NEWSFLASH!!
.... 19 February 2013....
Funding from Awards For All
We have now gained funding for our Schools Exclusion Project, which is a new support service for young people at risk of exclusion. This Support Service will be available to pupils in the last year of primary school and to all pupils in secondary and special schools.
The aims of the project are as follows:
• To help prevent exclusions through early intervention and targeted support
• To support excluded pupils through a tailor-made programme of mentoring, counselling and activities (Key Project and interest groups)
• To support the emotional well-being of young people at risk of exclusion in a school setting
• To provide Peer Mentor Training and support to primary and secondary schools where requested
The project will aim to reduce the risk of exclusion by supporting young people at risk with mentors from the local community. By using positive role models, the aim is to enhance their future educational and career aspirations
The Commissioning of Mentoring Plus
We are delighted that the Council has decided to continue our funding. It is a tremendous vote of confidence. Our commission with B&NES has been rolled over for another year at existing levels which is really great news. But we are expecting 2013 to be the most difficult year yet in terms of raising money.Our Christmas Appeal is essential if we are to carry on offering young people the help they need to make the right choices in life.
2013 Appeal Launched.
Find more here
Mentoring Plus on the telly
Did you see Dan and his mentor Julianne on BBC Children in Need on 16 November?
They were also featured on BBC Points West, when Dan had the opportunity to interview presenter Alex Lovell. Watch the film on our Facebook page at here.
Mentoring Plus wins gardening Award
Mentoring Plus Gardening Group are thrilled to be announced as joint regional winners in the Gardening Against The Odds 2012 Awards.
Find out more here.....
.............................and in the Chronicle here
We have 24 people running for us in the Bath Half Marathon. You are all amazing.
Places are now all sold out but be sure to cheer for all our amzing runners. Good luck.
However, all is not lost as we are still looking for some volunteer marshals. We get £25 from Bath Half Marathon for every adult volunteer and £15 for every young volunteer. If you would like to help please contact us on 01225 429694 or Email sarah.thorn@mentoringplus.net
Mentoring & Befriending Foundation Approved Provider Standard (APS) success!!
We are pleased to announce that our application to gain the Mentoring & Befriending Foundations APS has been successful. This is a national quality standard which is recognised by funders and commissioners as evidence of safe and competent practice
One of our young people spoke, very eloquently, about his experience of mentoring. It is interesting to hear what his life used to be like and the changes that Mentoring Plus has made.
Listen here:
Mentoring Plus on BBC Radio Bristol
FUTURES..a film by the young people of Mentoring Plus.
Filmed using a mixture of found and created material, stills, mobile phone and digital footage, as well as original music. The results are staggering and provide a marvellous insight into the thoughts of young people today.
Click here to watch FUTURES.
Also see our coverage on the Regional News bulletin...
FUTURES on BBC Points West
Check out Mark, one of our mentors, who was nominated for the first Pride in Bath awards. Well done Mark!
Click here to read the full story
MPost
The latest MPost bringing you news and thoughts from Mentoring Plus...
MPOT
Even if mentoring is not quite right for you at this time there are other ways that you can get involved in supporting us. What about becoming a member of the new MPot? This is a new friendly group of volunteers supporting Mentoring Plus. There are loads of jobs coming up to Xmas like ...
- Helping out at social events and the Christmas Fair,
- Help with activities for the young people
- Putting up posters for events,
- Putting out flyers for the Xmas Appeal,
- Asking local businesses and shops to take a collecting tin
Please do join us ... we will have cake!!
Activity ideas
It can sometimes be difficult to think of things to do with your mentees. Mentoring Plus runs a variety of after school activities for young people and their mentors to attend together. The current activities programme can be viewed on the calendar. We also have a useful page on our website here where there is a list of ideas. We are pleased that that the National Trust and Bath City Football Club have agreed to help us with activities for mentors and their mentees.
Mentor - Mentee matchings
Every Spring and Autumn we match new volunteers with young people to begin their mentoring journey together. After spending holiday activity days getting to know the newly referred young people it is always warming to see the start of a long and positive relationship with a trained and committed volunteer mentor. Bringing the new matchings together for the first meeting can sometimes be a little difficult due to busy lives. However, we have now completed all the matchings for 2012 and look forward to starting the process again in 2013. We will be matching more than ever in 2013 with the expanison of our remit to work with young people at risk of exclusion and those in or leaving care.
Fundraising News
Fundraising News Autumn 2012
The Auction of Promises in November was well supported and raised nearly £3000. There was a huge range of bids including a narrow boat trip with wine, two Spa experience days at Bath Spa Hotel and a weekend away in St Ives.
Young people worked hard to make a selection of Log reindeer, wreaths, jewellery and Xmas Decorations which were all sold at the Christmas Market.
We were delighted to receive an Awards For All Grant for £9850 which will enable us to run a new project in the New Year focussing on young people at risk of exclusion We have not quite reached our target for this project so have launched our Christmas Appeal to raise much needed funds.
We have 24 runners in the Bath Half on March 3rd 2013, if you have a place and would like to run for us please let us know. We have an active running group on a Monday and will have a marquee on the day to congratulate runners with Hot Cross buns and cream eggs. We also need volunteers to cheer runners on and to act as marshalls on the day. Please let Sarah Thorn know if you are interested.
We are one of the three designated charities for Waitrose Community Matters in December the Fund for December has been raised from £1000 to £3000. Customers can vote for their cause by dropping a green token into one of the four display boxes at the entrances to our store and depending on the number of tokens a share of £30000. Good excuse to visit the lovely new Waitrose. We are also bag packing at the store on Xmas Eve and if you can help us even for an hour we would be delighted.
We also received £5000 from Garfield Weston Foundation towards evening activities for the young people. Further grants received from Lloyds TSB, ERSF, Noel Buxton Trust and Ray Harris Charitable Trust.
THANK YOU
Support in Schools
For many years Mentoring Plus has offered a mentoring and counselling service to young people in schools. We are currently working in Chew Valley School and Hayesfield School in Bath. Young people going through a difficult time and particularly those going through a period of transition really benefit from having someone to talk to. The meetings are carried out on a confidential basis. The main aims are to provide a “safe” environment which will help the young people involved become more confident, positively change attitudes and behaviour at school and home, improve school attendance and where appropriate access help from the relevant third party agency. Tthe service enables young people to...
- Feel less isolated because they can talk through issues in a safe confidential space
- Feel happier and more confident because they are supported and have someone to talk through their problems
- Be able to get help from specific agencies as support workers can liaise on their behalf.
- Have improved performance at school as they will feel calmer and more able to cope with anger
- Feel happier at school and home as they are able to work through their problems .
Real Sounds
Young people have been working with professional MCs and music producers learning the art of writing their own lyrics and beats. They are encouraged to think about a range of social issues they come across in their everyday lives and use this as a starting point for their lyrics. Upon completion of the course young people will be able to take away a professional mixed and mastered CD of their work.
Check out their work here Mentoring Plus Soundcloud
Focus on the Radio Project
We are delighted to be working with Bath City Sound and their Commuity radio station - - a non profit making internet radio station based in Bath.Young people have been trained ahead of producing and presenting the Bath Mentoring Plus show. Sessions enable young people to gain skills in IT, Radio presentation and production, communications and social skills. Our work at Bath city Sounds have even led to us featuring on BBC Points West. Check out the photos in the gallery.
Other groups and workshops
Canvas Group
Last term saw a new Canvas art group. The basement at Mentoring Plus was put to good use and the young people. Our student social workers guided the creation of some amazing paintings and the colours, images, styles and textures that came out are really breath taking. The young people were really focused and absorbed in their work. You can see some of their work in the image gallery.
Cook Group
Its always amazing how popular the cook group proves to be. The young people seem to get so much out of it and there are opportunities to develop literacy and numeracy skills as well as learn techniques, methods, learn about ingredients and equipment, different cuisines and of course taste wonderful home cooked food.
The Youth Action Group (YAG)
......continues to meet regularly on a Thursday evening. They are really getting stuck into their ideas for development and events in 2012. Sessions include:
- Driving Support Group sessions to enable the young people to support each other with the Theory Test and we would have a fund to help with driving lessons. Many of the young people have parents who do not drive and have no access to a car. Learning to drive will give them greater independence and help with finding training and employment
- Job Club sessions to give some career guidance, to help put together a C.V and look at interview techniques. This will give young people a better chance at finding the right training and job for them. We are currently in negotiations with local organisations to find a facilitator for these sessions.
Gardening Group
The ground and the gardeners are being left to rest and reflect on what has been a really productive and award winning year. We were thrilled to be picked as joint winners in the south west Gardening Against the Odds award, in a competition held by the Conservation Foundation. 2013 promises to be even more nourishing with the planting of some new fruit trees and the finishing of our wildlife pond. Must get the manure on. check out the pictures in the gallery!
Relax and Chillout Yoga sessions.
Young people and their mentors are invited to come along and learn breathing and relaxation techniques as well as stretching and adopting various 'odd' positions. We are hoping to build these very valuable sessions into the programme on a more permanent basis.
Full details of the current and planned programme can be found on our calendar.
Local groups and events
You may have seen a new link to the BeActive website on our front page. Here, you'll be able to find plenty of information about what to do and where to go in Bath and North East Somerset - useful for both young people and mentors!
