Mentoring for 16 to 25s

Ambition, with someone in your corner.

Weekly time with a mentor who has walked the path you want, or the one you are on.

Coming in our next phase

A young man in safety glasses and a mentor look closely at a small robotic arm in a college workshop.

What you get.

Who it’s for

Young people aged 16 to 25 in Greater Manchester
Students, apprentices and people looking for work
Young people who want a role model who gets where they come from

A career role model
Someone working in the field you want, who may share your heritage if you ask for that.
Or a lived-experience mentor
Someone who has been through similar challenges and come out the other side.
Goals you can see
College applications, a CV, work experience, interview practice, apprenticeships, your driving test. Tracked together.
Safe by default
Every mentor is checked, trained and supervised. Contact happens through Ownsay, never personal phones.

How it works.

1
Tell us what you want
Your goals, interests and what you want in a mentor.
2
Meet your mentor
First meetings happen with a coordinator or in an agreed public place.
3
Meet every week
In person or by video inside Ownsay, for six or twelve months.
4
See what changed
Courses, applications, placements and jobs, tracked as you go.

For professionals

For colleges, youth justice services and the Violence Reduction Unit: weekly, tracked mentoring with education, training and employment outcomes at three, six and twelve months. Parental consent and children’s safeguarding controls apply for 16 and 17 year olds.

Working with trusts and commissioners

What the evidence says

The Youth Endowment Fund rates mentoring’s average impact on violence as moderate, and links it to a 19% reduction in reoffending.

Why now

Good to know.

When does mentoring start?

In our next phase, once our pilot has shown it is safe and working. Join the list and we will tell you first.

I am 16 or 17. Who can see my messages?

Our safeguarding lead can see messages between staff and anyone under 18. We will explain this clearly before you join. A parent or carer also gives consent.