YEF announce £10 million investment to help young people turn to mentors, not violence

Young people at risk of criminal exploitation and violence will soon have the support of positive adult role models, thanks to a new £10 million investment from the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF).

The charity is investing £10 million to expand and evaluate four established mentoring programmes across England and Wales. All are designed to provide targeted support to prevent young people from becoming involved in crime, violence and exploitation.

Young people referred to these programmes will be paired with trained mentors with similar backgrounds and experiences. Through weekly one-on-one sessions, mentors will build trust and provide safe spaces to address the issues making them vulnerable to crime and exploitation.

Beyond emotional support, mentors will offer practical assistance, helping young people engage with education, training and employment opportunities. By adopting a long-term approach and giving them trusted adults to turn to in times of crisis and need, the funding aims to reduce reoffending and help them live lives free from violence.

The Youth Endowment Fund’s decision to invest in mentoring programmes is based on a comprehensive review of international research. The YEF Toolkit show that mentoring programmes lead to an average 21% reduction in violence, a 14% decrease in all offending and a 19% reduction in reoffending rates.

The four programmes the YEF will fund and evaluate are delivered by Media Academy Cymru, Spark2Life, St Giles and UpskillU.

About the projects

Media Academy Cymru – Cerridwen 

Over five months, young people will benefit from weekly one-to-one mentoring sessions with trained youth workers to address the underlying factors contributing to their violent behaviour. They will receive support to understand their feelings and emotions, develop positive self-identities and learn healthy ways to express themselves without resorting to violence.

Nick Corrigan, CEO at Media Academy Cymru, said: “The substantial funding provided by YEF has allowed us to deliver a South Wales Force Area-wide programme of support for young people committing violence.  With the investment from the YEF we will be able to evaluate the largest youth violence intervention programme ever seen in Wales with our evaluation partner Cordis Bright. The Welsh-developed programme Cerridwen has shown promising outcomes for many years so having the financial support to undertake a comprehensive investigation into efficacy is important for wider partners across the UK.”

St Giles – SOS+

Ten mentors – each with personal experience and knowledge of the challenges and issues facing young people today, will work in 20 schools across five regions for two years. During this time, they’ll provide young people who are vulnerable to violence and exploitation with six months of weekly one-to-one mentoring sessions. Within these sessions, SOS+ mentors will build trust and create a safe space for young people to explore potentially traumatic experiences, develop their self-esteem and raise their aspirations.

Tracey Burley, CEO at St Giles Trust, said: “We have spent 16-plus years delivering award-winning, preventative and early intervention work to children and young people in educational and community settings through our SOS+ programme at St Giles – reaching over half-a-million children and young people across the UK during that time. 

“We know this type of intervention works to keep young people safe, away from the risk of exploitation and being drawn into violence. We are delighted to receive this funding from YEF to further the impact of our mentoring work and build positive futures for more young people – an initiative we believe should be in every school if we want to reduce victims of violence across the country.” 

Ronan (16), a St Giles mentee, said: “My mentor explained that he’d been in trouble and I saw how he’d turned his life around. What he told me definitely showed me the misery of it. Being in prison for 12 years and all that. It made me realise that gangs may seem cool, but they’re really not. At first I thought it would be just some random guy preaching at me. But it’s nothing like that. Of all the professionals, I like him the most. He’s straight with me and he understands. It really helps.”

UpskillU – EXODUS

EXODUS is a 12-month mentoring intervention. The programme begins with 12 weeks of intensive one-to-one mentoring delivered by paid mentors from diverse cultural backgrounds, all trained in restorative practice. It’s followed by a transitional phase focused on long-term goals and personal development. Upon completing the programme, young people will be introduced to local community volunteers who will provide an ongoing, extended support network.

Gifford Sutherland, Chief Executive Officer at UpskillU, said: “Our EXODUS Programme delivers a unique style of mentoring which is developed around strength-based and trauma-informed approaches, underpinned by Restorative Practice. We have established our services within London and other parts of the UK including Northampton where we have already achieved notable outcomes and impact over the years. The Investment from YEF however, will enable us to scale this up on a significant level, working with nearly to 1,000 young people within Haringey, Northamptonshire and Oakhill STC (Milton Keynes).

“The funding from YEF will not only enable us to reach those at greatest risk but will enable us to work with CORAM, our evaluation partner, to carry out a substantial evaluation and full efficacy trial of our model and Theory of Change as evidence of best practice”.

Spark2Life – Meaningful Mentoring

Spark2Life caseworkers will provide young people with up to 12 months of trauma-informed mentoring and casework support.  Through weekly face-to-face sessions, the Meaningful Mentoring programme aims to strengthen young people’s support network, support young people with building a prosocial lifestyle hence, a lifestyle that sustains desistence and increases their engagement with education, training and employment opportunities.

Jamela Ricketts, Managing Director at Spark2Life, said: “For 18 years, with our highly skilled and culturally competent team of mentors, Spark2Life has been on a mission to ‘promote life and prevent harm’, and it is to this end that we are delighted to receive this investment from YEF.

“With this grant, we will be able to extend our reach, providing more young people with trusted adults who will provide them with support and empower them to successfully navigate the challenges of life that often lead to offending, exploitation and violence.

We are also excited to be working with our evaluation partner ICF to assess the work we have seen produce long lasting positive outcomes for young people.”

Ciaran Thapar, Director of Public Affairs and Communication at the Youth Endowment Fund, said: “Access to a committed, trusted mentor can make the world of difference to any young person’s life. During my time as a youth worker, I’ve seen for myself the powerful role that mentors play in the most crucial moments for children living in communities where violence is tragically normalised.

“In contrast to parents, or authority figures like teachers and police officers, a mentor offers a safe, authentic, relaxed space for communication, vulnerability and guidance. I am thrilled that through this funding more young people across England and Wales will gain mentors, and that YEF can continue to strengthen the evidence base for the impact of this vital intervention.”

The Youth Endowment Fund was established in 2019 with a ten-year, £200 million endowment from the Home Office to find what works to prevent children becoming involved in violence.