At ReachOut, we believe that socio-emotional skills are overlooked foundational skills which improve success at school and the everyday, personal lives of children. Our aim is to transform outcomes for young people constrained by circumstance by building their socio-emotional skills. We define these skills as empathy, responsibility, problem solving, initiative, teamwork and emotion management.
We exist because not all children have the opportunity to just ‘pick up’ socio-emotional skills. Just like with maths or English, socio-emotional skills can be influenced by a wide range of formal and informal learning opportunities, which many children just don’t have access to the services and opportunities necessary to develop these skills. The 9-14 age bracket is a crucial juncture in childhood development, which is why we focus our efforts on this age range.
Our programme delivery is informed by an evidence-based curriculum and delivered by our Project Leaders who are supported by volunteer mentors. Our after-school sessions run for 2 hours a week during term-time and help our amazing young people with their skills development through collective mentoring and engaging group activities. This approach combines positive peer support with supportive adult role models, allowing us to have the most impact.
At ReachOut, we work with young people constrained by circumstance who need some additional support to reach and be confident in their potential.
By becoming a volunteer mentor, you’ll be providing an additional role model to a brilliant young person, helping them to develop the socio-emotional skills that are key indicators of success at school and happiness in life.
Every year, we see the enormous impact that mentoring has on the young people we work with.
95% of mentees said their mentor helped them
89% of mentors said they saw increased confidence in their Mentees.
Here is what some of our young people had to say about their experience at ReachOut:
“ReachOut has made me a better person mentally and physically. I have enjoyed having a mentor; she is kind, helpful and trustworthy. My schoolwork is better, my behaviour is better and I enjoyed socialising in football.”
“I liked how everyone had their goals here and our mentors helped them to achieve it for example my mentor Charlotte helped me to overcome my fear of being really bad at maths and I will be forever grateful.”
Everybody is welcome to volunteer with ReachOut! We are just looking for people who are committed, enthusiastic and want to make a difference!
It doesn't matter if you've never worked with young people before, we will make sure you are fully trained before you start volunteering with us.
At ReachOut, our sessions involve a combination of collective mentoring and group activities that are designed to be exciting and inspiring, so are young people are developing their socio-emotional skills in a safe environment whilst having fun!
Mentoring doesn’t just impact the young people who take part in our projects – it has a hugely beneficial impact on our mentors as well!
- See a long-term impact by dedicating two hours per week to your mentee for at least one academic year.
- Volunteer alongside like-minded people and have the opportunity to form lifelong friendships.
- Feel part of your community by making a difference in your local area.
- Develop your skills. Former mentors have told us that volunteering really helped to build their confidence, communication and team working abilities.
- Come away with scenarios and situations where you will have used your commitment and resilience, which can be perfect for bringing up in job applications and interviews.