VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY MENTOR (SOUTH GLOS)

Become a Community Mentor and help young people to grow

1625 Independent People is looking for individuals interested in volunteering as Community Mentors in South Gloucestershire. You will receive training and ongoing support to mentor a young person aged 16 to 24 to develop confidence and self-esteem and improve their interpersonal skills and wellbeing. 

You’ll do this by being a consistent, positive and motivating adult in their life. Mentoring offers young people the chance to be inspired, supported and encouraged. 

1625 Independent People in South Gloucestershire support around 110 young people. Our mentoring service also gets referrals for care experienced young people from social services. It is important to note that a dedicated 1625 mentor coordinator supports mentors. In most cases, 1625 and/or partner agencies also have a separate support worker for the young person you will be mentoring. Mentoring is an additional offer to some young people. We are not expecting volunteers to be an expert in a young person’s needs, and we provide a comprehensive induction, initial and ongoing training and support.

We will discuss with you and assess your preparedness to work with a mentee throughout the application, interview, training and matching process.

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, or been the victim of a crime or exploitation. They may be an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child. They may be a young parent. 

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 supervision and reflective practice sessions. There will also be some ‘admin time’ required. 

About You

You don’t need mentoring experience to be considered for this role, as full training is provided. We ask that you have regular time to give and can commit to this role. 

You’ll need the ability to listen and have patience and enthusiasm. You’ll have empathy and an 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.

It can be helpful for mentors to have some lived experience that relates to a mentee’s experiences, but this is not essential for a successful match.

We want to hear from everyone who can mentor a young person in the South Glos area, but due to the backgrounds and interests of our young people, we welcome interest and applications from people who:

• Have 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 with offenders / those at risk of offending 
• Appointment is subject to an enhanced DBS check. Any offending history will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

This opportunity is ideal for someone who wants to make a positive difference to a young person and is considering gaining experience to work in this sector. 

What we offer

• Full induction, initial training programme and ongoing training opportunities
• Regular support, supervision and reflective practice sessions
• Payment in advance or reimbursement of expenses such as travel and costs associated with mentoring (e.g. funds for shared activities) 
• References are available upon request after six months of volunteering

For more information on this role or to request a paper copy of the application form, contact Max Harris at 0117 969 5763 or max.harris@1625ip.co.uk