Mentoring · Ages 8–24
Our mentoring meets young people wherever they are — from early help and prevention, through targeted support, to intensive intervention with those at the highest risk of exploitation and serious violence. One trusted relationship, scaled to the level of need, holds it all together.
Why mentoring works
National research is clear: a trusted adult, consistent over time, changes the direction of a young person's life — and reaches young people that authority figures and services often can't.
Source: Youth Endowment Fund Toolkit, drawing on a review of international research. The YEF — set up in 2019 with a £200m Home Office endowment — rates mentoring as having a moderate, evidence-backed impact on reducing youth violence, improving self-regulation, communication and problem-solving.
Our model
Need is rarely fixed. A young person may step up the continuum as risk grows, or step down as things stabilise. The same trusted-relationship approach runs through every level — what changes is the intensity, the partners around the table, and the pace.
For: whole groups and year cohorts in schools and the community — building protective factors before any issue takes hold.
For: young people showing early warning signs — disengagement, poor attendance, negative peer association or emotional-wellbeing concerns.
For: young people at real risk of criminal exploitation, county lines, serious youth violence or exclusion — where harm sits across home, school, peers and community.
For: young people on Youth Rehabilitation Orders, leaving custody, or deeply entrenched in exploitation and violence — often disengaged from every other service.
A holistic approach
So mentoring is the spine, but the way in is often something they actually want to do. Sport, creativity and new experiences become the bridge to a trusted relationship — and then the place real conversations happen.
Qualified personal trainers, licensed boxing coaches and a UEFA A football coach use sport to build discipline, focus and resilience — and to engage young people who won't sit in a meeting.
A podcasting studio, music and DJ workshops, and the RETHREADED sustainable-fashion project give young people a voice, new skills and a sense of identity — used as tools for regulation and confidence.
Residential voyages with Tall Ships Youth Trust and placements with the British Racing School take young people beyond the everyday — opening doors many would never otherwise reach.
Why it matters: creative and physical activity isn't a distraction from the work — it's how trust is built, especially with the young people who are hardest to reach. The relationship is the intervention; the activity is the doorway.
Inside the school gates
Our mentors are embedded in school settings, not visiting from the outside. They work alongside designated safeguarding leads, see the whole context around a young person, and respond the moment a concern emerges — applying contextual safeguarding across home, peers, school and community in real time.
That presence means earlier identification, faster response, and a trusted adult young people already know when things get difficult.
Proven outcomes
Across our mentoring, outreach and school-based programmes, outcomes are captured through pre- and post-programme evaluations and young-person voice surveys.
A young man subject to a Youth Rehabilitation Order — offences involving a firearm and Class A drugs — engaged with a specialist mentor at a critical turning point.
No further offending during engagement; now in stable work and on a sustained pathway away from crime.
Our specialist exploitation and serious-youth-violence work has built long-term relationships with a high-risk cohort that other services struggle to reach.
Over 80% sustained engagement — and funding recommissioned for a further four years to 2029.
A young person previously excluded from mainstream education joined a Tall Ships residential voyage with low confidence and thrived on the structure and responsibility.
Invited back for a second voyage and offered training towards becoming a volunteer skipper.
How we work
We don't work in isolation. Our mentoring sits inside a wider safeguarding system, delivered hand-in-hand with statutory partners and funded to reach the young people who need it most.
Working in partnership with 8+ councils across London, Essex and Kent to deliver early intervention and contextual safeguarding.
Supporting critical-incident work and prevention with police forces and community safety teams across our regions.
Joined-up delivery with the services that refer and support the young people at highest risk.
VRU funding allows us to offer this mentoring at no cost to the young people and families referred to us — prioritising those most at risk of violence and exploitation.
Referral pathways
We accept referrals from a range of statutory and community organisations — and, on a case-by-case basis, directly from families. If you're unsure whether a young person is right for the programme, get in touch and we'll talk it through.
Young people involved in, or at risk of, offending — often linked to diversionary programmes.
Young people identified through anti-social behaviour, criminal activity or gang affiliation.
Concerns around behaviour, attendance, peer relationships, exclusion or safeguarding.
Family breakdown, safeguarding risk, children in care or at risk of exploitation.
Referrals from social services, CAMHS, safeguarding teams and partner charities.
Considered case by case — because families are often first to know when a young person needs support.
Refer · Support · Change a story
Whether it's early help or the highest level of risk, the first step is the same. Tell us about the young person and we'll match them to the right level of mentoring.
Questions first? Email admin@youthunity.org or call 020 3105 3525.
