The Concrete Rose mentoring scheme equips and empowers local people to mentor university students who are care-experienced or estranged from parents. Through trauma-informed training, close supervision and a nurturing community, our mentors become safe allies for young people who are navigating intensive study whilst overcoming complex backgrounds. Having partnered successfully with the University of Cambridge, we now seek to expand.
"In the simplest way possible, Concrete Rose gave me an experience of love and care I had not had. My mentor arranged meet-ups around what I felt comfortable with. They showed me a type of kindness that I had given up on, making me feel wanted and cared about."
Activity
Churches will run the Concrete Rose mentoring programme for estranged and care experienced students in their own city. They will recruit and train volunteer mentors, reach out to appropriate students, and provide pastoral oversight and support for the mentoring relationships. They will also run social events to build a community where peer relationships thrive and everyone feels they belong.
Time
Setting up the project requires recruitment and training of the first group of mentors, and building a working relationship with the university, to enable appropriate students to sign up to have a mentor. Establishing the project takes 4-6 months.
Mentoring relationships usually last throughout the student’s time at university, and help them transition to life beyond.
Cost
New projects pay £350 start up fee to Concrete Rose for initial training and resources, and £50 a month for ongoing supervision. Churches will also have DBS costs for volunteers (currently £21.50 per person), costs of social events, and reimbursement of mentor expenses (optional). The local mentor co-ordinator (1 day a week) may be a paid or voluntary role.
Partnership
Churches will need to recruit mentors from within church and the wider community, and will need to build a working relationship with the student body and/ or university.
Local businesses could be involved to support the costs of social events.
Support
Concrete Rose will provide ongoing support and guidance to the Mentoring Co-ordinator locally, as they set up the programme, and later, through monthly online supervision. A whole day in-person training is provided for the first cohort of mentors recruited, together with additional resources online for training, publicity and running of the programme, and ongoing ad hoc telephone support.
Resources
Churches don’t need any building or physical space to make mentoring possible. Mentors will meet with students in coffee shops or other public places, go for walks, etc. Socials could take place in homes, community halls or local business premises.
People
Mentor Co-ordinator (paid or voluntary) who will lead the programme locally
They will need 4-6 hours a week to set up and then run the programme initially. Pastoral skills and experience or counselling qualification required.
Volunteer mentors (10-12 initially)
Mentors need good listening skills, empathy, a heart for disadvantaged young people and availability to meet with their mentee each week.
Replications
Concrete Rose Mentoring has:
Replications
FREE Getting Started Guide
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