#YouthWorkWeek may be over, but the much needed spotlight on youth work lives on!
We’d like to introduce you to Laura, an incredible Project Coordinator at YMCA Bradford for Y’s Girls Mentoring Programme funded by Benefact Trust.
This invaluable project is empowering young people by embedding a trusted support system for girls aged 9-14 experiencing difficulties, and helping them to be their best self.
Hi, My name is Laura and I am the Y’s Girls Project Coordinator for YMCA Bradford.
I have been with YMCA for 5 years and part of the Ys Girls team for around 18 months.
Y’s Girls is unique because we offer girls support for up to 12 months which is unheard of with other one to one support services!
We are an early intervention project, meaning we offer support when things are just beginning to show, rather trying to jump in and fix things when they have already got tricky!
Our mentors are trained volunteers, who choose to spend their free time with theirmentee and that is a real boost to a girl who is struggling…to have someone just for her, who has chosen to spend time with her is wonderful. Support is tailored to the needs of the girls and I really love the diversity the project brings – our girls and volunteers are very different, each with individual strengths, struggles, views and ideas.
I am passionate about Y’s Girls and what we aim to achieve because I recognise myself in a lot of our girls. I had low self-esteem and confidence as a young person and there was nothing around to help me. My main goal as Project Coordinator is to have girls feeling good about themselves, feeling empowered and embracing who they are.
Challenges include finding the right mentors and getting the match right…I take pride in really getting to know our girls and volunteers so I can be sure to match them well.
Hearing from mentors and mentees about their journey is hugely rewarding. Hearing about progress made by the girls and goals being achieved is wonderful. To also hear how mentors have been affected by the journey is great, learning new things about themselves, trying new activities and gaining new skills. Mentoring really is a two-way journey.
Looking to the future, my wish for Y’s Girls would see us supporting girls right into early adulthood. Groups out in the community and also in schools and colleges where girls can also access and get involved in peer mentoring. Online information for girls covering a wide range of topics that may affect them that they can access as much as they like.
Find out more about Y’s Girls here.