On Monday 18th March we held our annual ReachOut Thankyou Event in Manchester!
We invited all of our Manchester volunteers and Project Leaders to HOME to thank them for their commitment to ReachOut and for all of their hard work during the academic year. We presented a range of awards to recognize our fantastic mentors and project leaders who have really gone above and beyond this year.
We also heard from different members of the ReachOut community and even had a little surprise at the end of the ceremony, with the young people themselves having prepared some extra special clips for their mentors thanking them for everything they have done for them.
During the evening we heard from Francis, a mentor who has volunteered with us since 2020. She spoke about the positive impact ReachOut has had on the young people in her group, telling us how her mentee, who would often get frustrated and bogged down in setbacks had recently managed to turn quite a big challenge in their life into an opportunity. Francis told us that this resilience and determination is what she thinks is the ‘true power of mentoring and ReachOut’. It was incredible to hear how Francis had helped her mentee each week in building that resilience.
We also had the pleasure of hearing from one of our Project Leaders, Holly. Holly joined ReachOut as a mentor in 2022/23 and this year decided apply and take on the role of Project Leader, noting that ReachOut has been ‘one of the best things, if not the best thing, to come out of her university experience’. She spoke about the positive changes she has witnessed in all of the young people she has worked with over the last couple of years, but also the change she has witnessed in herself. For her, ReachOut provided an escape each week, a way to switch off from her own worries and focus on supporting and helping others. It was lovely to listen to the positive impact that Holly has had on her mentees, as well as impact the mentees have had on Holly.
After the awards ceremony, mentors, Project Leaders and staff all had the opportunity to socialise and share anecdotes from their projects and their young people. It was a perfect wrap-up for the evening!
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the evening and to HOME for being such excellent hosts.
It was wonderful celebrating the year with so many of our ReachOut mentors and project leaders. Thank you for a brilliant evening.
Below you can find the full list of our nominees and award winners as well as some pictures from the event!
Bronze Award Winners (for volunteering 30+ hours):
Silver Award Winners (for volunteering 50+ hours):
Gold Award Winners (for volunteering 75+ hours):
Platinum Award Winner (for volunteering 100+ hours):
Fairness Award
Nominees
Winner
Staying Power Award
Nominees
Winner
Self-control Award
Nominees
Winner
Good Judgement Award
Nominees
Winner
Club Mentor of the Year
Nominees
Winner
Academy Mentor of the Year
Nominees
Winner
Club Project Leader of the Year
Nominees
Winner
Academy Project Leader of the Year
Nominees
Winner
Club Project of the Year
Nominees
Winner
Academy Project of the Year Award
Nominees
Winner
Outstanding Contribution – Mentor
Nominees
Winner
Outstanding Contribution – Project Leader
Nominees
Winner
“At first, I was really hesitant to take on the Project Leader role, despite having mentored with ReachOut. However, with the support of the team I’ve really developed my skills. For example, at the Mentee Graduation, I stood up in front of 200 people and presented an award which is something I would never ever have been able to have done before, and isn’t an opportunity I could gain in my other situations.”
Amy McCutcheon, Project Leader at ReachOut Academy, Dean Trust Ardwick, Manchester.
“Being able to spend the summer working at Rede Partners, was an amazing experience. Whether it was working in HR or Finance, I learned so much about the world of private equity, made great connections with fantastic people and I got to learn first-hand what it would be like to work there! I really believe that I can go onto build the career I want now I’ve been a part for a workplace for real”
Victor Adekunle, 18 years old, ReachOut Ambassador, London
“When I first my mentee, she was very reluctant to participate in the sessions. Now, I see a completely different person! Her confidence has grown and she is happy to join in! She still has some self-doubt when it comes to academic work, but that’s what I hope to help her overcome, because she is a very bright person!
Through mentoring, I’ve learnt I’m a lot more patient than I realised. There will be days where she refuses to participate and those are the days that I really see the importance of the character strengths, for both the mentees and the mentors. It also makes it easier for the mentee to understand the character strengths, when I use them myself”
Myrtle, ReachOut Club mentor at Tufnell Primary School, London
“There are more distractions than ever outside of school, and the commitment of our students to attend ReachOut sessions is testament to the value they place on the relationships they foster there, and the challenge and enjoyment they provide.
ReachOut’s focus on communication skills and character development has become an important aspect of our provision of support for these students. The opportunity to relate to a positive role- model other than their usual teachers is key to the programme’s impact, and the evidence of this has been seen in the students’ attendance, resilience and to their overall progress across all the subjects in the school.”
Thomas Janvrin, Assistant Vice Principal at the Petchey Academy London
