AS OF THE 5TH FEBRUARY 2024 WE ARE OPEN FOR REFERRALS
As we now have a list of young people waiting to be matched with a mentor we have made the decision to temporarily close to new referrals. We do apologise about this and will advise everyone of when we are able to accept new referrals.
Since 2014, Breathe has been providing mentor support to young people facing challenges.
What is Mentoring?
Mentoring provides a young person with a trusted adult who will support them, help them make positive choices and work towards achieving their goals or just provide space to talk through issues that concern them.
Our mentors meet with a young person every 1-2 weeks for at least 12 months.
We believe that mentoring is a powerful way to see change happen. Our service is non-judgmental and takes a friendly approach to the young people we are supporting.
Our mentors help mentees identify goals and rather than telling them what to do, we support them to explore issues they are grappling with and work with them to find their own solutions. Mentor support for a young person can:
- Help build their self esteem and grow in confidence
- Encourage positive choices
- Support them to engage in their education
- Help them to explore and take opportunities
Who is the service for?
Breathe Mentoring is for young people aged 10 (year 6) -18 years living in the Forest of Dean who are:
- Disruptive in class
- Struggling to engage in their education
- At risk of exclusion
- NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training)
- Lack self confidence
- Have poor self esteem
- Facing family challenges
What young people have said about the service
…Talking to my mentor helped me get stuff off my mind…
…Helped me to concentrate on my school work…
…Mentoring helps you make good choices…
Our Mentors
Our mentors are all volunteers who have been through a recruitment process, have undertaken a training programme and are DBS checked. We are always impressed at their willingness to give their time, skills and experience to working with young people.
They are supported through regular supervision and ongoing training as required.
Making a referral
If you would like to refer a young person to our service please complete our referral form and check list, which can be downloaded below.
It is important that you discuss the referral with a parent or carer as well as the young person and obtain their signed consent for the service. Please check the referral check list to ensure that the referral meets our criteria.
The service is coordinated by our Mentor Coordinators who will meet with the young person and a parent or carer to discuss the service, explore with the young person what they wish to achieve through the mentoring relationship and match the young person with a suitable mentor.
If we don’t have a mentor available, one of our Coordinators will discuss with you whether it is appropriate to place the young person on our waiting list or look for alternative support.
We are not a crisis or emergency service. We can and do work alongside other service providers, but we are not a substitute for other services.
If you would like more information or to discuss your referral please contact one of our Mentor Coordinators: