Service Shout-out

Life as a young person in secondary school can be tough.

From worries about transitioning to a new school, to a lack of confidence or coping skills, it can be a lonely and isolating time for some.

Having someone to talk to who is on their “wavelength” really helps, and the Peer Mentoring programme developed and delivered by Cornerhouse as part of HeadStart Hull, makes sure this is possible.

The Peer Mentoring programme, which began with HeadStart Hull in the 2014 pilot, was continued in 2016 as the programme achieved funding to continue their 5-year plan, and provides a vital service to young people in secondary schools across the city.

Before the HeadStart Hull pilot stage, peer mentors were a rarity and not always available in every school. The service had shown to be incredibly effective in improving emotional health and well-being, leading to the decision that this needed to become a fully coordinated, cross-city service.

So now, with around 200 young mentors within schools and the community in Hull, young people can speak to someone who will have experienced the same feelings, problems or situations, and really build the skills to cope and move forward in life.

The Cornerhouse Peer Mentor team recruit and train young people in years 9 and 10 in hull schools to become mentors to other pupils, and as a result, they gain a level 2 NOCN qualification in Peer Mentoring. The Young People’s Peer Mentor project is accredited by the NCVO Mentoring & Befriending Association and has achieved their Approved Provider Standards.

The mentors are supported to achieve this and are supervised regularly as the team are based in each school 1 day a week, where they track the progress of the young people being mentored.

Referrals for the service can come from teachers or the young person themselves, and once received, the team go out to visit them, talking to them about the service to ensure this it is the right option for them, or referring to another relevant HeadStart Hull service if needed.

Upon choosing to go ahead, a well-matched mentor is assigned, introductions are made, and a programme of 10 sessions begin to get the young person back on track. The aim of the sessions is to guide the young person and help them to develop coping skills and to move on in their life.

The young people who choose to become peer mentors also go on to achieve some impressive things and many believe the experience this gives them is one of the reasons why.

Two recent mentors that have progressed to impressive heights are Kaitlyn Robson, who represented the UK at the prestigious Genesis Academy in Chicago and Gabi Surdyk, who is now the Young Mayor of Hull.

Kaitlyn said, “Being a mentor gave me a great sense of satisfaction. I helped more than 30 mentee’s during my time, and having gone through the same things as them, I could talk to them on their level. It felt good to see them improve and get sorted.”

Estelle Parker, Young People’s Peer Mentor Project Co-ordinator said, “The Young People’s Peer Mentoring Project supports young people with issues that can impact on their emotional well-being before they develop into more serious issues. The beauty of peer mentoring is that by having another young person to talk to, who can relate to them, mentees are less isolated and are more open to suggestions to move forward with their lives.”

“Having a friendly face and a listening ear is often a good starting point for young people to open up about their feelings. Mentors know their capabilities and can be the 1st step into getting more specialist support for the young person they are working with.”