Mentor a young person aged 11 to 18 who has fallen between services. Offer one calm, virtual hour a week of presence, listening, and steady support. Light‑touch, relational, non‑clinical. Lived experience of neurodivergence or mental health is highly welcomed.
What difference will you make?
You will be one consistent, attuned adult in a young person's week, when many young people we support do not have one. That is not a small thing. Weekly relational time, held over months, is what helps regulation, confidence, and a steadier sense of self begin to grow. Your hour can be the part of the week that does not have to be defended, performed, or got through.
What You Will Gain
Volunteering with BrightPaths is mutual. We are not just looking for what you bring. We want you to grow with us.
- Termly 1:1 supervision with someone who knows the work, and group reflective sessions with peers.
- Ongoing safeguarding and trauma‑aware training, with clear progression as you build experience.
- Real, useful experience for anyone considering teaching, youth work, counselling, social care, EP work, or charity leadership.
- A working environment that takes your wellbeing as seriously as the young person's. Predictable rhythm, no surprise demands, clear boundaries.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for warmth, steadiness, and the ability to listen without rushing. Skills can be taught. Presence cannot.
- Three or more years of experience in one or more of mentoring, pastoral care, youth work, counselling‑adjacent roles, education support, social care, or substantively similar lived‑experience‑informed practice.
- Comfortable holding space for a young person without trying to fix or rescue.
- Reliable, predictable, and able to commit to a regular weekly slot through term‑time.
- Comfortable with online 1:1 work and basic video tools.
- Willing to hold a non‑clinical, relational boundary. We do not provide therapy.
- Able to follow safeguarding processes and elevate promptly when something does not feel right.
- Willing to undertake an Enhanced DBS check, BrightPaths safeguarding training, and provide two references.
Highly Welcomed (valued, Not Required)
- Lived experience of neurodivergence (your own or as a parent / sibling / close family).
- Lived experience of mental health challenges, school avoidance, or feeling between services as a young person.
- Experience of masking, sensory load, or learning to advocate for support.
- Time spent in or alongside services that did not quite fit you or your child, and the ability to talk about that openly without it spilling into the session.
Remote
What will you be doing?
You will be a steady, trusted adult for young people by delivering regular online 1:1 sessions. You are not here to "fix"; you will hold space, listen, and help them understand themselves a little better, giving them a place to process and connect.
- Run regular 1:1 online sessions, typically once a week, around 45 minutes each.
- Build a relationship over time, at the young person's pace.
- Use the YES session structure as a guide; stay led by what the young person needs that day.
- Notice and gently surface patterns of confidence, regulation, things that feel different week to week.
- Keep brief, factual session notes in BrightPaths systems.
- Follow the YES mentoring safeguarding process. Flag concerns to the safeguarding lead promptly.
- Attend termly 1:1 supervision and group reflective sessions every 5 to 7 weeks.
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