Food for Thought Mentoring 2012

Posted by momtaz at 11pm

Through much of our consultation work in 2010 we have learnt that 75% of young people enjoy participatory workshops and consider these valuable in terms of gaining new skills and knowledge. We learnt that only 30% of these young people access any further learning outside school and only 10% come across any sort of mentors from professional backgrounds (Statistics from LiC’s outreach with 100 young people in 2010).

 Through a recent workshop with 15 young people from the Aberfeldy area of Poplar, we learnt that young people value confidence building workshops, as they have a negative view of how they are perceived by potential employers. These young people feel that they don’t have the necessary language skills, or are able to present themselves as suitable candidates for employment. Majority lack GCSE Maths or English and do poorly when it comes to interviews.

 When asked what would help them boost their confidence and other skills, they all expressed interest in more practical, interactive activities based on every day communication, skills which will help them improve their telephone manner and interview technique. They felt that traditional CV building workshops were useful only if they had experience to back up the CV.

With this is mind we set up Food for Thought project with the goal:

To encourage young people to realise their full potential through linking them with inspiring members of the community, who will share experiences, support and inspire them to make positive decisions around their education and career path.

Objectives:

•  To encourage young people to communicate with professionals, to develop their listening skills and ability to build relationships
•  To develop skills and confidence in areas such as communication, team work, organisation, leadership and project management
•  To encourage young people to really think about their future path, potential career options and personal aspirations
•  To build lasting relationships between young people and professionals within the community and to raise awareness of LiC projects within the corporate sector

What we do:

Mentoring sessions will take every Fridays from 5pm-8pm at the Aberfeldy Centre, with a group of 15 young people 16-24. We use cooking to engage the young people, to get them talking and working as a team. Preparing food for others involves time keeping, budgeting, design and planning and preparation – all valuable transferable skills needed for personal and professional development. With support and direction from the coporate mentors, the young people ‘cook’ up a plan of action of things they would like to achieve and set themselves goals for the future.

With thanks to our partners at ELBA who have supported us with coporate contacts from Citi Bank, Broadbridge, and Mr Site. Thanks to Sophie Teh and Yasmin Naqushbhandi for also ran sessions with our young people. Watch this space for LiC COOK BOOK, full of fun reciepes to cook at home as well as top tips on job hunting.