Y-Girls

What is the Y’s Girls mentoring programme?

The Y’s Girls mentoring programme matches trained volunteer mentors with young women aged 9-14 to support them to be their best.

Over the initial 19-month pilot, Y’s Girls has matched 270 girls to adult mentors and was awarded Family & Youth Work Project of the Year at the Youth Matters Awards 2022.

Over a year, mentors and young people meet for two-hour sessions and work together to identify achievable goals that will empower the mentee and build their resilience, enabling them to lead fulfilling lives and improve their short and long-term mental health and wellbeing. The sessions offer an informal environment with the opportunity to discuss anything that might worry them, from family and personal relationships to lifestyle and education.

An external evaluation conducted by the Centre for Youth Impact found that Y’s Girls is an early and effective intervention that positively impacts six social and emotional learning skills that are indicative of better short and long-term mental health, that it is a young-person-centred and inclusive programme, with a clear relationship between quality and impact.

Download the Mentee Referral Form

Download now

I had been getting bullied quite a lot and experiencing family stuff. […] Things are really getting better. I’ve noticed within myself that I’m feeling a lot happier.

The Y’s Girls mentoring programme matches trained volunteer mentors with young girls aged 9–14 years old to support them to be their best.

How does it work?

You will be assigned to a local Project Coordinator who will tell you more about Y’s Girls mentoring, as well as discuss your interests and availability. You will then be matched with a young person as your mentee. As a mentor, you will be offered a full package of ongoing training and support for your personal and professional development, to help you and the young person get the most out of the mentoring process.

Over a 12-month period, you will regularly meet with your young person and work together to identify achievable goals to focus on. These goals should empower the young person, building their resilience and enabling them to lead fulfilling lives. As a mentor, you can also help the young person to access activities and services, and try new things. These sessions also offer an informal environment for the young person to discuss anything that might be worrying them, from family and personal relationships, to lifestyle and education.