What is Plusone Mentoring?

Plusone Mentoring with Aberdeen YMCA is an award-winning initiative of YMCA Scotland. It matches young people aged 8-14 who are deemed to be ‘at risk’ or ‘excluded’ with a volunteer adult mentor who meets with them one-to-one on a regular basis. At Aberdeen YMCA we believe that every child matters to God and we are committed to forming safe, trusting relationships with local young people that help to guide them towards being their best selves, diverting from offending or anti-social behaviour and instead engaging in new pro-social hobbies and pastimes.

How can I get involved?

There are four key ways you can support Plusone Mentoring with Aberdeen YMCA:

1.  Volunteer. We are always seeking new volunteer mentors. We provide full training in a supportive environment, as well as ongoing peer support and weekly supervision from the programme manager. All volunteers are subject to PVG background checks.

2.  Pray. Plusone children often come burdened with problems and broken hearts, dealing with bereavements, addiction and other painful issues. Remember these young people and their mentors, and pray that they would experience the practical love, acceptance and comfort of God through Aberdeen YMCA and its volunteers.

3.  Give. Activities for mentors and mentees can be expensive and we operate on a very tight budget. Volunteers give generously of their time and we want to be able to spare them the financial burden associated with being a mentor.

4.  Promote. We are always looking for opportunities to share about this good work. Perhaps you have space at a Sunday service or community group for the Plusone programme manager to come and share the vision and values of Plusone? If so, we would love to hear from you.

What qualities do you look for in a mentor?

Volunteer Youth Mentors with Aberdeen YMCA must be:

·    Over 18 years of age

·    Christian

·    Cheerful, kind and non-judgemental

·    Team-players

·    Good sense of humour

·    Able to commit to a couple of hours a week, most  weeks, for a year

I’m nervous that I might be the wrong gender/age/class/race to be effective in this work. Are you sure I can still be a mentor?

Absolutely! We are interested in hearing from everyone. We have young people of all kinds on Plusone and likewise we need mentors from every walk of life – young, old, married, single, parents, non-parents, Scottish, non-Scottish, professionals, students, male and female. If you want to make a difference in the life of a young person, we want to hear from you!

How can I contact Plusone Mentoring?

For further information and an application form, e-mail Gavin Begg, the programme manager, at [email protected] or phone 01224 643291.

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Our first cohort of mentors completing training together in YMCA

Successful 'graduates' are all smiles having completed their mentor training programme