Unfold

Unfold

At a glance

Causes

  • Black, asian and minority ethnic groups
  • Children / families
  • Health and well being / research and care
  • Local / community
  • Mental health
  • Refugees / migrants
  • Training / employment support
  • Women
  • Young people

Other details

Organisation type: 
Charity
Geographical remit: 
Local

Objectives

Unfold, previously known as Westminster Befriend a Family, supports families and young people in Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and the surrounding boroughs, helping them get where they want to be through mentoring powered by volunteers. We enable people to identify and achieve goals that matter to them, so they can independently manage the challenges they face. Our volunteers provide regular, sustained, one to one social, emotional, and practical support.

Our programmes are open to everyone, but we aim to support those who face the most challenges through partnerships and targeted outreach. Around 93% of the people we work with describe themselves as coming from a racialised group, 85% of families we support are single-headed households led by a woman, and around 69% of the children we support are eligible for free school meals. We also run specialised programmes of support for asylum seekers and refugees. Our mentoring programmes last for 12 – 24 weekly sessions over three to six months. At the end of mentoring, we see demonstrable improvements in confidence and wellbeing, increased connectedness and enhanced self-efficacy.

Activities

We have three main programmes:

  • ‘Mentoring for Mums’ - providing mothers of children aged five and over with regular one-to-one mentoring support from a trained volunteer, building confidence and problem-solving skills.
  • ‘Women’s Support Groups’ - providing a safe, welcoming, and friendly space for women and non-binary people to meet and make friends, as well as partake in activities and access signposting and referral functions to other groups and services in the community.
  • ‘Broadening Horizons’ - offering mentoring for young people aged 10-25, in which volunteers provide three to six months of support on a weekly basis.

No current opportunities

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