Volunteer Youth Mentor

The Youth Mentor is a trusted and dependable adult from the community who is matched with a young person aged 18–24 to provide consistent encouragement, guidance and practical support alongside their existing employability journey on the Restart Scheme.

The Youth Mentor role focuses on building confidence, motivation, routine and positive relationships. Helping young people to develop self‑belief, resilience and readiness for work. Mentoring complements the support already provided by the young person’s Employment Advisor and is designed to reinforce progress through regular, supportive contact.

Youth Mentors will meet with their mentee for approximately one hour per week, to build up confidence, provide structure, a listening ear, normalise anxieties about the workplace and be a positive figure in their lives.

This is a relationship‑based role that relies on establishing trust over time while maintaining clear professional boundaries.

What skills do I need?

The role requires reliability, commitment and the ability to work within agreed safeguarding procedures and contact expectations. Youth Mentors are expected to act as positive role models, offering consistent support while respecting the young person’s independence and wider support network.

Youth Mentors should have strong listening and communication skills, be approachable, patient and reliable. Being able to build positive, trusting relationships is at the heart of the role. An understanding of, or willingness to learn about, the challenges and barriers young people face in accessing and sustaining employment. This may include but isn’t limited to: low confidence, lack of motivation, mental health, lack of work experience, unstable life circumstances, limited life admin skills.