ReachOut are a mentoring and education charity – we run afters chool mentoring projects across London, Greater Manchester and Liverpool for young people aged 9-19.
Each young person in a ReachOut project is paired with their own volunteer mentor and, each week they take part in 1:1 mentoring and fun character-building group activities.
There are so many benefits to being part of a ReachOut Project:
ReachOut Club projects run straight after school for Years 5 and 6. Each project supports 10 young people for 20 weeks. The sessions involve one-to-one Maths and English activities focusing on building academic confidence, character and growth mind-set, combined with fun group activities such as sports, arts and crafts.
Mentors encourage their mentees to reflect on their use of good character in and outside of school.
Providing young people with their own mentor whilst in Year 5 and 6 helps them to prepare for the challenging transition into secondary school for Key Stage 2 assessments (SATs).
ReachOut Academy projects run in the evenings for Year 7 – Year 11. Each project supports 16 young people and runs for 30 weeks.
Each two-hour session includes an hour of one-to-one individual academic mentoring focusing on Maths and English and group activities all centred around developing character. The second hour is an extra-curricular group activity also centred around character, such as football coaching, drama or yoga!
Our mentors help young people navigate through challenging teenage years and ultimately prepare them for crucial GCSE exams and transition into further education and work.
ReachOut+ projects run in the evenings to help 16 – 19-year-olds transition from secondary school into adulthood with the best possible opportunities to lead good, happy and successful lives.
This is an online project that focuses on one-to-one mentoring to cater to the individual needs of the young person. We also offer workshops to develop the skills and experience of the mentees.
Our mentors on this project offer support with current studies, options, finding work, apprenticeships, CV building, soft skills development and character development.
“My daughter has been attending ReachOut for the last two years. In this time, I have seen her grow in confidence and learn how to overcome challenges with a more positive attitude. As a parent, I am so grateful for the help and peace of mind ReachOut gives us.
Parent of a ReachOut Mentee
At ReachOut, we have a focus on character and confidence. We believe that by developing good character, a person gives themselves the tools to learn and thrive in any given situation.
Through making character a central part of every ReachOut project, we
aim to give mentees the tools they need to grow as individuals, taking
these character strengths and applying them to their every day lives in
and out of the classroom.
At ReachOut, we talk about five key Character Strenghts:
Resilience, grit, the ability to stick at something, to honour commitments and to see tasks through to the end.
The ability to keep emotions in check and to choose to act (or not to act) in a certain way despite how we may feel.
To treat others with respect and empathy, honouring rights and responsibilities, and being honest.
The ability to consider consequences and make decisions that benefit both ourselves and those affected by our choice.
“Teachers have noticed that pupils have become more confident, vocal and are now more involved in school life. For example, a few mentees have now taken up positions on our sports teams as well as being a part of the debate team, where issues are discussed with passion!”
Teacher at St Luke’s Church of England Primary School, Manchester
If you’ve got any questions at all about ReachOut or your child’s involvement, we’d love to have a chat with you!
“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
