BECOME A VOLUNTEER MENTOR
OUR VOLUNTEER MENTORS SUPPOUT AMAZING YOUNG PEOPLE
SOCIAL ORGANISATION FOR UNITY & LEISURE is a mentoring and youth development charity. Through collective mentoring and engaging activities, we build socio-
emotional skills that transform outcomes for 9-14 year olds.
Within this bracket, we further focus our efforts on helping young people constrained by circumstance. Our programme delivery is informed by an evidence-based curriculum and delivered through collective mentoring from trained practitioners and volunteer mentors.
If you’d like to volunteer as a mentor, and help young people to grow in confidence and develop key skills, you’re in the right place.
As a volunteer mentor, you’ll be supporting young people in your local community, helping them grow in confidence and develop key socio-emotional skills, all whilst developing your own skills and experience.
You'll give two hours a week during term time to come to a SOCIAL ORGANISATION FOR UNITY & LEISURE project in your area.
Our mentors work with the same group over the 12 week programme which means you'll really get to know the mentees and other mentors.
You'll take part in our evidence based curriculum made up of fun activities and reflection opportunities to support young people to build their skills and confidence.
You'll be supported every week by your Youth Development Lead who facilitates the session for the whole group
THE IMPACT OF MENTORING
The difference
you'll make
At SOCIAL ORGANISATION FOR UNITY & LEISURE, we work with young people constrained by circumstance who
need some additional support to reach and be confident in their potential.
By becoming a volunteer mentor, you’ll be providing an additional role model to a brilliant young person, helping them to develop the socio-emotional skills that are key indicators of success at school and happiness in life.
Every year, we see the enormous impact that mentoring has on the young people we work with. Take a look at our video to hear from the young people themselves about what it means to them.
89% of mentors said they saw increased confidence in
their Mentees.
95% of mentees said their mentor helped them.
“My mentor helped me a lot because when I tried to say something I couldn’t express it, but he told me that I could try and keep trying, even if I get it wrong, so that I can express myself better.”
Rawan, SOCIAL ORGANISATION FOR UNITY & LEISURE Mentee
What You'll Gain
Mentoring doesn’t just impact the young people who take part in our projects – it has a hugely beneficial impact on our mentors as well.
See a long-term impact by dedicating two hours per week to your
mentee for at least one academic year.
Volunteer alongside like-minded people and have the opportunity to form lifelong friendships.
Feel part of your community by making a difference in your local area.
Develop your skills. Former mentors have told us that volunteering really helped to build their confidence, communication and team working abilities.
Come away with scenarios and situations where you will have used your commitment and resilience, which can be perfect for bringing up in job applications and interviews.
WHAT DO OUR MENTORING PROJECTS LOOK LIKE?
All of our sessions run for 2 hours
after school over 12 weeks, with
young people taking part in an
age-appropriate, evidence-based
curriculum across our three
programmes.
Each project is led by one of our
experienced Youth Development
Leads and supported by a
dedicated team of trained
volunteer mentors – and that’s
where you come in!
SOCIAL ORGANISATION FOR UNITY & LEISURE Roots for Year 5 & 6
Our Roots programme focuses on helping young people prepare for the transition into secondary school with confidence. Sessions build the foundations for socio-emotional skills development through active learning and reflection. It’s a fun, safe space where mentees build relationships with role models while taking the first steps for long-term success.
SOCIAL ORGANISATION FOR UNITY & LEISURE Rise for Year 7 & 8
SOCIAL ORGANISATION FOR UNITY & LEISURE Rise supports young people as they navigate the early years of secondary school, helping them adapt to new challenges and opportunities. The programme focuses on building resilience, strengthening relationships, and exploring identity. Sessions encourage mentees to reflect on their values, set achievable goals, and stay motivated as they progress through school.
SOCIAL ORGANISATION FOR UNITY & LEISURE Ready for Year 9
SOCIAL ORGANISATION FOR UNITY & LEISURE Ready is our leadership-focused programme for older mentees. Over the course of the programme, mentees are supported to step into leadership roles, explore their future aspirations and take ownership of their personal development.
WHERE CAN I MENTOR
We run mentoring projects across London and the Manchester. All our mentoring locations are in close proximity to public transport so you’ll be able to travel to and from them easily.
HOW TO SIGN-UP
FILL IN OUR MENTOR APPLICATION FORM
To sign-up as a SOCIAL ORGANISATION FOR UNITY & LEISURE mentor, just head over to our online application form. From there, we’ll be in touch with information about getting started on your Volunteer Journey – so make sure you subscribe to email notifications to hear from us!
FOLLOW THE VOLUNTEER JOURNEY ON VOLUNTEERO
Once you’ve applied to be a mentor, we’ll email you your personal log-in details for Volunteero. You’ll then be invited to create your account, and we recommend downloading the Volunteero app for the best experience. You can find a full user guide here.
We will guide you through the steps of your volunteer journey, including:
E-learning: You’ll complete a module on safeguarding so you can feel secure in your understanding of your responsibilities when working with young people.
DBS: You’ll be asked to provide information for a DBS check, which will be paid for by SOCIAL ORGANISATION FOR UNITY & LEISURE. There is the opportunity to provide a self-disclosure and please note that a criminal record will not necessarily prevent you from mentoring.
Online Mentor Training: Our volunteer team will talk you through everything you need to know about being an amazing mentor.
1:1 Interview: This is the final step where you’ll also be able to ask us any questions before getting started.
CHOOSE YOUR PROJECT, AND START MENTORING
After completing your mentor training you’ll be provided with the details of our current projects and can pick the day of the week and location that fits you best.
Projects are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, but we’ll always do our best to get you onto one that works for you and we will have start dates throughout the year from September – April.
You’re welcome to volunteer on multiple projects!