London
Mentoring and befriending in your region
Mentoring and befriending activity in London is increasingly vibrant and the sector continues to grow fast. Nowhere else in England is unparalleled wealth and history contrasted more starkly with socially excluded communities. It is these communities in particular that MBF aims to reach through our work within all sectors on behalf of a multitude of client groups.
At present we work with 1674 mentoring and befriending projects and organisations in the region. At the end of April 2009, 322 of these had taken part in our registration process. 28% of the projects consulted with were befriending, 54% mentoring and 18% peer mentoring (both pre and post 16). Most of these projects were in the non profit sector with the majority being run by voluntary organisations and charities. The most popular client group that these projects work with are older people who are lonely / isolated and people with either physical or learning disabilities.
London has many examples of good practice in Mentoring and Befriending, including:
Street League use the power of sport to transform the lives of disadvantaged young people and adults. As part of their structured football and education programme, Street League now run a one-to-one mentoring scheme (newly accredited with APS) from their base in Stratford, a stone's throw away from the 2012 Olympics Stadium site. Mentees include people affected by homelessness, drug / alcohol abuse, unemployment and mental health issues. Street League were recently featured on BBC News.
City and Hackney Mind promote positive mental health through the delivery of a multitude of services including counselling, supported housing, educational training and advocacy. Their newly APS accredited befriending project was one of the select few to represent London at an evening reception at No 10 Downing Street hosted by Sarah Brown. The befriending service supports isolated individuals aged 18-65 who lack the ability to engage fully in their communities due to mental health problems.
At present we work with 1674 mentoring and befriending projects and organisations in the region. At the end of April 2009, 322 of these had taken part in our registration process. 28% of the projects consulted with were befriending, 54% mentoring and 18% peer mentoring (both pre and post 16). Most of these projects were in the non profit sector with the majority being run by voluntary organisations and charities. The most popular client group that these projects work with are older people who are lonely / isolated and people with either physical or learning disabilities.
London has many examples of good practice in Mentoring and Befriending, including:
Street League use the power of sport to transform the lives of disadvantaged young people and adults. As part of their structured football and education programme, Street League now run a one-to-one mentoring scheme (newly accredited with APS) from their base in Stratford, a stone's throw away from the 2012 Olympics Stadium site. Mentees include people affected by homelessness, drug / alcohol abuse, unemployment and mental health issues. Street League were recently featured on BBC News.
City and Hackney Mind promote positive mental health through the delivery of a multitude of services including counselling, supported housing, educational training and advocacy. Their newly APS accredited befriending project was one of the select few to represent London at an evening reception at No 10 Downing Street hosted by Sarah Brown. The befriending service supports isolated individuals aged 18-65 who lack the ability to engage fully in their communities due to mental health problems.
We have representatives in all of the nine government regions throughout England, making a direct impact upon the communities that you live in. They can help you with a number of things; either setting up a project, developing an existing programme or achieving Approved Provider Standard (APS) status.
Contact your Regional Co-ordinator(s)
