent. They may be an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child. This may be the first time they’ve lived in South Gloucestershire or they may have grown up and have family here.

The length of the mentoring relationship will vary from individual to individual. We ask Community Mentors to commit to at least 2 hours a fortnight for at least 12 months alongside semi-regular supervisions and reflective practice sessions. There will also be some ‘admin time’ required.

About You

You don’t need to have had any formal experience of mentoring to be considered for this role as full training is provided. As well as regular time to give and an ability to commit fully to this role, you will need an ability to listen and have patience and enthusiasm.

You’ll have empathy and understanding of the needs of young people who have experienced a disrupted education, insecure housing and other forms of social exclusion.

You’ll be flexible, assertive and resilient and able to develop positive mentoring relationships with young people.

We welcome applications from everyone, but due to the backgrounds and interests of our young people we are particularly interested in hearing from people who:

• Live in South Gloucestershire and engage with the local community here
• Spent time in care
• Describe their ethnicity as Black, Asian and/or consider themselves as part of a minority ethnic group.
• Have lived experience of homelessness, and/or unstable accommodation including sofa surfing
• Have previously been an offender or were at risk of offending in their youth. Have professional experience of offenders / those at risk of offending.
• Please note: despite us feeling it is often helpful for mentors to have lived experience that relates to mentee’s experiences, this is not essential for a successful match.

Appointment is subject to an enhanced DBS check and any offending history will be considered on a case by case basis.

We are not expecting any volunteer to be an expert in a young person’s unique needs and 1625 and other agencies provide dedicated professional support – with mentoring an additional offer to some young people. We will discuss with you and assess your preparedness to work with a mentee throughout the application, interview, training and matching process.

What we offer

• Full induction, initial training programme and ongoing training opportunities
• Regular support, supervision and reflective practice sessions
• Reimbursement of out of pocket expenses such as travel and costs associated with mentoring,
• References available upon request after 6 months of volunteering

For more information on this role contact Max Harris on 0117 969 5763 or max.harris@1625ip.co.uk

To apply for this role please go to https://www.1625ip.co.uk/volunteer/community-mentor-south-glos/         

Closing date - Rolling

Interviews and Training

Informal interviews will be conducted as suitable applications are received. Interviews will take place face to face or via Zoom as agreed with the interviewee. 

Comprehensive training will be delivered in person / via zoom as agreed with successful applicants.