Norwich & Norfolk Voluntary Services

NVS Mentoring Service

The NVS Mentoring Service provides individual support to young people aged 15-19 who need help to move into training, education or work. Volunteer mentors come from all types of backgrounds. We provide accredited training and on-going support and each mentor and young person is carefully matched.

The NVS Mentoring Service provides individual support across Norfolk to young people aged 15-19 (up to 25 years if the young person has learning difficulties or disabilities) who are facing barriers to accessing or remaining in education, employment or training. Such barriers are numerous and include lack of confidence, low self esteem, independent living, social skills, behavioural issues etc. Mentors act as a source of support and guidance and can have a signifcant impact on the lives of the young people they work with. Each partnership that is estabilished is carefully matched to ensure a successful mentoring relationship that has positive outcomes for both parties. There is no 'ideal' mentor. We recruit mentors from a wide variety of backgrounds and age groups this helps us to fulfil the diverse needs of the young people we have referred to us.

To enable volunteer mentors to carry out this important role we provide accredited training in Mentoring, on-going support and reimburse all out of pocket expenses. You will be well prepared for the start of your mentoring partnership all we ask for is your enthusiasm and commitment!

'Our six months seems to have flown by and my mentee has achieved things she would never have done before. On a personal level it has been a realy good experience for me, I feel really pround of her and houred that I have helped her achieve her goals.'
(Kate, Mentor)

Mentoring is:

Impartial and confidential support & encouragement provided on an on-going basis, which aims to improve the skills and confidence of the young person being mentored.

What does a mentor do?

Mentors use their knowledge, skills and experience to enable young people to develop their social skills, confidence and independence. They also work together to achieve agreed goals such as looking for work, preparing a CV etc.

Are you good at:

Relating to young people
Listening
Giving feedback
Motivating others?

If you can answer 'yes' to most of these questions, chances are you would make a great volunteer mentor!

By volunteering, you might:

Learn more about yourself
Gain confidence
Improve your communication skills
Feel a sense of achievement

You can also gain a qualification in Mentoring accredited by Open College Network, Eastern Region.

What is expected of a mentor?

You will need to:

Attend training
Meet the young person for about an hour a week for up to six months
Keep a record of meetings
Attend support meetings
Work closely with the Mentoring Service Co-ordinator

How do young people benefit?

Working with a mentor helps young people to:

Gain confidence
Develop skills
Take responsibility
Increase employability
Find work/training

The Mentoring Service Annual Review for 2004/2005 has shown that all mentees felt that mentoring had been a worthwhile experience. The majority of young people stated that the main benefit of having a mentor was having somone to speak to while others appreciated the support it gave them and having assistance with working towards their goals.

Working With Connextions Norfolk

NVS Volunteer Mentors support young people who have been referred to the service by Connexions Norfolk.

'As a Connexions PA I have found the Mentoring Service invaluable in providing extra support to my clients. The young person may benefit from having an older person who is not connected to their family or from an official organisation, who can act as a friend and give them an insight into another way of life.'
(Clare, Connexions Personal Advisor)

To find out more about Connexions Norfolk, visit www.connexionsnorfolk.co.uk. (Link will open in new window)

Want to know more?

A good mentor is someone that a young person will always remember. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact the Co-ordinator at the address below or complete the online application form for further information about volunteer mentoring. Training is held at venues across Norfolk at times and dates to suit.

Jo Todd, Co-ordinator
NVS Mentoring Service
83-87 Pottergate
Norwich NR2 IDZ

Telephone: 01603 883811
Fax: 01603 764109
Email: mentoring@nvs.org.uk

Annual Report

You may request a copy of our Annual Report from the Co-ordinator (address as above). Alternatively, the Annual Report is available in PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, you can download it for free - click here to go to the Acrobat Reader download page (this link will open in a new browser window)

Download Annual Report as PDF Download Annual Report 2006-2007
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