121 Youth Befriending is a charity set up in 1986 in the West Kent area to provide a mentoring/befriending scheme that aims to support young people from the ages of 6 to 21 who are classified as children at need and at risk. The children come from BME groups experiencing social isolation and lack of opportunity. The general approach of 121 is to “challenge disadvantage by changing young lives for the better, offering friendship, experience, diversion, caring, and mentoring.
The core principles and aims of 121 are recruiting, training, and screening volunteer befrienders/mentors who will act as role models and mentors to vulnerable young people. The volunteers commit 2-4 hours a week to a young person for a minimum of 6 months. This often progresses to a 1-2 year relationship that enables the children and young people to achieve their key goals. 121 have clearly set out what these goals are and everything that the organisation does flows from these. The goals are that the children will: achieve their full potential; be healthy and confident; be safe; relate well with and care for others, and contribute to their communities; have self esteem and self confidence; and, experience new activities.
The GoldStar Project, 121 Zero Project, was started in 2001 to promote zero tolerance of discrimination towards vulnerable isolated groups such as refugees, travellers’ communities, black and ethnic minority groups, and those suffering from disability. The ability to attract potential volunteers from these communities is critical to the success of the Project.Therefore time and effort is spent being seen and heard in these communities in order to win their confidence, and this effort is sustained over time. Similarly, where target communities have a focus around places of worship the Project seeks to win the support of respected elders and community leaders/clerics.
The Project has set up a computerised case management system that all coordinators feed into and can access. This provides a more effective way for central monitoring, greater accountability and accessibility. Other uses of ICT include using the website to begin the recruitment process for volunteers online, and the production of promotional DVDs.
The sensitive and demanding nature of this work is recognised and measures are in place to provide adequate support for staff and volunteers. These include the use of an external supervisor who is a psychotherapist to support Staff Team, and who is available to volunteers in special cases. This facility helps to maintain the health of the Project and its workers.
