Peer Mentoring for Care Leavers
Mentoring opportunity
Having received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, we are delighted to be offering a free peer mentor scheme for care leavers aged 18-25. Two Barnet care leavers have now been trained by Live Unlimited and Middlesex University to act as peer mentors. Both peer mentors have also completed the NSPCC Learning safeguarding course. This course is CPD certified and was funded by Young Barnet Foundation’s Space2Grow training grant. We are now looking for young people who would like the support of a peer mentor. Our peer mentors will work one-to-one with their mentee, meeting them once a month for six months.
Each mentor will support their mentee by listening, encouraging and sharing their own experiences in a helpful way. A peer mentor is not there to fix problems or give expert advice. Instead, they offer understanding, guidance and support because they have been through similar situations themselves. The type of support and knowledge shared by peer mentors can include life skills, such as communication, wellbeing, household management, financial literacy and readiness for employment.
They can also offer support someone who is feeling lonely, isolated, or lacking in confidence. Peer mentoring is not therapy or mental health support, but it can help mentees feel listened to, understood and less alone. Our mentors will be guided to refer their mentees if they need additional support. The mentoring programme will run for six months.
We will also be offering regular check-ins with a Live Unlimited Project Officer. Please email hello@liveunlimited.org.uk if you are a Barnet care leaver aged 18-25 and would like to know more or to be supported by a peer mentor. Please note, both peer mentors are male. They both speak English and Arabic and one also speaks French.