An hour a week for a young person: Ealing seeks volunteer mentors

Could you give a young person an hour of your time every week? In an announcement published on 17 October, Ealing Council encouraged residents to apply as MCR Pathways mentors. The programme works with the borough’s care leavers team and in two local secondary schools. The local appeal welcomes applicants aged 21 and over, with no previous mentoring experience required.

Check the commitment first

The charity’s frequently asked questions explain that mentors should be able to attend an hour-long meeting for at least a year. That matters if you are looking for a one-off volunteering opportunity: consistency is central to this role. Conversations can cover leaving school, deciding what to do next and everyday challenges. A mentor listens and helps a young person work through their own decisions.

Volunteers are supported by regular contact with the charity’s team, a coordinator in the setting where mentoring takes place and development sessions during the academic year. Before applying, consider whether a weekly meeting can fit sustainably around work and other commitments.

How to apply

The Become a Mentor page has an online form that the charity estimates takes 10–15 minutes to complete. The next stages include an hour-long interview, background checks and two references. Applicants then attend three hours of training, in person or online, and complete a half-hour child protection module before being matched with a young person.

If you would prefer a conversation first, the page also offers a callback request form. It asks for details including the area where you would like to mentor and a convenient time to call. Applicants do not need to find a participant themselves or arrange an initial meeting outside the programme’s process.

Safety is part of the role

MCR’s safeguarding arrangements include safer recruitment, training, professional boundaries and risk assessments for activities, including digital communication. Before delivery begins, the charity agrees safeguarding contacts, reporting routes and information-sharing arrangements with partner settings. Volunteers are expected to follow the procedures explained during induction rather than deal with serious concerns on their own.

Those arrangements extend beyond individual meetings to group work, events and other programme activities. MCR makes clear that safeguarding is the responsibility of everyone acting on its behalf.

Where young residents can find support

Mentoring sits within a wider local support offer. Young Ealing identifies the Horizons Education and Achievement Centre as a place for young people in care or who have recently left care. Youth workers, teachers, social workers, health staff and Connexions advisers can provide information and help with preparing for independent living.

The centre also offers the Shoutout Forum for ages 16–25 and a junior group for ages 11–15. For information about its services, call 020 8537 4940. Mentor applications should instead go through MCR’s website; the Horizons number should not be treated as a recruitment line.

The charity emphasises shared interests, from photography to chess, as a way of building connections. The aim is to support a young person’s own plans, not prescribe a ready-made path for them.