Mentor scheme smashes 10,000 target
More than 10,000 young people have received personal mentoring on how to kickstart their careers or get back into work thanks to a flagship scheme led by West Midlands mayor Andy Street.
The Mayor 's Mentors programme has smashed its original target of recruiting 10,000 people willing to draw on their life and work experiences to personally guide and inspire a young person setting out on their own life journey.
But the scheme has taken on added significance in recent months as young people bear the economic brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Only last week the annual Prince 's Trust Tesco Youth Index Report, that researches young people 's happiness and confidence level, showed almost a quarter of young people do not feel confident about their future work and that a quarter felt unable to cope with life.
Now the mayor and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) have issued a 'Our Young People Need You ' rallying cry, urging even more people to get involved in the scheme.
The mayor (pictured) said: “When we launched Mayor 's Mentors we knew our 10,000 target was ambitious but we also knew how big a heart this region has and that has been borne out in the way people have come forward in such big numbers.
“But our young people now need our help more than ever. Many of them work in those industries hardest hit by the pandemic like hospitality and retail and many have lost their jobs or been furloughed. ”
The scheme is aimed at young people aged between 11 and 25. It started in June 2017 and to date a total of 10,697 young people have been mentored by volunteers - making it the biggest scheme of its kind in the country.
Emma van Dun, aged 28, from Balsall Heath, a registered nutritionist, personal trainer and yoga instructor, is being mentored by Iain McGhee, who has run Cobalt Interactive Ltd, a small audio-visual company in Birmingham, for 15 years. Most of his business is international trade.
The pair, who were introduced to each other by The Prince 's Trust, as part of the Enterprise programme that helps young people start their own business, met the mayor at a round table event organised by the charity to celebrate the success of mentoring in the region.
Emma said: “I set up my business, My Health Target, when I was made redundant from my previous job last spring.
“I feel lifestyle services really benefit people, especially at this time when health and wellbeing are more important than ever.
“What I appreciate most about my mentor, Iain, is him sharing his real-life experience in running a successful business.
“I realised that although you can plan as much as you like, running a business in practice can still be full of surprises. Iain helps me deal with those real-life situations.
“I 'm thrilled and grateful to the Prince 's Trust and my mentor for supporting me. ”
Mentors will typically meet with a young person, either face to face or virtually, once or twice a month for an hour to discuss the young person 's studies and career opportunities.
The programme is run in partnership with One Million Mentors, The Prince 's Trust, Just Straight Talk, Evolve, Youth Zone, Diana Award, Volunteer It Yourself and Sport4life.
People who have been successful in their careers and who want to help young people just starting out, retraining or moving into new work, can make a difference by becoming a Mayor 's Mentor.
To find out more about becoming a mentor, click here.