Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street has met with volunteers, young people and charities to celebrate the milestone of more than 1,000 young people benefiting from the Mayor’s Mentors initiative.
In an event at St Edmund Campion School, Erdington, the Mayor announced that the initiative has surpassed it first-year target of matching more than 1,000 young people from across the West Midlands with an inspirational mentor.
The Mayor met with mentors and mentees to hear about the difference mentoring can make to the lives of young people in the region. Launched in June 2017, Mayor’s Mentors helps to give young people the life skills and advice they need to flourish.
The Mentors help young people understand how to succeed in life and be better prepared for their future careers. Mentors typically meet with a young person – either one to one or in small groups - once or twice a month to discuss the young person’s studies and career opportunities.
The event this Thursday (25th October) was co-hosted by the West Midlands Combined Authority and The Careers & Enterprise Company, a national organisation that provided funding for eight organisations to help them deliver mentoring programmes during the first year of the initiative.
Andy Street said: “In just over a year we’ve been able to help more than 1,000 young people through mentoring, a key way we can improve their career chances and accelerate their progress.
“I know through my own career that having a mentor can be a huge advantage and I feel very strongly about giving others that opportunity.
“But it’s important to remember this is a two way thing. I have my own mentee – a young lady who runs a business called Imani Clough – and I learn huge amounts from her.”
Claudia Harris, Chief Executive of The Careers & Enterprise Company, said:
“Mentoring can light a spark in a young person, helping them connect to someone who was once in their shoes and think about the opportunities ahead. And it goes both ways - mentors have so much to learn from their mentees.
“I could not be more proud that in just one year over 1000 young people have had the opportunity to connect with a mentor in the West Midlands. We have loved our collaboration with Mayors Mentors and look forward to the next stage.”
Students from St Edmund Campion school have benefited from mentorship. Sixth-former Lily-Mae Davis said: “It’s given us a new experience and built our confidence. Before, we couldn’t speak in front of a full room, but now it just seems natural. It’s benefitted us when applying for university and jobs, too. I’ve gained a lot from the experience and would recommend it to all other young people.”
Fellow sixth-former Chloe Connolly added: “We’ve gained experience about how to talk to adults and act in a work environment on a day to day basis. It has helped with interviews and I am now more confident in class, whereas before, I wouldn’t speak much at all.”
Their Envision mentor, Carol Herity, head of partnership at Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commission Group, said she was passionate about helping young people.
She said: “Mentoring is part of the way we are able to support young people and it gives staff the opportunity to connect with the people we serve. On a personal level, my professional background is in youth and community work and I am passionate about working with young people.
“Today has been a great opportunity to re-connect with last year’s mentees and to hear what they gained from the experience.”
