You have the life experience. Local young people have the potential. Together, you ignite the vital spark.
Share just one hour a week with a young person in your local community.
Every young person across the North East of England has a Vital Spark within them, a unique potential waiting to be seen. Sometimes, all it takes is a single connection to set it alight.
Whether it’s through a shared interest in football, photography, or simply a chat over your favourite biscuits, you become the voltage behind a life-changing transformation. With more time on your hands, you have the power to empower a young person to see their own potential through a new lens and reimagine what their future can look like.
A success story from across the border
While we’re just beginning our journey here in the North East of England, our mentoring programme is already making a wonderful difference elsewhere. Watch how a simple hour a week has transformed a young life in Scotland. We can’t wait to see the same impact in our local schools.
Our impact speaks for itself
Mentor
Mentor
Register to become a mentor
Register to become a mentorChange a young person’s life, while enriching your own
"My biggest misconception was that, in some way, I was supposed to provide some kind of specialised support or therapy even, which I was clearly not qualified to do. I have since realised that all that is needed is to turn up every week and to be there for the young person."
Bill, Mentor
"I had always enjoyed one to one work, so becoming a mentor seemed a great way to keep on supporting once I retired."
Fiona, Mentor
"For anyone worried about being too old or too young to mentor, let me say this: it’s a fallacy. Anyone who can listen, take an interest, and be non-judgemental can be a great mentor."
Ed, Mentor
By sharing just one hour of your week during term-time, you offer a young person the stability they may have been missing. It isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about providing the ground they need to stand on.
Your hour a week is a simple yet powerful way to show up for a young person. It’s not about providing specialised support or solving every problem; it’s about the value of being there. By being a consistent, non-judgemental presence, you help create a positive space for a young person to continue to grow.
We are looking for mentors who are:
The beauty of our mentoring programme is that the transformation flows both ways.
By giving an hour a week, our mentors often discover something powerful within themselves: a renewed sense of purpose, a deeper connection to the North East community, and the joy of watching a young person’s confidence grow as they find their way to a brighter future.