Mosaic mentoring programmes really are making a difference
Mosaic’s mentors as well as those supported by Mosaic’s programmes are receiving a range of benefits from our programmes according to an independent new report.
According to a report published by Demos, an evaluation think-tank, Mosaic’s Secondary School Mentoring Programmes are delivering a real impact to the young people it serves in some of the most disadvantaged communities. It also found that the same programmes are providing a wide range of benefits for the hundreds of mentors that support our work.
Demos reported that those being supported by Mosaic mentoring programmes felt they were 11 per cent more likely to want to go to university as a result of the support they received and that they felt their chances of a successful university application increased by 17 per cent as a result of the support they received.
The link between young people having a lack of confidence and low aspiration and having free school meals was also identified as one of the areas being addressed by Mosaic’s mentoring programmes, the research found. It reported that after taking part in the programme, whether a young person was in receipt of free school meals was no longer a significant indicator of their confidence about finding a job.
Mentors were also reported to receive significant benefits from supporting Moasic’s programmes with an overwhelming 98 per cent saying that they would recommend mentoring with Mosaic to other people and 96 per cent said they would consider mentoring with Mosaic again.
The majority of mentors also said that being a mentor with Mosaic had given them extra personal and professional skills, most notably a better understanding of young people today; a feeling that they were giving something back; improved communication skills; and improved personal well-being. They went on to say that they had improved their interpersonal skills and benefited from good networking opportunities which all helped them to build on their CV.
Jamie Bartlett, author of the Demos Report, said:
“This is one of the first systematic efforts to evaluate the effects of a mentoring programme on ‘soft skills’ – the aspirations, attitudes and personality traits – of young people that take part. These are an essential aspect of success and well-being in modern Britain and mentoring work can make a genuine impact in encouraging these skills to be developed. These can be especially important for Black and ethnic minority groups who often find it difficult to turn vague aspirations into reality.”
“Rarely is the real impact these schemes can have on mentors, as well as mentees, properly understood. Mentors, on the whole, feel better informed about and connected to young people – which we know can prefigure tighter community cohesion – and mentees are guided out of a self-confidence cul-de-sac. It’s a win-win situation.”
Jonathan Freeman, National Director of Mosaic said:
“It is hugely important to us to know that our mentoring programmes deliver real impact to the young people we serve in some of the most disadvantaged communities. It is a real boost to discover that the young people get tangible benefits from our work but also that the volunteers benefit so much as well.”
Evaluation of Mosaic mentoring programmes Report
The report is the culmination of longitudinal research over a 16 month period, between November 2009 and March 2011. Between December 2009 and December 2010 Demos received responses from 61 mentors. Questions covered topics including their views on the programme, the benefits of taking part, and the perceived effect of their mentoring on the mentee. Mentees who participated were surveyed twice, once between November 2009 and March 2010, again a year later. In the first survey Demos received 203 responses and in the second received 63.
The evaluation was carried out independently by Demos and funded by Mosaic.
Read the full report here.
