Mentoring and Befriending Campaign

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Published On: Monday 26 July 2010

The Mentoring and Befriending Foundation are delivering a campaign to raise the profile of mentoring and befriending as part of the European Year of Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.

The campaign is called ‘Supporting Life’s Journeys’ and its aim is to unite the nation behind mentoring and befriending as an important and effective means of combating poverty and social exclusion. The campaign will show the many ways in which mentoring and befriending improves everyone’s quality of life – supporting the vulnerable, reducing crime and building stronger, healthier, happier and more cohesive communities.

‘Supporting Life’s Journeys’ needs action from those who believe in the power of mentoring and befriending to change lives and communities for the better.

They are holding a free training session in August for twenty representatives of mentoring and befriending projects in Wales to be trained as Campaign Ambassadors.

They are hoping to involve project representatives, volunteers and clients from mental health projects. Campaign Ambassadors will be invited to attend the launch event on October 5, which will be hosted by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Profile Raising Campaign

Get involved, become a campaign ambassador and make a difference

What is the profile raising campaign?

The campaign is an ambitious project to unite the nation behind one simple, yet powerful idea: that mentoring and befriending can enable people to escape poverty, social exclusion and isolation.

Why do we need to raise the profile of mentoring and befriending?

The profile raising campaign aims to give practitioners, volunteers and service users a powerful voice to share stories of the real value of mentoring and befriending. With increased understanding, we hope will come more support and an opportunity to grow services.

How can I make a difference to the campaign?

The more that people with experience of mentoring and befriending get behind the campaign and share their stories, the more difference we’ll make. We’re inviting people who have experience of mentoring and befriending through work, volunteering or benefitting from these services to come forward and be trained as a Campaign Ambassador.

You can become a Campaign Ambassador if you:

work for a mentoring or befriending programme
are a volunteer who is passionate about the service you provide and want to share your experience with others
have benefitted from mentoring and befriending and want to share your story with others

What will being a Campaign Ambassador involve?

Campaign Ambassadors will take part in a range of activities, from attending exciting launch and awards events, to talking about their experience of mentoring and befriending in their everyday lives with friends and family.

We’ll provide all the training and resources you’ll need to campaign at your own pace. If you’re passionate about mentoring and befriending, want to share your story with others, and can commit your time to the three events below then please get in touch to become an important part of this national campaign.

1. August 2010- Attend a free Campaign Ambassador training day

2. September 2010- Attend a launch event to share your story with people who want to know more about the impact mentoring and befriending has on people’s lives

3. October 2010- Attend an award event to come together with mentoring and befriending projects and celebrate success

What training will I receive?

The day will be centred around the profile raising campaign, with a session on campaigning leading into media training in the afternoon. It will be accessible to all; no matter what your background, what language you speak or additional requirements you may have.

The training will equip you with skills and resources to campaign within your own networks. It will give you a better understanding of what campaigning is; along with ideas on how to build support, generate publicity, and deal with the media. This will enable you to go away and build support not only for the campaign but also for your own work.

When and where will training take place?

Free campaign ambassador training sessions will take place in the following locations in July 2010:

Belfast

Birmingham

Cardiff

Glasgow/Edinburgh

London

Manchester

How can I find out more or sign up?

Places to become a Campaign Ambassador are limited to ensure that the training day is an effective one and to give a range of cross-sector projects, volunteers and service users the opportunity to get involved.

From mentoring projects for ex-offenders to all female befriending services for people with mental health issues, we’re calling for service users, volunteers and project staff from across the sector to get involved. If you wish to register your interest to become a Campaign Ambassador, please email Jessica.boudin@mandbf.org.uk

http://www.mandbf.org.uk/

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