Starting Point support young people aged 11-25 in the Reading area. We seek to enable transformation in the lives of young people who face disadvantage by providing mentoring and creating opportunities.
We have three programmes:
Advance Mentoring: supporting young people aged 11-19 who are at risk of exclusion from school and/or becoming NEET (not in education, employment, or training) upon leaving education.
Aspire Mentoring: supporting young people aged 15-25 to attain, sustain and thrive within education, employment and training.
Aware Mentoring: supporting young people aged 11-25 who are involved in/at risk of exploitation, offending, or youth violence.
Our volunteer mentors are a crucial support in two specific ways:
This holistic, tailored, individual approach positively impacts the young people we work with and supports them towards a brighter and more hopeful future.
Starting Point receives referrals from individuals and referral bodies. We strive to have little or no waiting time from receiving a referral to setting an appointment time to the initial meeting with the young person, and there is no time limit on how long the young person receives support.
We train and equip our volunteer mentors to be able to offer both practical and social/emotional support, as well as having a Mentor Toolbox filled with resources to support our mentors. Through getting to know the mentors and mentees, we match similar skills and interests to each other, making the mentor/mentee journey as fulfilling and rewarding as possible. Additional support is always available.
