Uni:School BAME Mentoring Programme

BAME students and school pupils pair up to share and support

METHODOLOGY

At the start of the mentoring journey, members of the University of Brighton Active Student team provide student volunteers with mentoring training which covers topics such as child protection and safeguarding. Pupils who want to be mentored, and their parents/carers, are invited to an introductory session to learn what mentoring involves, ask questions and learn how the project will support their child.

Students from the University of Brighton volunteered their time to mentor a BAME secondary school student who had asked to participate. Both the uni:school and peer-to-peer mentoring took place over six weekly sessions. 

Mentors and mentees meet one to one, either in person or online. Both have access to worksheets, activity suggestions, short films and conversation exercises before the meeting to encourage a free-flowing dialogue between them. The pairs meet for an hour a week over five consecutive weeks. On the sixth week, a celebratory event takes place, usually at the University of Brighton, or online during the pandemic.

The programme aims to encourage non-judgemental conversations and the sharing of stories, giving BAME students a space to talk freely to another young person of colour who may share similar hopes, challenges or aspirations. Student mentors attend a weekly briefing and debriefing session, where they can discuss any issues or concerns with the University of Brighton Active Student team

At the end of the mentoring partnership, mentees and mentors write a letter to each other to share their experiences, thank each other and consider their time together.

IMPACT

The Uni:School Mentoring Programme has had clear successes and, by the end of the 2020-21 academic year will have been delivered in 20 schools and one FE college in Sussex. The mentoring model has enabled both parties to discuss topics, such as race, studying, dealing with difficult situations, hobbies, religion and future aspirations, as well as share experiences of being a young person of colour.

The mentors recruited have all recently left secondary school or further education – usually a maximum of five years out of school. This small but significant age gap is of real value to the school pupils who can relate to the students’ educational experiences yet feel distanced, giving them the confidence to speak freely about their worries and aspirations as young people of colour. This age-matching detail is a real strength in the mentoring model.

The Uni:School Mentoring Programme actively encourages mentors from all university disciplines to take part. It has also developed close links with the university’s Community and Personal Development modules, generating creative learning opportunities for placement students to design new resources for schools and mentoring sessions.

“Inspirational. Impactful. Important” – feedback on the project is overwhelmingly positive from pupils, students, parents and teachers, who say they would recommend the Uni:School Mentoring Programme to others:

Responses from Patcham High School, Brighton

“Having a role model from a similar background but outside of the school community is important… It’s really powerful to hear it from an external source.”

“I saw how the project benefitted one painfully shy girl – working with an inspiring mentor, she came out of her shell and became more confident… like someone had taken notice of her.”

“Her mentor gave her space, listened and let her voice her opinions but didn’t collude… and gave another perspective too.”

“As a teacher, it made me think about how I respond to racist incidents and made me improve my responses.”

Mentee quotes on the impact the programme has had on them:

“I’ve learnt to do more, exercise and try out new things, for example, set myself challenges.”

“It’s helped me have a different point of view on education, how university is different to school, and to see a different lifestyle and how different people’s routines can be.”

“My mentor was nice and relaxed, cool and calm, funny, sociable. He has been through what I’ve been through which is encouraging.”

“The programme has helped with socialisation skills during lockdown, and it’s been nice to have someone to talk to.”  

Mentor quotes on the impact the programme has had on them:

“I’d recommend being a mentor… you feel proud to support students studying in secondary school… it boosts their confidence in opening up, socialising and communicating with others.”  

“I benefitted immensely from taking a few hours out of my week to focus on an exciting project that continued to develop my interpersonal skills week after week. Committing to embodying positivity and enthusiasm enabled me to gain perspective and motivation that I’ve been able to channel into my university work.”

“I can’t say enough about what the programme has done for me and the young man I mentor. Coming from a family where no one had been to university before, I wish it had been around when I was younger.”

“I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know new people, especially during lockdown. The programme offers a great opportunity to give back to the community and have a positive impact on someone’s life.”

KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The Uni:School Mentoring Programme continues to be a successful model, linking school pupils and university students together in conversation and providing supportive role models to young people of colour in Sussex.

This year, due to the pandemic, there have been logistical challenges to be met, namely running all sessions online. The project was able to quickly adapt due to the robust systems and structures already in place, for example, training for mentees and mentors, worksheets and workbooks, and clear relationships with and expectations from schools. Mentors, mentees and schools have quickly adapted, and five schools have participated in the online version.

On completing the Uni:School Mentoring Programme, many schools ask for the project to continue. And, as a result, the Peer-to-Peer Toolkit (link to https://www.sussexlearningnetwork.org.uk/uploads/images/ Toolkits/BAME-Mentoring-Programme_Schools-Toolkit.pdf) and training package has been created to equip teachers with the skills and resources needed to train, support and run their own in-school mentoring scheme.

TALKING POINTS

The Uni:School Mentoring Programme is steadfast in its aims and objectives, but fluid in its delivery methods. During the pandemic, the sessions were moved online. How important has that been to its success?

How can schools be more inclusive environments for their students of colour?

A constant issue that arises during mentoring is of students of colour having to deal with racist banter, bullying and micro-aggressions. Other than having a consistent policy around sanctions for this behaviour, what other things can schools and colleges do?

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