West Midlands
Mentoring and befriending in your region
Mentoring and Befriending activity in the West Midlands is vibrant and the sector is growing fast. More than half of the region’s population live in large conurbation areas, while over 2 million reside in the region’s rural counties, which cover three-quarters of the region’s area. The Foundation aims to reach both urban and rural communities through its work with charities & voluntary sector bodies.
At present we are working with over a 1000 mentoring and befriending projects across the West Midlands. At the end of February 2008, 152 of those projects had taken part in our registration and consultation process. The registration and consultation process is ongoing, and you can either use the above link, or contact your Regional Co-ordinators.
Twenty two percent of the projects consulted with were befriending, 53% mentoring and 24% 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 these projects work with are People with Low Confidence/Self Esteem and Black/Minority and Ethnic Groups.
The West Midlands has many examples of good practice in Mentoring and Befriending, including;
At present we are working with over a 1000 mentoring and befriending projects across the West Midlands. At the end of February 2008, 152 of those projects had taken part in our registration and consultation process. The registration and consultation process is ongoing, and you can either use the above link, or contact your Regional Co-ordinators.
Twenty two percent of the projects consulted with were befriending, 53% mentoring and 24% 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 these projects work with are People with Low Confidence/Self Esteem and Black/Minority and Ethnic Groups.
The West Midlands has many examples of good practice in Mentoring and Befriending, including;
Congratulations on achieving the Approved Provider Standard! Pete English was presented with his Certificate at our APS event in Birmingham on 26 November. Pete shared his experience of Working Towards APS, with managers and co-ordinators of Mentoring or Befriending projects, who are interested to find out more about the APS Award.
The aim of ‘This Way Up’ is to enable young people affected by significant life changing events, such as bereavement and family breakdown, to identify their feelings and develop strategies to cope. The project has a Christian ethos and is accessible to all, regardless of faith or background.
“92% of young people in the UK report having experienced a bereavement before the age of 16 with regard to what they consider to be a ‘close’ or ‘significant’ relationship.” (Harrison & Harrington 2001) “A quarter of all children in the UK are living in one-parent families. Far more than any other EU country.” (Social Trends 2001)
The client group of ‘This Way Up’ is young people aged 11-18 in secondary school education and the project currently work mostly in the Solihull Borough. Referrals are via the Pastoral Department within schools and the project work with young people in small groups as well as one-to-one.
The project has five volunteers from a variety of backgrounds. In the academic year to July 2007 they delivered 150 hours of one-to-one mentoring and met with 75 students in small groups. ‘This Way Up’ also delivered a lesson on grief and its impact, to 305 students at three schools.
Comments from students include:
“I have been happy that I can share my feelings and that it will not get out.” (With regard to confidentiality)
“I’ve learnt not to blame myself.”
Contact details for ‘This Way Up'; info@twup.org.uk 0121 689 2912
- Pathfinders Community Mentoring provides an independent Mentoring service to any young person between the ages of 14 – 25 who lives, works or studies in the Dudley Metropolitan Borough. In particular they aim to work with young people who are at risk from the negative effects of social exclusion. Pathfinders recruit and train adult volunteers who are carefully selected and undergo CRB checks at enhanced levels, and are expected to complete a 30 hour training course. The service is completely free to young people, and Mentoring relationships can last up to 12 months.
More examples of the real impact of Mentoring and Befriending within local communities can be found at our case studies or regional news pages.
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; setting up a project, developing an existing programme or achieving Approved Provider Standard (APS) status.
Contact your Regional Co-ordinators
