Volunteer mentors come from a range of backgrounds. Qualifications are not necessary, but empathy, understanding and a non-judgemental attitude are, coupled with an enthusiasm for working with young people. Identification and referral of young people will be based on evidence of a cluster of risk factors in the young person’s life:

• disruption or disengagement at school
• offending, aggressive or antisocial behaviour
• conflict in the house/family
• substance misuse

YMCA Mentoring Services hold the Scottish Mentoring Network Quality Award and in 2016 Plusone was awarded the Continuing Excellence and outstanding employee awards by The Scottish Mentoring Network. These awards show the level of commitment to the mentors, the young people and partners that Plusone Edinburgh has to providing a quality mentoring service in the City of Edinburgh.

Plusone receives funding from City of Edinburgh Council.

Intandem aims to focus on and promote the wellbeing of every child who  is matched with a mentor. The focus of every mentoring relationship will  be on supporting the development of the child by listening to them,  recognising and building on their existing strengths and providing  support and encouragement to deal with difficult and challenging  situations in their lives.

Becoming a mentor
As an intandem mentor you  will undergo training and then be matched with a young person referred  to the project. The mentor’s role is to regularly meet up with the young  person (typically once a week for 2 hours), to take part in activities  in the community that are fun and engaging, acting as a listening ear  and positive role model to the child.  The time that mentoring takes  place is flexible and arranged between the young person and mentor,  however it usually occurs out of school hours (evenings or weekends).  Mentoring relationships last at least one year, therefore we require  individuals to make a commitment to a minimum of 1 years mentoring.  Regular support is provided throughout the mentoring relationship,  through meetings with the project coordinator as well as regular  opportunities to meet with other mentors at training events, peer  support nights and social events.

Literature and policy recognises the positive impact that Kinship Care placements can have on a young person in comparison to other settings. Benefits include:

• Ability to remain within the family network
• Better stability – less chance of losing school, friends etc
• Increased chance of remaining with siblings (when compared to Foster care or residential care).
• Positive improvements in mental health and behaviour
• Preservation of cultural identity and community connections

The project aims to focus on the wellbeing of each child who is matched with their mentor. The focus of mentoring will be on supporting the development of each young person, by identifying their strengths, setting goals and providing support to deal with difficult circumstances in their lives.

Becoming a mentor
As a mentor you will undergo training and be matched with a young person referred to the project. The role of a volunteer mentor includes regularly meeting with the young person, typically one a week for a couple of hours, taking part in activities, acting as a positive role model and a listening ear. The meets are arranged between the mentor and young person, but usually occurs out of school hours. We require volunteers to make a commitment of a minimum of 1 year. Regular support is provided through supervision with the project coordinator, as well as being provided with the opportunity to meet with other volunteers through training events, peer support nights and social events.