Mentor
A mentor helps others to achieve their potential. For young people at risk, a volunteer mentor from their own community is someone they can rely on, and who is not associated with other adults in authority who may be in their lives (police, teachers, social workers, probation officers, even parents), with whom they may have had difficult relationships.
Mentors can provide young people with extra support and a positive adult role model. Being a mentor requires you to take an interest in the young person with whom you work and encourage them to keep working at the areas which put them at risk of offending.
Mentors should be 21, or over, and commit to spending one or two hours a week for up to a year with a young person.
A good mentor will:
- have a sense of humour and the ability to build up a rapport with young people
- have good communication skills
- be reliable and committed to the young person
- be able to maintain confidentiality
- respect the privacy of the young person
- be able to work as part of a team
- be sensitive
- be flexible
To find out more call Andrea Bryan on 0161 219 6330 or send an email with your contact details and a brief explanation of why you think you'd be a good volunteer for the youth justice service to a.bryan@manchester.gov.uk.