Mentoring for Young Londoners

Description

In the summer of 2024, the City Corporation conducted a gap analysis of the current service provision of mentoring across London. The research identified a number of communities underserved by the current mentoring provision. The City Corporation is seeking to close these gaps, creating opportunities for care-experienced youth, as well as for service users with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND herein) . This targeted intervention will address the specific needs of the target groups, supporting service users to build positive, transformative relationships that promote their personal and professional development. There are several key aims to the mentoring project, including: I. Targeted interventions- Deliver a targeted mentoring service that reaches service users who are care-experienced and/or with SEND needs across London boroughs, ensuring that service delivery is tailored to their specific needs. II. Building Long-Term Mentoring Relationships- The Corporation is seeking to support a programme that develops long-term mentor/mentee relationships to maximise positive impact. This will provide service users with sufficient time to develop trust, set achievable goals, build positive relationships and work towards positive outcomes. Therefore, this programme will build mentor relationships lasting at least one year with the option to extend. III. Supporting professional and personal development - The programme will support service users in building engagement with employment in the Square Mile, cementing it as a destination where participants feel supported and empowered to work and spend time. As well as supporting service users to develop their career networks, enhance their employability skills and raise their professional aspirations, the service will be needs-centred, and could also support mentees to develop in their personal life, in areas such as building resilience, key independent living skills, and well-being. IV. Engaging Professional