Ablaze is an independent charity which exists to tackle inequality of opportunity for young people in the West of England region. Staff from Business West volunteered to engage with their ‘West of England Mentoring’ (WEM) programme to support a group of students at Patchway Community School.
We spoke to lead mentor Julia Gurr to find out more about the programme and how both the school and Business West staff have benefitted.
Why did Business West staff sign up to the programme?
Like most volunteers, motivation comes from wanting to give back. We all have stories about the inadequate careers provision from our school years. Newsflash… unfortunately not much has changed! I don’t like seeing a system that’s broken and it still feels like we’re a long way off from having solutions to the age-old problems. It was time to roll up our sleeves and get involved.
How does the programme work?
The programme aims to raise young people’s confidence and aspiration, support their attainment and skill levels, and empower them with knowledge to make informed choices about their future. Ablaze brokers partnerships between local businesses and schools and the business volunteers then use the Ablaze mentoring toolkit to deliver six sessions with students.
How did the students react to being mentored?
They loved the hot chocolate machine and getting time away from school, as well as visiting Leigh Court and finding out what has been filmed here. They also enjoyed building towers out of spaghetti and marshmallows! They had strong opinions on who made a good role model and what is important in life but, like most of us, they were not so good at recognising their own strengths and what they’re good at. Many didn’t know what to do after exams and most of them lacked confidence and didn’t understand what employers are looking for when recruiting. At times they got a bit distracted, but overall, they engaged really well, and we could see the content was starting to get them thinking more clearly about their futures.
How did the teachers think this programme has helped their students?
Nina Chorzelewski, teacher, Head of 6th form and careers lead was very open and honest about the pressures these students are under. Even before covid hit they have many challenges to overcome. Experiences like this give them an opportunity to feel special and realise despite the difficulties many of them have with studying in a school setting, that they have the potential to get where they want to go if they work hard and access the help that’s available. They’ve built up a lot of resilience over the last few years, but they just don’t see it in themselves. Many of them will not have been in an office setting, so WEM gives them a chance to see what the world of work can be like, how people behave in the workplace, what people wear and what jobs they do.
What were the results?
We really enjoyed our time with the students. The young people worked well together, contributed to lively sessions, and provided thoughtful, articulate responses to our questions about their career aspirations. Choosing a career path is tough – there’s a real disconnect between school subjects, what they enjoy and are good at, and jobs they might do. We started to break down the steps required to achieve their goals, how to cope with failure and keep going and places to look for help with working out what they’re good at, and what jobs might suit them. They are all talented young people. I hope the programme has helped them to start to recognise their own potential so they can go on to achieve their dreams.
If you’d like to see how your business could benefit from mentoring, Business West and Ablaze are hosting an in-person workshop on mentoring young people in the workplace, on Wednesday 7th September at Bristol & Bath Science Park. To find out more and book your place visit this link.
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