Growing2gether

• Membership number 7578
• Charity registered in Scotland SC051919

Growing2gether is committed to support young people to find long-term solutions to their problems and those of their communities. In partnership with Highland Council and your local Primary school, our 18 week programme pairs young people facing disadvantage as a mentor to a young child in a nursery who needs additional support, leading to a Level 4 SCVQ qualification (Self Awareness/Self in Community Units). Through this mentoring opportunity we aim to raise both young people and children's self-belief and aspiration and to grow into their unique and abundant potential as well as become a positive force for change in their communities.Growing2gether recently won major funding from Movember, the leading global charity changing the face of men’s health, to increase the number of teenage boys on our nursery mentoring programme.You might also find this post of particular interest.https://www.growing2gether.org.uk/news/world-mental-health-day-leading-the-way-in-scottish-boys-mental-health/Mental health is a major problem with young people, especially after the pandemic and this has a huge impact on their ability to succeed at school and in life. We are seeing efficacy and a major impact on mental health and attainment, particularly amongst teenage boys. We have been delivering across Highland (11 schools) since 2017 and our evaluation of 256 participants (2020) showed that: Teenage boys’ mental health improved by 35% (pre and post programme)There was a 66% increase in self efficacy (belief in ability to achieve goals)Teachers said that boys showed an 83% improvement in their motivation to achieve their potential.90% of teenage boys valued the support they received from Growing2gether.We are also now seeing long-term impact, which we track through our partnership with the Highland Council 97.7% of teenage boys reached a positive destination(training/further education/work (sample 87 teenage boys). We want to reach more teenage boys to give them a more positive future.Our experience shows that the teenage boys, who research shows may struggle to express their feelings, learn from the girls. We will also test a few teenage boys only groups. As always, choice during the programme will be central for the young people, so, without wanting to stereotype, the facilitators will aim to include activities that may appeal to teenage boys to be engaged in whilst supporting the children at nursery.Coached by our experienced facilitators, benefits for teenage boys will include: Helping them to feel better about themselves and to reflect on how their behaviour impacts on the people around themEnhanced mental health ensuring that they can achieve their full potential at school and learn how to make positive choices and avoid negative behaviourStronger ability to focus their attention and stay present during lessons at school and in other aspects of their life. Growing2gether provides them with an experience to develop greater awareness, monitor and grow their own ability to focus with plenty of support that a small group can offer them that a larger classroom cannotDevelopment of work skills, such as team building, and crucial interpersonal soft skills

Links

• https://www.growing2gether.org.uk/
• https://www.growing2gether.org.uk
• https://www.facebook.com/Growing2getherScot

If you work for this organisation, you can sign up for a My SCVO account to gain access to member benefits