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About ReachOut!You can read below about who we are and what we do but if you would prefer to see and hear some real examples, just click on the link to our Galleries
ReachOut! is a voluntary mentoring programme which started in Moss Side in Manchester in 1994. [more history] Today each week, hundreds of children and young people in London, Glasgow and Manchester can enjoy a 2-hour, one-on-one mentoring session with a young adult. Our MissionReachOut! creates, develops and supports dynamic mentoring relationships and community partnerships so as to inspire young people aged 8 and over to learn new skills, broaden their horizons, aim high and be the best they can be. The mentoring relationships are based on sharing core values and encouraging good citizenship, addressing the specific needs of each person through individually structured competence- and character-building activities with a teamwork and problem-solving approach, so that “Together, we can.” (Please click on the links below to view our Mission Statement in full, including our aims and objectives and values, and our operational principles and the Policies and Procedures which support them.)
Mentors and MenteesThe mentees mainly come from inner city areas, from socially and economically deprived neighbourhoods. Some are at risk of exclusion. The mentors are volunteers and are usually university students. They undertake training, accredited and/or "in-house" to supplement their good will with the hard and soft skills they need to embark on their mentoring assignments. [more about training] All mentors over 18 undergo Enhanced Disclosure checks with the Criminal Records Bureau. [more about CRB checks] They put in their best into each mentoring session and get a lot in return: mentoring is a two way learning path. The aim of the mentoring is to enable the mentors to offer their support and encouragement, life experiences and enthusiasm to the children and young people they work with, like an “ideal” big brother or big sister, to encourage the mentees to value themselves, grow in confidence, form good habits, make the most of the learning opportunities open to them, discover their talents and aim to be the best they can be. In this way the mentors become aspirational role models for the mentees. Coming as they do from all over the world, they will also provide the children and young people with an opportunity (perhaps not otherwise available to them) to meet people of diverse race, culture and talent. The value of the project to the student mentors is important to us. We hope they will "grow" with their mentees and learn skills in patience, application, communication, and time and people management, which will be of benefit to them in their future careers and family lives. Among the volunteers there now a few who have “completed the loop” - they were mentored, now they are mentoring, during their university degree or further studies. What does the mentoring do?The content of each mentoring session varies from mentee to mentee. In general we work to help develop character and four basic competences: numeracy, literacy, memory improvement and public speaking. As most of the mentors are university students, they are able to bring higher/ further education or vocational training to the mentees as a realistic, achievable, worthwhile experience. How do we do it?Mentoring takes place in schools, both during and outside school hours, and in youth centres and with Community partners. [more about our projects] Once or twice a term there are outings to places of interest and weekends away. There are intensive daily (10am to 4pm) summer and winter programmes, which can last as long as four weeks. [more about our Summer projects] ReachOut! is not about “getting young people off the street”. We are not classroom assistants. We want to play our full, innovative and active part in ensuring that every child and young person we work with is healthy, safe, gets the most out of life and is prepared for adulthood, makes a positive contribution to the community and society and perhaps despite economic disadvantage achieves its potential. How do we pay for it?ReachOut! funding comes from public and private grant making bodies (Manchester Connexions, Hackney City Council and the Learning Trust, BBC Children in Need Appeal, Peter Kershaw Trust, Henry Smith Charity, The Worshipful Company of Weavers etc.) and from corporate and private donors (Bloomberg, Barclays Capital.) We also organise fund raising activities in conjunction with university student groups. The main fund raising event at present is the annual cycle ride where both management and volunteers hit the roads for a week long, arduous ride of over 250 miles. [more about our funding] If you would like to see our Public Resources or check our calendar of events or follow some useful links then click on the relevant text. |
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