Gloucestershire Mentoring Programme

Supporting vulnerable young people
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Our mentoring programme is designed just for you

If you’re 10 to 25 years old and living or studying in Gloucestershire or South Gloucestershire, we’re here to help.  GMP offers free support to young people who are facing challenging life experiences or have lived through these in the past.  We get alongside them on an individual basis, giving them tools, guidance and other support that helps them thrive.

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Learn about the programme

Apply as a young person

Apply as a young person

GMP offers free support to young people who may be facing challenges, giving you the tools and guidance you need to thrive.

Get Support

Refer a young person

Refer a young person

If you’re a professional referrer, seeking a supportive mentoring opportunity for individuals aged 10 to 25, and are situated in Gloucestershire or South Gloucestershire, you’ve found the right place to extend a helping hand.

Make a Referral

Volunteer as a Mentor

Volunteer as a Mentor

‘If you’ve a heart for understanding and supporting young people and an hour or so a week to spare, we’d love to hear from you.

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COLLABORATING TO HELP

A mentoring programme designed for you

At GMP we work together, supporting each other to support you.  We’re here to help you become stronger and make choices that shape a positive future.

Apply as a young person
Refer a young person

Collaborating

GMP is led by four organisations that have joined forces to provide crucial local support for young people in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire.

Collaborating

GMP is led by four organisations that have joined forces to provide crucial local support for young people in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire. Our trained volunteer mentors work hand-in-hand with their mentees, fostering trusted relationships that lead to improved life outcomes. And we offer additional support by working with other providers to bridge the gap between young people and the services they require.

Supporting

We offer a safe space where young people can build trusting relationships with supportive adults.

Supporting

We offer a safe space where young people can build trusting relationships with supportive adults. Here, they can freely express themselves and be heard, and receive long-term support to tackle hurdles and journey towards a positive future.

Empowering

Our Programme equips young people with the tools they need to thrive.

Empowering

Our Programme equips young people with the tools they need to thrive. We provide practical and emotional support, helping them build resilience and confidence to face life’s challenges head-on.

COLLABORATING TO CHANGE THINGS

What makes us
stand out

We are committed to offering early intervention support to young people who are facing challenging life experiences or have lived through these in the past.  And to journeying with those who are ready to take control of their own lives, make positive changes, and build a brighter future.  Every young person on the Programme benefits from a listening ear and support that’s designed to meet their individual needs and circumstances.  It’s a collaborative approach that can change lives and communities.

About us

The Gloucestershire
Mentoring Programme

Gloucestershire Mentoring Programme took its first steps towards supporting young women and girls at the end of 2021, officially launching in March 2022.  Since then, we’ve been pleased to extend our offer to all 10 – 25-year-olds, and we continue to focus on those whose life circumstances suggest they’re at risk of becoming involved in crime.  We help these young people journey towards a positive future by providing trusted mentors who meet with them on a regular basis (usually weekly) for up to a year and sometimes longer.  And by collaborating to help them benefit from additional support and services that meet their needs.

Learn about us

Impact

What people are saying about us.

I think other services didn’t necessarily take Jake’s perspective that seriously. He probably had the best relationship with his mentor who got an accurate picture of what was going on.
Referrer
I think other services didn’t necessarily take Jake’s perspective that seriously.  He probably had the best relationship with his mentor who got an accurate picture of what was going on.
Referrer
Tanya talked very positively about her mentor and GMP. She felt like it was a safe space to talk about things and be supported with whatever she brought up.
Referrer
Tanya talked very positively about her mentor and GMP. She felt like it was a safe space to talk about things and be supported with whatever she brought up.
Referrer
I enjoy being a mentor and the relationship I have with my mentee is positive. Due to the length of the Programme, it is amazing to be able to take a steady pace when needed to build a relationship. It is a privilege to watch the progress...
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Mentor
I enjoy being a mentor and the relationship I have with my mentee is positive.  Due to the length of the Programme, it is amazing to be able to take a steady pace when needed to build a relationship. It is a privilege to watch the progress young people make and see them grow in confidence.  We’ve explored many different areas during mentoring sessions, such as friendships, emotion management and internet safety.
Mentor
Mentoring has been mutually beneficial for me and my young person. From our initial meeting, we’ve been getting to know each other more and discussing more sensitive topics. We’ve explored life issues such as mental health and relationships. Being able to form this connection has meant...
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Mentor
Mentoring has been mutually beneficial for me and my young person. From our initial meeting, we’ve been getting to know each other more and discussing more sensitive topics. We’ve explored life issues such as mental health and relationships. Being able to form this connection has meant I’ve been able to help them through their situations and provide a space for them to reflect on how they feel.  …It feels rewarding knowing you are there for a young person who may be experiencing tough times. It is not our job to change their life situation, but having a positive role model can make their life slightly easier.  And allowing them to talk through everything means I have personally developed my active listening skills and empathy…
Mentor
My mentor is like a good friend. They’re very approachable and take time to help me understand what’s going on without making me feel confused or angry.
Mentee
My mentor is like a good friend. They’re very approachable and take time to help me understand what’s going on without making me feel confused or angry.
Mentee
My confidence has improved – I’ve become more apologetic and take ownership of my actions – something I previously wasn’t aware of.
Mentee
My confidence has improved – I’ve become more apologetic and take ownership of my actions – something I previously wasn’t aware of.
Mentee
My mentor is amazing; I really feel safe talking to them and look forward to when I see them next. They made me feel heard and comfortable.
Mentee
My mentor is amazing; I really feel safe talking to them and look forward to when I see them next. They made me feel heard and comfortable.
Mentee
My mentor helped me be a lot calmer, and I think I understand my relationships a lot better too – especially with my mum.
Mentee
My mentor helped me be a lot calmer, and I think I understand my relationships a lot better too – especially with my mum.
Mentee
Mentoring helps me to get everything out. I really trust my mentor and tell them things before I tell anyone else. Mentoring has relieved a lot of my stress and we have worked on my sleeping which is much better now.
Mentee
Mentoring helps me to get everything out. I really trust my mentor and tell them things before I tell anyone else. Mentoring has relieved a lot of my stress and we have worked on my sleeping which is much better now.
Mentee
My mentor is lovely, and I feel like they understand and listen when I have worries or problems. I feel a lot more confident about speaking up about things on my mind and they’ve helped me with so much.
Mentee
My mentor is lovely, and I feel like they understand and listen when I have worries or problems. I feel a lot more confident about speaking up about things on my mind and they’ve helped me with so much.
Mentee
My mentor and I get along really well.
Mentee
My mentor and I get along really well.
Mentee
I trust my mentor.
Mentee
I trust my mentor.
Mentee
I feel like I can turn to my mentor when I’m having a hard time.
Mentee
I feel like I can turn to my mentor when I’m having a hard time.
Mentee
My mentor listens to what I have to say.
Mentee
My mentor listens to what I have to say.
Mentee
My mentor gives me good advice.
Mentee
My mentor gives me good advice.
Mentee
‘Before I started mentoring, I had no real experience of providing support to a young person. Despite various roles in my employment history, I had never gained noticeable supervisory experience and had avoided opportunities to mentor even though I felt I had skills that could contribute well...
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Volunteer Mentor
‘Before I started mentoring, I had no real experience of providing support to a young person. Despite various roles in my employment history, I had never gained noticeable supervisory experience and had avoided opportunities to mentor even though I felt I had skills that could contribute well to the role. With the helpful sup-port and training of GMP, I gained the confidence to start the mentoring pro-gramme. Over the course of the mentoring period, the sustained support from GMP has allowed me to have a lot of confidence in mentoring. When I started I was not in permanent employment. The programme gave me confidence to gain per-manent employment and recently I have progressed to take on a mentoring role in my work that I had avoided in the past. I could not have done this without this op-portunity.’
Volunteer Mentor
‘I enjoy being a mentor and the relationship I have with my mentee is positive. Due to the length of the programme it is amazing to be able to take a steady pace when needed to build a relationship with the young people. It is a privilege to...
Read More
Volunteer Mentor
‘I enjoy being a mentor and the relationship I have with my mentee is positive. Due to the length of the programme it is amazing to be able to take a steady pace when needed to build a relationship with the young people. It is a privilege to watch the progress young people make and seeing them grow in confidence. YPs have ex-plored many different areas during our mentoring, such as friendships, emotion management as well as internet safety. I feel as though my YP has been able to ex-plore many different ways to manage their emotions.’
Volunteer Mentor
‘It’s both challenging and rewarding. I think I’m similar to many mentors in that I wanted to volunteer with GMP because I wanted to support a young person and try and make a difference. It’s important to remember that making a difference isn’t necessarily going to be anything...
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Volunteer Mentor
‘It’s both challenging and rewarding. I think I’m similar to many mentors in that I wanted to volunteer with GMP because I wanted to support a young person and try and make a difference. It’s important to remember that making a difference isn’t necessarily going to be anything huge, it could simply be turning up to each session on time. It’s an opportunity to make a difference, even a tiny difference, to the life of someone who’s struggling. We’ve had 4 sessions, so it’s still early days. My mentee seems to be comfortable talking to me and this in itself feels like signifi-cant progress.’
Volunteer Mentor
Case Studies

Gloucestershire Mentoring Programme
Support for those who might be facing tough situations
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Free support for young people who have faced or are living with challenging life experiences

Apply as a young person
Refer a young person

Volunteering

Become a mentor 

If you apply to become a mentor with us, we will seamlessly connect you with a GMP partner organisation in your local area.  And they will get in touch to arrange a chat and share next steps.  All our mentors receive comprehensive training to ensure they’re well equipped at the start of their mentoring journey, and ongoing support in their role.

Find out more

Latest News 

Jun 03 2024

Stakeholder Update – May 2024

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Feb 01 2024

Stakeholder Update – Jan 2024

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Oct 03 2023

Stakeholder Update – Oct 2023

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Aug 16 2023
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Volunteer Recruitment Event

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Jul 10 2023

Stakeholder Update – Jun 2023

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May 16 2023

Volunteers Week – Information Sessions

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Mar 24 2023

Stakeholder Update – March 2023

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Read about The Gloucestershire mentoring programme on the BBC

Applying online is quick and simple

If you’re between 10 and 25 years old, living or studying in Gloucestershire or South Gloucestershire, we're here to help. GMP offers free support to young people who have faced or are living with challenging life experiences, giving them the tools and guidance they need to thrive.

Apply as a young person Refer a young person

Our Partner Organisations

Kainaat Khan

Delivery Practitioner for Young Gloucestershire

Kai is the Operations Manager for the Community and Mentoring Department at Young Glos, based in Gloucester City. Kai has been in this role since October 2023. This role involves day to day management of the community and mentoring department along with safeguarding duties, prior to this, Kai spent time as a Delivery Manager for Young Glos

Kai has a background of leading projects within Adult Social Care for Gloucestershire County Council.

In Kai’s free time she enjoys Pilates and taking walks.

One piece of advice Kai would give to her young self would be…

‘Let it be, live in the present’.

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Elisha Kyne

Delivery Practitioner for The Door

Elisha is the Gloucestershire Mentoring Programme Manager at The Door and joined in November 2021. Elisha’s role is very versatile and includes meeting, assessing and getting to know young people and volunteer mentors. Elisha works closely with young people and volunteer mentors, finding a suitable match; this helps the young person to receive the right support as early as possible. Elisha gives support and guidance with regular check-ins throughout all mentoring relationships. Alongside this, Elisha is busy being a part of the volunteer training, developing the website and managing the social media accounts, all while helping the whole programme to run smoothly.

Since finishing university, Elisha has been working in the charity sector supporting volunteers, as she loves to work with people and within the local community. Elisha also volunteers herself!

Elisha enjoys cooking, pottery and getting out in nature, walking with her puppy.

One piece of advice Elisha would give to her younger self would be…

"We can spend a lot of our lives trying to please others, spend time learning to believe and trust in yourself. It can go a long way to helping you to express yourself’.

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Jill Anderson 

Programme Development Manager

Jill is the Gloucestershire Mentoring Programme Development Manager, and has been with the Programme since it started in November 2021. Jill is at the helm, overseeing strategic activities to develop the service, supporting partners to collaborate on service delivery.

Jill’s background includes time as a secondary school teacher then transitioning to the heritage sector, eventually becoming a local government head of service, leading cultural and trading services.

Away from work, Jill is keen on arts and culture and enjoys visiting places that offer visual and culinary delights; at home, you'll often catch Jill immersed in textile or garden projects. Jill also has a couple of volunteering roles and two lively grandchildren to keep her on her toes!  To unwind, Jill likes to hang out with loved ones, especially if it’s in or near water - the garden spa, warm sea, or a nice pool.

One piece of advice Jill would give to her younger self would be…

“Embrace the lessons life has to offer.”  There's so much we don't know, and we make mistakes along the way – that’s okay, we just need to learn from our experiences, good and bad.  It helps us navigate life's twists and turns and get better at managing relationships.

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Teresa Harding

Programme Administrator

Teresa Harding joined as Gloucestershire Mentoring Programme Administrator in Jan 2024, bringing 20 years’ plus of administration experience and is using her coordinating, planning and scheduling skills to support the GMP collaboration as it progresses into the future.

Teresa is a volunteer mentor for The Door and after one year of mentoring, recognised the positive impact it can have, for both the mentee and the mentor. She is thrilled to be supporting GMP as a full time member of staff.

In her spare time, Teresa loves to spend time in her camper van with a bit of wild swimming and the occasional tandem skydive.

One piece of advice Teresa would give to her younger self …..

“Make choices in life for YOU and go for it, instead of doing what other people expect of you. Worrying what other people think, may lead you down a long and winding path”.

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Agnes Kessling

Delivery Practitioner for The Nelson Trust

Agnes Kessling is our Mentor Coordinator at The Nelson Trust Women’s Centre based in Gloucester. Agnes has been in this role since June 2023, which involves recruiting, training and supervising the team of volunteer mentors. Agnes also manages a Young Women’s Keyworker supporting young people with an increased need for support.

Agnes brings with her a wealth of experience and knowledge, previously working as a Child Exploitation Keyworker as well as a Support Worker and later a Clinical Assistant in a Specialist Therapy Centre for PTSD and Trauma. This involved supporting a team of Psychotherapists and running creative groups with clients. Agnes also has research experience with the University of Bristol, working on a project looking at the impact of childhood trauma on risk taking behaviour in adolescence.

In Agnes’ free time she loves Art, drumming, getting out into nature and also volunteers in a community goat herding project!

One piece of advice Agnes would give to her young self would be…

‘Take every opportunity you can and don’t sweat the small stuff’

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Max Harris

Delivery Practitioner for 1625 Independent People

Max Harris is our Community Mentoring Project Coordinator for South Gloucestershire. He has enjoyed this role since the Autumn of 2022. His role involves recruiting, training and managing mentors along with advertising the service for referrals of young people, aged 16 to 25 years of age in the South Gloucestershire area.

Max brings a wealth of experience having started working with socially excluded young people 25 years ago. He then went on to specialise in substance misuse, working with young people and adults. In more recent years, Max had worked exclusively supporting care experienced young people in partnership with Social Services.

In Max’s free time he enjoys playing music, taking city breaks, eating pizza and hanging out with his pets.

One piece of advice Max would give to his young self would be…

‘Be the change you want to see’.

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