Mentoring for
young people
Support that meets you where you are
A space to talk. Someone to listen
At Inkpots, mentoring isn’t a ‘rigid’ programme you have to fit into. It’s a safe space to talk, explore what matters most and where you have the time to build confidence.
Mentoring IS:
- one-to-one or in a small group;
- tailored to you – whatever you want to work on;
- flexible, friendly and non-judgemental;
- designed to help you feel supported and more confident in yourself.
How the mentoring journey works
Feeling safe
It's important right form the start that a young person feels safe and secure emotionally and physically.
Building trust
We can then start to build TRUST and develop an understanding and an agreement about our sessions.
Talking things through
Together, we'll work towards having a balanced approach to any issues and problems.
Finding tools that work
This stage involves developing a toolkit of resources which a young person can use in different situations
Looking forward
Finally, we'll celebrate that the young person is feeling more confident in their own skills an abilities and has some brilliant hopes and plans for the future.
Each mentoring session lasts for about 45 minutes and is followed up with notes and resources. Parents/carers also receive weekly updates.
It is also important that everyone involved in any of our mentoring programmes feels comfortable and involved in the whole process. I always therefore suggest that the very first step is an online chat with a family before we decide on any form of mentoring. I offer a free, no obligation chat (about 20 minutes) so that everyone gets a clearer picture of how mentoring can help a young person. Please contact me at gill@inkpots.org to discuss in more details.
Just need a check in sometimes?
Some young people prefer ad hoc support – not regular mentoring but occasional check-ins to talk things through. This might be a plan for something coming up (like a school move, exams or a big decision) or the need for a sounding board about some ideas.
If this sounds right for you, that’s great – we can do that too!
Please contact gill@inkpots.org for more details.
We have been so grateful for your work with our daughter. It has been a great outlet for her and I am sure is helping her process her response to all that has gone on recently.”
Parent of 14-year-old young person