RO! Boys visit Madrid

On Saturday 31^st of March 2012 I was one of 27 lucky people with a huge feeling of anxious excitement, ready and waiting to get on a plane and head over to Spain for 5 days.  The trip started well with lots of enthusiasm from both staff and mentees, a feeling that continued throughout. Having twenty one young lads to look after was very daunting and the sense of enormous responsibility made each of us that little bit more alert.

We stayed in a very nice Hostel near the centre of Madrid, it was a clean and well looked after place that allowed us easy access to anywhere in the city as the underground metro was less than a hundred meters from the front door. There was a bakery next door and a busy square just down the road, packed with restaurants, internet cafés and souvenir shops. All in all the location was perfect.

During the trip we visited a fair few places such as the huge home stadium of Real Madrid called the Santiago Bernabau, also the royal palace, an enormous cathedral, and a great theme park. All travelling was done using the metro link and walking. We played football often and there was never a moment of boredom, everyone always had something to do. This also enabled the boys to get a good sense of responsibility which they prided themselves on during the trip, it was cool to be a responsible young adult.

The trip was a complete success in every way. The preparation was incredible and showed constantly. All people who went on the trip either matured or gained invaluable experience, socially, culturally, responsibly and everyone gained a great deal of respect for a number of things but more importantly, self-respect and respect for others.

Over 100 people put in their own time, personality and good will into making this trip a success. Their combined efforts realised something extraordinary in that all mentees of the trip Madrid 2012 learned a great deal in those jam packed 5 days of laughter, football, rubbish jokes and epic journeys and there are many good examples.

What a great example the boys set with good behaviour and respect shown throughout. In particular, when travelling from place to place on foot and using public transport. In a group of at least 27 the probability of various types of hindering problems is great. But thanks to the example set by the quality of ReachOut! ideals and the maturity of our group no such problems were even encountered. The boys showed excellent team work ability when travelling, along with the maturity that would normally be considered beyond their years. They are a credit to themselves, to ReachOut! and to the areas in which they live.

Stephen Coulson

Thank you to our AMAZING volunteers!

ReachOut! loves our volunteers. Fact! We celebrated in style on Saturday with our annual swanky awards at Whitworth Art Gallery. Over 80 volunteers came along to pick up their certificates and see which brilliant duo had been named Mentor of the Year and Volunteer of the Year 2012.

Lindsey Willis was named Mentor of the Year for her outstanding contribution to the Harpur Mount Club last year and the Our Lady’s Junior mentors this year. Kate Millington was recognised for Volunteer of the Year because, as well as being a top class mentor for three years, she is a volunteer Project Leader and member of the ReachOut! Society Committee. All volunteers were recognised through:

Bronze Award - for your first year or 30 hours volunteering

Silver Award - for your second year or 60 hours volunteering

Gold Award - for your third year or 100 hours of volunteering

We also gave our fantastic Project Leaders and Assistants certificates confirming their contributions and heard from all volunteers at all the Programmes about what they had got up to in the year.

The event was delivered with the help of Grant Thornton, who kindly sponsor the ReachOut! Society.  Grant Thornton are an international professional services and accounting firm and you can find out more about their amazing graduate scheme at http://www.grant-thornton.com/graduates.

Thank you to Rise, the RO! Soc Comittee, and Heidi for organising a great day. Everyone had a fantastic time – check out the pictures!

Hannah Christie

From a mentor’s mouth

So what exactly is mentoring? This week we spoke to one of our mentors, Francesca Mack, to hear more about what being a ReachOut! mentor in a primary school is like. Here’s what she had to say:

What is the process involved in becoming a mentor?

The mentors all have a few training sessions at the ReachOut! offices which helps to prepare us a bit. We discuss ways to approach activities with mentees and discuss any potentially tricky situations we may encounter. This is helpful to ease us in a bit but ultimately it is a learning procedure the whole way through as each week I am learning and hopefully improving.

And when you arrive at the school what happens then? Do you meet your mentee straight away?

No we aren’t actually assigned a mentee for the first few weeks. We (all the mentors and mentees) work together in one group and we are then matched up depending on our interactions.

Can you tell us a bit about your mentee?

Daisy is 8, really lovely and very keen to be involved in the programme. It’s quite sweet, last week she said she had been looking forward to it all week. One of the main things we are working on is self-confidence. We get information from the teachers about any issues that a mentee might have and areas to work on.

And what is the school like?

The school is so bright! You forget how many colours are everywhere at primary schools. There is a real sense of community as well which is really nice to see. The only thing is in classes of 30 or so quieter children like my mentee can’t really be given that extra attention, which is where I come in!

What do you do on a typical visit?

All the mentors meet at ReachOut! before going together in the minibus to the school. We meet the students in the playground which is great as we see them interact with their friends and can socialise a bit in a more relaxed atmosphere. We then go to the library or a room where we work individually with our mentee. We are here until the end of the day, so for about three hours. We split our session into three parts: Literature, Maths and then a creative project.

What kind of creative projects?

It just depends from week to week. One week we both really enjoyed we read some of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the literature section and then designed our own wacky sweets in the creative time. That was really fun. Around Christmas we all made Christmas trees and cards.

ReachOut! has some arts and craft resources to help us with this bit too. I love it, it’s such a great excuse to do things we can’t do at our age!

So ReachOut! still provide you with support throughout your mentoring?

Yes it’s really lovely, I get texts each week confirming it is on, or saying it’s half term. And we all go to the school together each week which makes it a group effort which is reassuring. We also fill in a form at the end of each session saying what we did and how well it went, I guess so they can keep an eye on what we are doing. They’ve also made an effort to do things outside of our sessions, whether mentors curry or just a couple of drinks after we finish, it makes the whole experience much friendlier.

And are you all following the same programme for what you do with your mentees?

No we decide that ourselves which can be quite challenging, especially at the beginning as it’s hard to know what level the work should be. I was worried about making it too hard which would make her nervous and not make the sessions enjoyable. It’s a learning curve, it just means we have to be able to adapt to what is appropriate.

I also discuss with my mentee our plans for next week. This way I make sure we are doing something that is interesting for her and makes her involved in the whole process.

What else have you found challenging as a mentor?

It is been hard to make sure she is writing down what she thinks, not what I think. When we were writing down some words if I mention something she will write it down. So I have to hold back sometimes and keep asking what she thinks. It’s great though as I have started to see her be more willing to put forward her own ideas as a result of this.

You’ve started to see changes in her behaviour? That must feel so rewarding.

To a certain extent, yes. It’s the small things like putting forward those ideas and being a bit more confident generally. She plays the violin in a group of four and I have started to see her be more confident amongst her peers in that situation, where she used to be very reserved. It is hard to see progress sometimes though. We only meet for three hours a week so obviously we can’t make changes overnight. We keep a booklet to help us document any progress.

Do you feel like mentors make a difference for the mentees?

Without a doubt. The children really seem to look forward to our sessions. We are all uni students as well so hopefully we act as a positive role model for them. I think it is more important for behavioural issues rather than academic, but it’s still early days so who knows! It is a mutually beneficial process though. Many of the other mentors want to work in teaching or study psychology so for them it’s really great experience.

Do you think you will carry on with mentoring?

I am thinking about working with secondary school pupils next year, depending on University commitments. It would be an entirely different experience. I think it would be much more challenging to break down barriers with the students but I think progress would be more noticeable.

What would you say to anyone thinking of becoming a mentor?

I would recommend it to anybody considering it – there are moments in each session that make you think that it’s all worth it. Whether it’s their enthusiasm for getting something right or telling you how much they enjoy the sessions or tell you they’ve improved in their class scores or whatever. It makes you proud of them and making even a small difference to the way they approach work makes it all worth it.

Georgia Stevenson

Battling Bands Boost for RO!

“As a rock star, I have two instincts, I want to have fun, and I want to change the world. I have a chance to do both.” Or so said inspirational Irishman Bono. Somewhere a little closer to home, fundraising volunteer Mark Beckwith got going on a Battle of the Bands fundraiser for RO!. 

On the night, almost two hundred people turned up to show their support for ReachOut! at the Battle of the Bands, hosted by the Ram and Shackle in Fallowfield. The bands did everything they could, playing all their favourite songs, and after a very competitive crowd shout out, Heavy Metal-ers Nepenthe were crowned the glorious winners.

Other bands were: - Sword in Air (Indie), Motorboats (Indie), The Jet Black Royals (Alt Rock), House Music, Please (Indie), Shades of Avalon (Heavy Metal), Vamos Vaquero (Punk/d&b/alt Rock), Get to the Chopper! (Indie).

The three organisers of the event described it as a huge success – after receiving compliments about the night from several of the bands, members of the crowd and venue staff! Best of all, the night raised an amazing £565 for ReachOut!

Thanks to everyone who came, all the bands and of course Mark and his friends for organising it.

Nepenthe take to the stage

Photo: Alexander Bell

Hannah Christie

Bright Future: Peer Mentoring a Hit in Manchester

It’s 4:30 on a chilly Wednesday afternoon at St. Malachy’s Primary School in Blackley, North Manchester. A time when the school would usually be eerily silent. As teachers, their pupils long since dismissed, beginning to tip-toe their way towards the staff car park. But not today. Today is the last day of ReachOut’s peer mentoring project and the noisy enthusiasm of the mentees, junior mentors and senior mentors involved echo around the walls of St. Malachy’s.

The project is giving 45 high school pupils, 42 primary school pupils and 16 university students the chance to do something positive together. Funded in part by GMYN and the Feel Good Fund, young people are coming together to support, entertain and inspire each other.

Back at St. Malachy’s LMFAO blares from the speakers of a school stereo in one room, as mentees, junior mentors and senior mentors alike perfect their dance routine. And while the room allocated to those wishing to participate in an arts and crafts session with their mentors is awash with calm, contentment; a chaotic game of dodgeball continues a-pace in the school hall which everyone seems to be enjoying nonetheless.

These highly popular sessions of either: arts and crafts, dance or sport follow one-on-one academic time between primary school children  and their allocated Junior Mentor. Moreover the fact everyone participating has done so through choice means the mentees do their work willingly not reluctantly, with junior and senior mentors equally obliged to help.

Speaking to mentors and mentees as they work together in one of the most harmonious classrooms you could ever see, the positive effect ReachOut! has on the lives of young people is evident. Junior Mentor Ryan and his mentee Scott seem to be a particularly good team. Speaking to 15 year old Ryan, it’s clear his experience of the scheme may well shape his future:“I’ve always been good at talking, and being able to help Scott has made me think about working with children as a future career. It’s good helping people.”

Mentee Scott meanwhile, has been given a new found focus since being involved in the scheme. “I enjoy the sports activities at the end, but my schoolwork seems easier because of the help Ryan gives me – I feel more confident. When I’m older I want to be a footballer, but it’s still important to work hard at school too, so coming here helps me with that.”

Ryan and Scott’s sentiments are echoed by junior mentor Rebecca (also year 10) and her mentee Demi. “I became a mentor because most of my friends were also getting involved. It’s nice to be able to help Demi with her work and it’s something I might continue to do in the future.”

ReachOut! Project Manager Ged Poyning, now 21, is a former Our Lady’s student himself. “I first got involved with ReachOut! because it gave me a sense of being part of a group within the community. I soon started volunteering part-time, mentoring year 7 students. I would help them with maths and then there would be sports activities afterwards, it was a very similar format to the one you’ve seen today. The best thing about working for ReachOut! is being able to help and give something back to my local community.” 

With that, Ged returns to the hall and brings the final frenetic game of dodgeball to a close, before thanking everyone for coming and encouraging them to applaud their successes.  Looking around, it’s easy to see why Ryan, Scott and all the others have stayed an extra two hours after school today. Clutching art projects, dodge balls, and certificates they aren’t just smiling, they’re beaming.

Josh Nicholls             

Blood, Sweat and Gears: thank you team Zurich!

“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.” We have to say we agree with H G Wells on this one! Z1000M is our supporter Zurich’s cycling charity challenge. Taking place from 8th – 17th September 2012, it takes riders a gruelling 1000 miles, over 10 days, from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

And why on earth would anyone want to do this? To raise funds for ReachOut! and 12 other charities of course! We were selected by the Manchester Zurich team from their local charities to benefit from part of the £100,000 raised.

Rider Darren Pacey said “I’m always up for a challenge and this has got to be one of the biggest I’ve ever attempted. To raise £100k for Zurich Cares along the way will be fantastic.”

Click on the image below to find out more about the ride or cycling/supporting the event.

Hannah Christie

A new partnership with Zurich Community Trust

ReachOut! are proud to announce that we have been selected as a local partner by Zurich Community Trust. The Trust, funded by one of the world’s largest insurance groups, selected ReachOut! as a local partner to receive £15,000 and lots of support and involvement over the next 3 years.

“We are really excited to have Zurich and the Community Trust on board,” said our Chief Exec Xavier Bosch. “They are an engaged funder and clearly want to see us grow and develop. The funding will help us with our core costs, something that other funders can shy away from. Having the extra support is also a big boost and says a lot about their commitment.”

When we went along to the lovely offices in central Manchester to pick up our big cheque, we were happily surprised to meet the CEO of Zurich UK General Insurance, Steve Lewis. Both he and the rest of the team, including Nick Hoyle and Beth Shaw, were welcoming and very enthusiastic about the partnerships.

“Everybody at Zurich Community Trust is delighted and very proud to support ReachOut as one of our Manchester local partners.” Said Nick Hoyle, the Zurich Cares Programme Manager. “We’ve hit the ground running and look forward to a fantastic three years of collaboration and real partnership to help ReachOut achieve even greater success.”

We are all looking forward to a brilliant three years of collaboration, support and development. 

Fundraising Week 2012

Every year, mentors, volunteers and friends of the charity get together to support RO! and our work with young people. In 2011, we raised over £4,700 towards our work with young people. For 2012, we’ve got bag packing and Bogle walking and we’re looking for people to take the reigns and host their own cake sales and pub quizzes. So, whatever you fancy, GET INVOLVED!

All your efforts go to supporting our mentees – if 1 person raises £10, we could buy some food for the mentee-run ReachOut! Restaurant, a fun event that builds skills and self-confidence. If 10 people raise £10, that’s enough to send a teenager to an Outward Bound course that will help raise their self-esteem,  giving them faith in themselves. And if all 270 of our volunteers raised £10, that could fund staff to take our football clubs on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Madrid in April 2012. WOW!

So what’s on?

Bag packing in local supermarkets

Friday 27th Jan (Store Collection Tesco Burnage)

Friday 17th and Saturday 18th Feb (Sainsbury’s Fallowfield)

Weds 22nd Feb (Morrison’s Chrolton)

Email Hannah (hannah@reachoutuk.org) for more info or to sign up.

Bogle with us!

Join Team RO! to get fit for 2012! Bogle is a sponsored night time walk around Manchester starting on Friday 3rd March. Join us to wander the 26 mile circuit around lovely Manchester. It’s a big challenge and we’ll be there to support you the whole way!

Registration is £15, and if you raise over £50 we’ll refund your registration fee. If 26 miles is  bit too much, there’s a 12 mile route too.

Click here to ask for more info.

Hold your own

Cake sales and pub quizzes are favourites at RO!, so why not hold your own? We can help you out with organising and getting everything ready, as well as essential taste testing!

Email hannah (hannah@reachoutuk.org) to find out more.

Are you eBaying Christmas cast offs? Do it with us!

Have you got a bumper crop of Christmas presents to make room for? Or maybe a Christmas jumper that just can’t be worn ironically? Whatever you may be popping up on eBay this year, you can support us by making RO! your favourite charity. Whenever you sell on eBay, you can choose to donate between 10% and 100% of the sale price to support our work helping children and young people. It’s super easy to set up and is no work at all – eBay for Charity do all the work  for you. All you have to do it make us your favourite charity. So next time you earn a bit, why not give a bit too?

Hannah Christie

Mentees Take the Lead in Peer Mentoring

With the new year nearly upon us, RO! is looking forward to the Peer Mentoring scheme, hitting schools in Manchester this January.  The scheme, which sees teenage mentees turn Junior Mentor for a month, helps prepare primary schoolers for the move to high school.

Pikefold Primary, St John’s Primary, and St Malachy’s primary will play host to our Junior Mentors for three sessions in the new year. Sessions will run after school and be a mix of numeracy/literacy practice and fun sports, dance, drama, arts and crafts. All of the Junior Mentors go schools where the children they are working with can go after Year 6.

Project Manager Ged Poyning, who went to St Malachy’s as a child said, “It’s great that the young ones are getting positive ambassadors from their new schools. I never got the chance and I think it would have been a real confidence boost.” Ged started off at ReachOut! as a mentee, and has risen through the ranks to manage three of our projects in Manchester.

“Growing in confidence and developing as people are some of our key focuses at ReachOut!” said Heidi Hinchcliffe, in charge of the Peer Mentoring Scheme. “It’s great to be able to give young people the chance to do something positive for their community.” Junior Mentors from high schools will be supported by ReachOut! staff and Senior Mentors, who usually volunteer with us in term time.

Here’s a big thanks to the Junior Mentors from Our Lady’s High School, Manchester Enterprise Academy and St Paul’s High School for volunteering their time as well as the feel Good Fund for supporting us. 

Hannah Christie

If you are interested in joining in the Peer Mentoring as either a Senior Mentor or  because your child is in year 5/6 at one of the schools, please email heidi@reachoutuk.org.