Shaathi Mentoring Project

About the project:

The Shaathi Mentoring Project was set up in 2002 to implement an early intervention approach in working with disadvantaged and deprived young people and young adults from the Black, Asian, Minority and Ethnic communities within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Borough is one of the most deprived and disadvantaged in the UK. Many of their young people are identified as being ‘at risk’ of becoming excluded from mainstream services such as education, training and employment or are engaged in anti-social behaviour or known to the criminal justice system.

The project seeks to connect young people to a positive role model to enable and support them to overcome different challenges and barriers in their day-to-day lives. Mentors are matched to a client who need and want a caring and responsible adult who will steer and guide them back on track. They will provide advice, guidance, practical assistance, emotional support, encouragement and adopt a non-judgemental attitude towards the client’s life – these may be issues relating to family, housing, bullying, health, relationships and so on. The service is strictly confidential as well as person centred.

The mentoring project works with and alongside mainstream services such as schools, pupil referral units, Connexions and other youth services, social services, youth offending teams, probation services, NHS and other agencies.

Over 2009/10, the project has delivered 25 mentoring sessions per week (on average) and facilitated 16 group mentoring sessions
The project achieved the Approved Provider Standard (APS) accreditation in 2006 and was re-accredited in 2009, and also attained the Investing in Volunteers (IIV) status in 2008. Funding comes from a variety of sources.

Shaathi Mentoring is an Osmani Trust project. Its mission statement states its role as:

“To empower and enable children, young people and adults through effective mentoring. To enhance, raise the standard and quality of life of the most disadvantaged, deprived and disengaged people of our society”.

Project’s website: www.osmanitrust.org

Project’s aims:

•  Provide a positive role model
• Raise clients self confidence, esteem and career aspirations
• Promote and encourage healthy life styles
• Enable positive and constructive use of time
• Provide social, practical and emotional support
• Reduce offending and anti-social behaviour
• Improve social, communication and life skills
• Direct or refer clients to complimentary services
• Provide a culturally sensitive service
• Provide a holistic service and support for families and carers
• Ensure clients work towards achieving accreditation
• Work towards reducing the risk of re-offending

Project outcomes:

Impact on mentees:

• Over 560 mentees have accessed the project since its inception in 2002
• During 2009/10, the project has reached 110 young people, with 66 seeing their mentor on five or more occasions and with all 66 achieving the recorded outcome set
• 60 mentees over the last year have reported that they had benefitted from the scheme in terms of self confidence

Impact on mentors:

• 95% of them found the experience of mentoring beneficial in terms of their own skills development
• 60% have said the fact that they had been a mentor had been considered by potential employers as positive on their CVs
• 80% of the mentors have said they would very likely, or likely, continue to provide mentoring to people in the future

Mentee’s personal impact statemen

J is a 13 year old Bangladeshi girl who is currently in foster care with her three siblings. She was referred to Shaathi by her social worker in order to find her a good role model and to explore strategies to combat her challenging behaviour.

Through the mentoring programme, J visited University College London. “This visit made her realise the opportunities available and the sacrifices that need to be made to achieve certain goals” explains Jobrul Islam, a senior manager on the scheme. “J identified routes to university and is aware of the support available to her.”

J agrees that the scheme has been very beneficial for her. “Since starting the mentoring programme I have made new friends and have visited so many places with my mentor. It’s been really helpful in changing my outlook on life and as a result my self confidence and esteem has increased. The one to one sessions were excellent. They allowed me to talk to someone about my personal issues.”

“We provide support, but it’s up to them to make the fullest use possible of the experience” says Jobrul. “They’re not just ‘service users’ or ‘clients’ to us. They are like our own brothers and sisters – and our future leaders. We’re very proud of the fact that some of the mentees have gone on to become mentors themselves.”

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