The Venture, Garner Rd, Wrexham, LL13 8SF     01978 355761
















The Junior Mentoring project

Junior mentoring in brief: a system of 1:1 and small group mentoring for children aged 6-13, deemed most at risk of social - peer, community or educational - exclusion

The project aims to provide a system of 1:1 mentoring, with some small group work on common issues. Working in collaboration with other agencies from the statutory and voluntary sectors, we can identify those children most at risk of social exclusion.

Caia Park contains the two most educationally-deprived wards in Wales and the children who benefit from the project will, generally, already be known to Venture staff through use of the open access playground.

The children

Children identified as in need of guidance and support through individual mentor attention include those with:

  • Anger management issues, causing not only personal stress and unhappiness but also creating peer alienation
  • Disengagement within the educational system: some children may be struggling with basic education and seen as low achievers, whilst others are identified as bright but uncooperative and, therefore, risk under-achieving
  • ADHD and other recognised disorders such as OCD
  • Physical health issues form poor nutrition within the family
  • General non-specific behavioural issues - at hone, school and socially
  • Lack of interest in the child within the family situation

    • The project aims to help these children be better equipped to cope with their current lives and to raise their longer term expectations

    How it works

    With parental/carer consent and involvement, each child is assessed by the project coordinator to identify specific interests and needs. The monitoring and evaluation procedure, using child-friendly questions, measures and records each child's progress in seven key areas of their lives: personal, health, family, education, recreation, behaviour and the mentor project.

    A trained mentor is allocated to each child and agrees a forward programme of mentoring sessions, averaging 3-4 hours weekly. The mentors use the child's interests as a vehicle for delivery. They have access to all the facilities of the Venture, as well as a small budget to provide external opportunities - from cooking ingredients or a simple coffee together to a gym session or a football match, for example.

    Working on a 1:1 basis with the child, through activities, example, discussion and reflection, the mentor can equip the child with the necessary knowledge and skills to deal with their issues and achieve results. The ability to recognise, praise and celebrate achievements, however small, in each session adds to the child's sense of achievement, progress and confidence.

    Results

    Results per child will depend on the initial needs, but we expect to achieve some of these differences in the children's lives:

  • Learning temper triggers and avoidance techniques
  • Having good behaviour recognised and rewarded and analysing and learning form the unacceptable
  • Being able to develop and build on an existing interest, as a mentoring vehicle, or being introduced to a new interest, for example art, craft, sport, reading
  • Developing self-esteem and confidence
  • Reduction in stress and anxiety
  • Improved relationships with peers; wider social acceptance
  • Improved experiences within the educational system
  • Generally a happier life
    • Opening Hours
    Playground
    Term Time
    Tues to Fri4:00pm to 8:00pm
    Sat & Sun12:00pm to 8:00pm
    School Holidays
    Tues to Sun12:00pm to 8:00pm
    Early Years Centre (View)
    Educational Cafe (View)
    Alternative Education (View)
    Individual mentoring (View)
    Community Advice Centre (View)
    General office hours (View)

    How to find us

    Registered Charity: 510277