The Aspire programme provides one-to-one mentoring through young professionals who have recently been through similar key experiences and milestones. These mentors are keen to provide support and guidance to youth members aged between 15 and 23 who may want support and guidance as they embark on their exams, jobs or university applications, or conquer soft skills like communication and public speaking.
Mentors and mentees will work together to set goals which will be continually monitored throughout the mentoring relationship. Both mentors and mentees are required to undergo a bespoke training programme before commencing their Aspire journeys.
What is mentoring?
Mentoring is about supporting individuals to grow and develop their skills, maximise their potential and helping them become the person they want to be.
The Aspire programme provides a one to one relationship between a mentor and mentee to develop the mentee’s capacity, knowledge and personal development across a variety of areas (such as career, further education, wellbeing, development of soft skills).
Mentoring is not the same as training, teaching or coaching and a mentor doesn’t need to be a qualified trainer or expert in the role the mentee carries out.
A mentor needs to be able to listen and ask questions that will challenge the mentee to identify the course of action they need to take in order to take ownership of their own development. They need to be a trusted adviser and a “support anchor” for the mentee. The role of the mentor will cover some of the following:
● Listening
● Ask questions to help develop an understanding of a situation or problem
● Offer different perspectives
● Signpost to internal and external support networks
● Encourage self-reflection
● Help mentees identify their own areas of development
Benefits of mentoring for the mentee:
● An opportunity to learn about different ways of thinking and gain exposure to new ideas
● Develop new skills and approaches
● Increased self-confidence and motivation
● Identify and achieve goals
● Gain a sounding board to discuss ideas and approaches before action is taken
● A flexible approach that can happen at an agreed pace
● Get frequent feedback to enhance and accelerate learning
Benefits of mentoring for the mentor:
● Increased satisfaction from seeing a youth member develop
● Learning and developing yourself from the process
● Motivation from self-development and responsibility
● Learn new techniques for your own personal growth (e.g. active listening, goal-setting)
How to get involved?
If you wish to sign up as a mentor or mentee, or would like more information on the programme, please contact [email protected] to register your interest.
Quote from a Mentor: "I try where possible to be what I would have wanted back when I was in the same situation. Advice where required, support where required and tutoring to ace exams whilst being a big sister in the process.. It's quite possibly the best thing I could have ever got involved in.. The success story unfolds with the hard work you both put in together."
Quote from a Mentee: "It's an amazing feeling when you know someone is always there to encourage you and drive you forward to be the best you can be. When I talk to her, she doesn't seem like a mentor, more like family."
