Train to be a volunteer Mentor

It’s a fulfilling role that has a direct, positive influence on a child or young person’s life.

We’re currently recruiting for volunteer mentors in Essex and Ispwich, Suffolk.

A Mentor can:

Help to shape a young person’s future for the better, by supporting them and empowering them to achieve
Have fun and share activities that you like to do
Help build a child or young person’s self-confidence and resilience, improving their emotional wellbeing.

Our mentoring service is a step down from clinical support or a child/young person in need of early help.

A volunteer mentor is a ‘professional friend’ who guides a young person by building trust and modelling positive behaviours in a fun and caring environment. A mentor gives a young person a safe place to discuss any issues they may be experiencing while helping them to access new experiences, have fun, explore new interests, and develop new life skills.

Could you be a volunteer mentor?

This important relationship can help build self-confidence and resilience and improve emotional wellbeing. For the right person this role can be incredibly fulfilling

Please enquire about training opportunities to become a volunteer mentor: email or call us on 01245 348 707

Main Tasks

To meet with your mentee on a regular basis at an agreed time (weekly for 1 hour)
To complete and return a mentee meeting record no later than two days after every meeting with your mentee

We are looking for people who are:

Prepared to commit to being a mentor for an agreed period of up to 1 year
Prepared to attend a supervision session monthly
Empathetic when working with young people
Able to stay calm in difficult situations
Well-organised, reliable, and punctual
Flexible in approach when working with a young person and their family
Friendly and outgoing
Able to act appropriately and in-line with child protection protocols and car usage policies.

As a volunteer mentor we offer you:

Supervision with a trained supervisor
Training in mentoring and child protection policy and protocol
Clinical supervision and administrative support in your mentoring relationship.

Prior to training:

If you are interested in applying to become a mentor you will first be invited in to meet the mentoring team. Following this meet you will be asked for/ to:

Two references and an enhanced DBS check
Undertake online Child Protection training
Undertake two-days training for the role
Adhere to Kids Inspire’s current policies and procedures.

How does the mentee/ mentor relationship work?

A mentor/ mentee relationship is about having a positive relationship in the mentee’s life, enjoying the small changes as and when they happen. Sometimes the mentor might not even feel that he/ she is making a difference, although you definitely are…

Training to be a mentor

Mentor training takes place over two full days and includes the following:

Exploration of everyone’s hopes and fears
Exploration of why they want to become a mentor
Their expectations of being a mentor, what is the role of a mentor and what is not
The structure of mentoring i.e. beginnings, middles and ends
Exploration of attachment styles
Boundaries within the mentoring relationship
Experiential exercises e.g. reflecting on what barriers there may be to listening to your mentee, the importance of presence in the relationship.
Meeting current Mentors and ask them questions about their experiences
A chance to experience what a Mentor/Mentee meeting is like
Looking at the organisation’s expectations of Mentors regarding paperwork, supervision, contact.

No matter what role you have with us, we will make sure you have all the training and support you need to get the most out of your volunteer experience.