TRAIN is a fantastic resource, and can’t thank Georgina enough for the 121 mentoring sessions she gave our son earlier this year. Your work is so important and we are extremely thankful for what you have done for us.
We help young people navigate challenges and start thriving
Through 1-2-1 and group mentoring
What is youth mentoring?
Our mentoring programmes support young people who are finding school, friendships and daily life difficult. It’s totally voluntary, with the young person choosing to take part and actively contributing to their own development. Our youth workers are professionally trained in youth mentoring, building a supportive relationship with the young person and together finding ways to move forward. The focus is on personal growth, and as part of the mentoring process, young people learn helpful tools they can use in school, their relationships and life.
What to expect from 1-2-1 mentoring
TRAIN mentoring is a collaborative process. Your mentor is there to support you to reach your goals and overcome the challenges you’re facing. You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to.
In the first sessions, you’ll focus on understanding why you’re doing mentoring, what your goals are, and what challenges are getting in your way. We’ll work together to see where you’re thriving and where you’re feeling a bit stuck.
Once we have an idea of your goals, we’ll structure the sessions around you. Your mentor will equip you with some tools and techniques to help explore how you can move forwards. We’ll normally meet you at your school for an hour a week for 12 weeks, but sometimes it’s shorter.
Mentoring is totally optional and you can stop at any time.
100%
of young people receiving 1-2-1 mentoring made progress in at least 2 areas.
86%
improved their mindset towards school and education
What mentoring is not
TRAIN mentors cannot replace clinical services such as counselling or therapy, and are not trained to handle crisis situations or trauma. They’re also not trained in specialised fields and cannot provide the specialised intervention required to address complex educational challenges such as EBSA. Our mentoring service is designed to support young people at a point where early help can make the biggest difference. It is not a replacement for mental health services.
Referrals
All the young people we mentor come through referrals. These referrals come primarily through the schools we work with, as well as (increasingly) from young people themselves. We also occasionally receive referrals from health services, other agencies and parents/guardians.
Some of the areas we can support with include social and emotional difficulties, engaging in anti-social behaviour, and difficulties maintaining positive relationships. You need to be aged between 11 and 18 and go to school and/or live in either Didcot or Wallingford to be eligible for our 1-2-1 programmes.
In our experience, mentoring is most effective when young people refer themselves. That’s because:
- They’re already connected with TRAIN and know their mentor through our other activities, so the trust is already there
- When young people initiate the mentoring, they’re invested in it before we even get started
We currently have mentoring partnerships with Didcot Girls School, St Birinus School, Wallingford School, UTC Oxfordshire and Aureus School.
Once we’ve received your referral we’ll send you an acknowledgement.
If we have any follow-up questions, we’ll send you an email or give you a call. If we don’t think the young person you’ve referred will benefit from our mentoring service, we’ll let you know right away.
If we think there’s a good chance our mentoring will be helpful for them, we’ll add them to our waiting list and fit them in when we can.
We close referrals if the wait for a mentor gets beyond six months.
Group Mentoring
We run three group mentoring programmes in local schools:
Primary Mentoring
We work with Didcot primary schools to spot year 6 children showing early signs of emotional distress, behavioural difficulties or risk of exclusion, and support them through the move to secondary school. Over six weeks, they learn to recognise and manage their emotions, build healthier ways of coping with stress, and grow in confidence to handle challenges. This gives them a stronger start in year 7 and helps keep them engaged in education.
Safer Streets
This 6-week course runs in local secondary schools tackles gender-based violence, harassment and harmful attitudes at an age where young people are forming their opinions and understanding.
Young people cover healthy and unhealthy relationships, gender stereotypes, consent and the impact of violence on individuals and communities. They finish the course more aware of these issues, more confident challenging negative behaviours and clearer on what a healthy relationship looks like.
Transitions
We train older students to mentor year 7s through the move to secondary school. Mentors complete an 8-week programme exploring leadership, mental health, loneliness, relationships and bullying, and building the skills to support younger students with confidence and care.
Year 7s get an older student who knows their name and checks in with them, so they feel seen rather than lost. Mentors gain leadership skills, confidence and a sense of responsibility that lasts well beyond the programme.
If you would like to run a group mentoring programme at your school, please contact Georgina, who leads our mentoring work, at [email protected].
Safeguarding
TRAIN’s mentors are qualified youth workers and are trained in both mentoring and safeguarding young people. The young people we mentor know that, while the mentoring sessions are confidential, if we think they might be at risk of harm, we will need to share what they’ve told us with other adults so we can keep them safe.