Why and How Mentoring works...

At Phase we are passionate about equipping children and young people so that they don't just survive but thrive as they journey through life. We love to help children and young people build good wellbeing and resilience. At Phase we have the opportunity to do this in a number of ways, but one particular way in which we are able to this is through mentoring, both in person at school and through our virtual mentoring programme.

Mentoring at Phase offers young people a space to chat, to be heard, to be both challenged and encouraged and an opportunity to work towards a goal. For each young person mentoring will look slightly different, as each young person brings something different to the table, but the core principles of what is involved in mentoring do not change. Through mentoring we want to be able to help young people to see hope, to be able to realise their value and potential, and ultimately thrive.

Darlene Zschech in her book The Art of Mentoring states that ‘We all need people who will believe in us until we can believe in ourselves.’ I believe this to be very true; we need people who will encourage us and spot the potential in us. Mentoring can help a young person realise their potential and grow in confidence as they step outside of their comfort zone.

Young people who have engaged in our virtual mentoring programme said some of the best parts of their mentoring experience were:

"Knowing there is someone there to help."

"Having someone who isn’t involved in my daily life, that I can talk to and just have a fresh view."

"Having a safe non-judgmental place to talk."

We believe creating this space for young people is so important. Young people, like many of us, are grappling with many emotions at the moment. Ranging from sadness, anger, loss, happiness, anxiety, living with the uncertainty of what lies ahead. Mentring provides them a space to be able process these emotions and talk them through. We are passionate about equipping young people with tools to be able to continue to manage these emotions well and build good wellbeing and resilience.

If you feel that you or someone you know would benefit from mentoring from Phase at the moment please download our information leaflet which explains our virtual mentoring in more detail, or you can also email support@phase-hitchin.org for more information or to discuss mentoring further. Or if you would be interested in exploring more about what being a mentor looks like do get in touch. We would love to hear from you.

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