Join the crew

The aim of mentoring is to offer support to young people, encouraging them to develop key life skills and inspire them to set achievable future goals. As a mentor, you will meet with your mentee over a set period of time to help motivate and guide them in their learning. It can be a superbly rewarding relationship and life changing experience for both mentors and mentees alike.

Mentoring involves the following key commitments:

Having regular meetings with your mentee
Providing your mentee with support they require to move towards employment, education or training
Supporting a young person in identifying goals and targets to work towards
Empowering them to make their own decisions about their development
Signposting them to other organisations for support
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Experience of working with young people can be advantageous but is not essential. You are there to inspire your mentee and to share with them your career tips/work experience to date. You do not need specific skills to become a mentor, just enthusiasm and commitment.

For more information, or to express your interest in becoming an LYR mentor, please contact Programme Director, Emily Coe on ecoe@londonyouthrowing.com.

The LYR Life Skills team will match mentors with mentees. Factors which will be taken into account include:
the life skills and work experience you have to offer
safeguarding considerations
availability and location that enables commitment to regular meetup's

Time commitment depends on the type of mentoring you are delivering; one-to-one or group. On average, we would ask mentors to deliver a minimum of 12 hours over the course of a year, eg. 8 x 1.5 hours. But, one session per month is recommended.

Yes, you will work with the same young person over the duration of your mentoring experience. We believe that both the young person and volunteer gain most from the mentoring experience when they have the chance to get to know one another and build a strong relationship. Therefore, it is our preference that you remain paired with the same mentee over time.

No - London Youth Rowing staff support Mentors by providing suggested topics and activities. But, we encourage companies and individuals to use their own experience and resources to engage the young people they are working with.

You are not expected to provide work experience. If you are signing up through your company, they will have their own guidelines on offering work experience. If you are signing up as an individual, you might signpost your mentee to you company, or help them find specific resources on work experience / apprenticeships in the field they are interested in.