“It felt incredibly good to be helping the local community and spending our precious time doing something worthwhile outdoors.”

Safe Space Mentoring is available to 11-19 year olds across Hertfordshire in year 7 -13 (up to 25 years for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities). The aim of the Mentoring programme is to equip the young person with the necessary skills to make informed and positive choices in their lives. It is made clear to the young person that mentoring is a positive step and not as a result of them doing anything wrong; mentoring is voluntary. Case Study: Jamie and Oliver (names have been changed for confidentiality) Oliver was referred to Safe Space mentoring by Carers in Herts in October and started working with his mentor, Jamie in November. Oliver is a young carer for his mother who has severe mental health problems as well as a learning difficulty. Oliver’s father has no contact, and the only family live many miles away in a different county. Oliver has not been in school for 10 months having experienced severe bullying in his previous school. There were no other professionals involved. He was waiting for a school place at another school at the time of the referral but this has not been offered. Oliver said he wanted a mentor so that someone could understand him, have someone to care and someone he could feel comfortable with. The referrer wanted him to have a break from his caring role. Oliver engaged well with his mentor from the very beginning and has been reliable and open to suggestions. Oliver has coped well with lots of disappointments throughout the time we have been working with him, including his place at a new school being withdrawn and his application for a special college being rejected by the SEND panel. He has been open about his desire to return to school but realistic about his ability to cope in a mainstream setting. His mentor has been able to support him with some aspects of learning by, for example helping him to access the local library and go though some maths questions with him. He has also written a letter of support for the school placement appeal, having got to know him and his needs well over the course of the last few months. As well as supporting Oliver with not being in school, Jamie has also encouraged him to get out of the house. Oliver and his mum hardly leave the house, and Oliver is quite nervous about meeting other young people due to previous bullying incidents. The mentor has gone on dog walks with him and it seems, also provided some informal dog training! Oliver is still not confident at leaving the house and needs quite a lot of support with this aspect of his life. Oliver said: “Walking the dog has built my confidence, I’m much happier and a large part of this is due to Jamie.” Feedback from Oliver’s mother: “After Oliver speaks to Jamie he’s in like a bubble floating in the air. We call Jamie our human angel” For all available roles at Safe Space click here .

Caudwell Youth: Volunteer Case Study Caudwell Youth mentors at-risk young people aged 11-24 years into new futures. Founded in 2022 by four co-leaders with experience of charity-led mentoring provision and philanthropist John Caudwell. They are determined to ensure that the needs of at-risk young people are properly addressed. We talked to Alison Crook, a volunteer mentor at Caudwell Youth who has been supporting Luke. Luke has been part of the Caudwell Youth Collective – a group made up of young people across all our areas that support the charity vision, they get to have input on lots of areas from marketing to being on the interview panel for our next CEO. What Prompted You to Become a Volunteer Mentor? My plan, when I was able to reduce my regular workload, was to put something together to persuade large corporations to provide some sort guaranteed training apprentice for 3 years to care leavers and to contribute to purpose built care leaver flats in which to reside whilst they were under apprenticeship, with support, afterwards, to move forwards. This young person volunteering, I thought would give me better insights into the issues surrounding care leavers and the support that is necessary. It is doing just this! How Often do You Volunteer for Caudwell Youth? Every week I meet with my allocated mentee face to face, with additional contact via messaging in between. How has Volunteering Changed You? Volunteering has provided better insights into the challenges that young people face leaving the care system and has demonstrated the inadequacies of the state support that on the face of it, should work, but because of the way it is set up, and lack of funding, fails to deliver. Also, accepting that small wins are OK and a step in the right direction. What is the Best Thing About Volunteering? It is a great way to “give something back” to society. Seeing small improvements and someone developing more independence. Meeting new people with different experiences. What Would You Say to Someone Considering Volunteering? If you have an interest in supporting young people and can devote some time, just do it! Finally, Would you Recommend Volunteering to Others? Definitely – everyone should do something in life to “give something back” to society. You can find Caudwell Youth mentoring opportunities here .

Hertfordshire volunteer stories: Louise Garden House Hospice