One Million Mentors

[🌟 Meet-Many-Mentors: Regional Showcases!] 1MM's Opportunities Pack with a Twist This month as we gear up for National Mentoring Day, we've added a community touch to the pack by showcasing one amazing mentor per region. Read about what they've done, why they do it, and how the experience has impacted them too. 🎙 Vaihari Balendran: "It has given me a lot of confidence seeing the value that we can bring to the table from our own experiences…" 🎙 William Guest: "Mentoring has provided me with a fresh perspective and the opportunity to strengthen my ability to listen, empathise, and understand the challenges faced by young individuals… 🎙 Nicola Millard: "It gives a personal sense of achievement when you hear of your mentees successes or outcomes that you may have played a small part in…" 🎙 Joanna Zielinska "It’s been a hugely rewarding experience, as I can see the mentees open up and flourish over a period of time..." Importantly there are programmes starting in weeks that still need you, and you would be the difference between a young person missing out, or getting in. So if you're a professional who is passionate about giving back and inspiring the next generation, be proud and comment, share this post, and sign up! Together, we can brighten the future of more young lives. We have many mentoring opportunities available across #London, #CardiffCapitalRegion, #GreaterManchester, #WestMidlands, supporting diverse young people 14-25yr olds, via online and in-person meetings. Find the programmes in this pack which suit you best with a schedule you can commit to, and let us know your preferences via the regional form conveniently linked on each page (the latest version can always be found here - https://lnkd.in/eYRERVnp). Whether you're a first-time mentor, experienced, coming in as an individual or interested in joining other corporates as an #employer sponsor, we're here to help every step of the way. Just 1hr a month and you can change a life. 👉🏽 Sign up today at 1mm.org.uk 👉🏽 Share with your networks #Mentorship #Community #Volunteer #YoungPeople

"I have loved working with my mentee, we have a really strong relationship and I think we have both learnt a lot from each other. We have agreed to continue working together on an ad hoc basis which I'm looking forward to." - Louise, 1MM Mentor. Mentoring isn't a one-way street - it's a shared journey of growth and learning. Strong connections lead to ongoing collaboration, and the impact goes both ways. Ready to form a relationship that can inspire and uplift? Become a mentor and start your journey today. 1mm.org.uk #MentoringMondays

Mentoring... "it's how we progress" To celebrate National Mentoring Day 2024, we are proud to be able to share our film from multi award-winning actor, Brian Cox, on our website 👉 https://lnkd.in/er2KEiR Brian talks about how mentorship is at the heart of progress in any field and reflects on how essential it is to seek knowledge and wisdom from trusted figures in our lives - our mentors. Reflecting on his early years, he talks about the teachers who guided him toward the world of theatre, mentors who helped shaped his career. His story is a powerful reminder that the right mentors can influence our lives in profound ways, helping us grow both personally and professionally. Mentors help us discover the path forward, giving us the confidence to grow and succeed. Mentors are the people who shape who we are. The right mentor has the ability to form who we become, giving us the tools to grow into our full potential. #NationalMentoringDay is about more than just offering experience and helping develop skills, it's about shaping futures. #BrianCoxMentoring #MentoringConfidence #MentoringImpact #MentoringMatters #NationalMentoringDay

Ahead of #NationalMentoringDay tomorrow, 1MM is proud to be able to share our latest Impact Report, again demonstrating the difference that mentoring makes - to individuals and to society. You can read more about the people behind the impact - the stories of mentees, mentors and partners across the whole #1MM Community - in the report on our website 👉 1mm.org.uk Across this week, we've shared here the inspiring stories of two mentees - Layth and Lucas. Today we want to share the perspectives of two of our longest serving mentors - Claudia Coory and Richard Dando - who tell us why they keep mentoring! Claudia first... "I particularly benefit from the contact I get from spending time with a young person and discovering the challenges they face, how they view the world and just hearing about their experiences." "I am hugely impressed by the thought my mentees bring to their lives. They explore the options, are eager for suggestions of other possibilities, they are dynamic!" "My two long-term mentees have both been from immigrant families. It has been a journey of discovery for me to learn about the responsibilities these young women have, both within and outside their families - taking care of medical visits and conditions for a parent, helping families with school applications, going to the school to get additional support for a younger sibling and so on." "I enjoy the energy that comes from the conversations, and the feeling of making some small difference to them while learning heaps myself." "Additionally, I'm able to correct the opinion of some older middle-class people when they say young people today are 'mollycoddled' or spoilt or feckless or lazy! It simply isn't borne out from my interactions with my 1MM mentees or other young people I talk to!" And now Richard - who mentors at the same school where Layth and Lucas were students. "This week I’ve started my 5th year of mentoring for 1MM at Willows High at Cardiff which seems like a good time to reflect on why I keep coming back!" "The simple answer is that through 1MM I get the chance to give back in a small way, once a month to support a young person navigate through the challenges of school, college applications or whatever they feel they need support or guidance with. Mentoring at a school that buys into the programme and values its young people also helps in me signing up each year." A huge 1MM "thank you" to all our mentors, mentees and partners... whether you've been with since 'the start' or have come on board more recently. #MentoringMatters #1MMCommunity #ImpactReport #MentorStories #NationalMentoringDay

Every young person should have a chance to pursue the path that's right for them, to go for the job they want... it's not just good for them, it's good for society. That chance is limited if you don't know how to make the most of education and training, and how to get the experience you need. The number of mentees who knew how to get the experience/training needed for their aspired job almost tripled 🚀🚀🚀 following mentoring. Mentoring makes a difference. Your experience could help a young person reach their potential. #MentoringMatters Ahead of #NationalMentoringDay tomorrow, 1MM is proud to launch its latest Impact Report. Read more about the people behind the impact - the stories of mentees, mentors and partners across the whole #1MM Community - in the report on our website 👉 1mm.org.uk * Mentee data taken from surveys of mentees mentored during the period of Jan-Jun 2024

Lucas is a former pupil at Newport High School, Newport who last year was given the opportunity to be part of the One Million Mentors programme at the school. “Initially I thought, what is this? And why have I been chosen? I think it was mainly due to my attitude… the fact that I was pro-active and that the school knew I would get stuck into the programme. It was at this point that I met Dave, my mentor. Dave is incredible, a kind, generous, well connected person and someone who I really connected with. We shared various interests particularly around sport but also around other things such as the medical industry and the want to help people.” “I explained to Dave that due to my personal circumstances and the fact that my mum has recently been in and out of hospital and that I have sadly lost 2 family members in the last 2 years I wanted to give something back to the NHS. Through our conversations Dave gave me vital information about how to pursue different careers within the NHS, suggested voluntary opportunities and opened my eyes to all the different jobs you can get working for the NHS.” “One of our main shared passions is football. Dave has some amazing connections within the Football Association of Wales and explained that he often supports the senior team with sports massage, something again I am interested in. Following one of our mentoring sessions the school received an email inviting me to a Wales International Football camp – I honestly couldn’t believe it and thought someone was winding me up.” “The day was one of the best days of my life, not only did I get to meet International footballers and hang out with them for the day I was also able to referee some practice matches, make some invaluable connections with key people from within the FAW and also experience the highest level of professional sport – without Dave and the 1MM programme this would not have been possible. I owe a lot to Dave.” “A few months on from leaving school I am now studying at Coleg Gwent and hope to become a paramedic. In terms of refereeing, thanks the opportunities this programme has exposed me too, I hope to reach the very top – you never know you may even see me on match of the day one day!” “Mentoring has taught me many things; my confidence has gone through the roof, not just after the day's work experience but as a result of meeting and chatting to Dave. My connections and networks have grown, I am now on the radar of some of the most influential people in Welsh football and this is something that can never be taken away from me. It’s opened a new door in my life, a very exciting one.” Thank you, Lucas, for your commitment and determination to make the most of your mentoring relationship with Dave, and for sharing your story. We couldn’t agree more with the final words of your speech… “Give it a go – you never know where or what it could lead to.”

Young people are full of potential, but so often held back in education and employment because they don't feel confident expressing themselves to new people. You could help change that! After 1MM mentoring, 88% of mentees nationally reported feeling more confident meeting new people* Mentoring has real impact. Your experience could help a young person reach their potential. Now is a great time to join the #1MM Community 👉 1mm.org.uk #MentoringMatters #NationalMentoringDay * Mentee data taken from surveys of mentees mentored during the period of Jan-Jun 2024

🔴 MILESTONE! - Launch of 1MM Pilot for Young Offenders. 📧 "I am looking to obtain mentoring for young adults in custody to help break the cycle...". This is how the journey began in January. After 10 months of planning between Serco and 1MM, a pilot project for HMP Thameside is now underway. Mentors from the community have been matched with young adult men in the prison and have had a first meeting. It's not the first time 1MM Mentors have stepped up to such a challenge and as an organisation we have always been close to this space, invited to roundtables with London's Violence Reduction Unit, led by Lib Peck. But this is the first 1MM Programme working directly with the prison's team, whose Head of Psychological Service Pip Thody knows that mentoring can make a difference and shared these thoughts on the project; 🎤 "As the relationships develop over the next nine-12 months, the experience and support of the mentors will build confidence and skills to help the hopes and aspirations of the mentees become real, as they begin business start-ups and find the employment they seek. The first meeting was hugely promising, being reported on positively by both mentors and mentees alike. We look forward to charting the journey travelled as this exciting project delivers critical rehabilitation opportunities." Pip Thody The mentors completed additional training back in August and have been eager to get started since. What do they have to say now? (A lot and all good, but the word count is limiting us!). 🎙️ "It was in complete contrast to what I had expected, especially after the thorough training day... The lives of the mentees and their journeys are challenging, but if we can bring some hope and help shape their next steps back into work and society it will give us a great sense of achievement." - Robert Merry 🎙️ "Truly a privilege to work with 1mm and furnish the imperative work that is needed inside the prison estate. A wondrous experience all round and highly impactful." - Jazz Singh✨ Reaching this point has been the collective effort of many from both 1MM and Serco. Training beyond 1MM's own was delivered to mentors courtesy of Beki Pieri, and our Angela Fuggle helped prepare the mentees 24hrs before the launch. And thanks particularly to funding from the Mayor of London and Greater London Authority as part of the New Deal for Young People work. 👣 These are important steps. The mentoring is just one strand, one of many interventions and initiatives to help improve these young people's life chances. Combined we're sure of making real and lasting change. Just 1hr a month and you can change a life. (This pilot is unique, for now...! There are many more programmes launching in the coming weeks with traditional school & college partners, all needing volunteer mentors). 👉🏽 Sign up today at 1mm.org.uk 👉🏽 Share with your networks. #Mentorship #Community #Volunteer #YoungPeople

Until recently, Lucas, 16, attended Newport High School in Newport. Since September he has been studying Sport and Public Services at Coleg Gwent. Lucas spoke at 1MM’s event to celebrate our 5 year anniversary in Wales. We are proud to share his inspirational story here. Today we focus on Lucas’ earlier life. Come back tomorrow to find out what he, with the help of his mentor Dave, has achieved. “To say my life has been challenging is an understatement. I currently live on the Bettws Council estate in Newport, and for those of you who are familiar with the area will know that this is one of the challenging estates not only in Newport but in Wales, it’s a tough place to live. As a youngster I attended Monnow Primary School and this is where my life changed forever. Following an afterschool football club I became extremely ill. My mum was called to the school and had to carry me home, I was white as a ghost and was soon rushed to the Royal Gwent Hospital. Following a series of tests I was then transferred to Noas Ark Children’s Hospital in Cardiff where I was diagnosed with Leukaemia at the age of 6. I then spent 6 months in hospital and didn’t return to school for a further 3 years. As you can imagine this period of my life was extremely tough, missing out on all the things children love to do, my education and simple things such as kicking a ball around with mates and just having a laugh.” “However, there are always positives that come out of bad situations. It taught me to never give up. Never give up on family and never give up on the continuous treatment I had to go through. I knew that if I did and I took my foot off the pedal things could go downhill quickly. I have now been in remission for 5 years and as of last week I was given the good news that my condition is not genetic and will not be passed on if I were to have children.”

Making the most of our education, the opportunities we have at school, is a real launch pad for the career, and life, we want for ourselves. After 1MM mentoring, 86% of mentees nationally reported better understanding why it is important to do well at school. Mentoring makes a difference. Your experience could help a young person reach their potential. Now is a great time to join the #1MM Community 👉 1mm.org.uk #MentoringMatters #NationalMentoringDay * Mentee data taken from surveys of mentees mentored during the period of Jan-Jun 2024