What We Do
We want to help young people thrive and excel
Thrive to Excel provides one to one social and emotional mentoring support to children and young people aged 5-17 from the services of a safely and professionally recruited adult volunteer mentor. The aim of the mentoring is to improve their self- esteem, engagement in learning, improve relationships, build social and emotional skills, improve resilience, and help improve the mental and physical health and well-being of all children and young people receiving our support.
Thrive to Excel is committed to assisting vulnerable and distressed children and young people by providing them with a volunteer mentor. Using Safer Recruiting practices to recruit our mentors; obtaining satisfactory references and passing a Disclosure and Barings check, they also receive comprehensive training that includes the completion of Level 1 Safeguarding Training accessed through Staffordshire Safeguarding Board which complies with the organisation’s Safeguarding Policy.
The fully trained adult mentors will offer listening support and guidance to these young people during difficulties in their lives, which may include self-harm, bullying, traumatic bereavement, and family breakdown. The aim of mentoring is to focus on the wellbeing of the young people and to help them achieve positive changes in their lives and for them to remain engaged with their families, their learning, and their community. This will enable them to achieve a successful transition into adulthood.
Our vision is a world where young people can Thrive and Excel: realising their full potential and finding a “Positive Future for their lives” whilst feeling that they are loved, valued, and supported.
We collaborate with children aged 5 to 17 with the aim to create a positive and brighter future whilst overcoming life’s issues and complications.
Thrive to Excel’s mentoring work is based upon solution focussed, trauma-informed approaches. We support children and young people, to identify their strengths, imagine their desired future, understand their triggers, express their feelings, and practice and adopt coping strategies.
Our Process
Our mentors and youth workers receive training in the solution focussed approach, safeguarding, the trauma informed approach, communicating with children, setting boundaries, de-escalation strategies and safety planning.
The Programme Manager oversees each child/young person and provides supervision of the mentoring relationship, meets with the child’s/young person’s mentor monthly and consults with referrers and other professionals.
The Programme Manager matches mentors with mentees carefully. They look at their personalities and interests and guarantee that the chosen mentors have the skills to meet their mentees needs.
Once matched, mentors meet with the child weekly for 6 to 12 months. All mentoring sessions last up to an hour a week with sessions taking place in the child’s school.
Mentors and mentees spend the first sessions establishing a working relationship whilst getting to know each other with the focus on identifying the mentee’s strengths and interests.
Once a trusted mentoring relationship is formed, mentors and mentees identify and set goals for the remainder of their mentoring journey focussing on social and emotional skills, or on the personal aims of the mentee.
Group sessions provide mentees the opportunity to help improve their social development and provide the opportunity for them to practice new skills with other mentees and mentors.
As the mentoring relationship concludes, mentees are prepared for a positive conclusion; and mentees are encouraged to reflect on their positive achievements and share their hopes for the future.
89% of children exiting the mentoring programme display a reduction in their behavioural and emotional difficulties after receiving support from Thrive to Excel.
85% on mentees accomplish an evaluation score that means they can exit the programme with only an average level of difficulties, due to the progress they make.
Registered Charity: 1200910