Foróige and UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre, University of Galway are delighted to launch a new piece of research today.
The research explores the mentoring experiences of young people referred to Foróige’s Big Brother Big Sister (BBBS) mentoring programme from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The research explores the value of mentoring from the perspective of young people, parents, mentors and staff involved in the BBBS-CAMHS partnership.
Download a copy of the research here.
The main findings on the benefits for the young people involved are:
- Improved Relationships and Social Skills - “I think I have changed in my trust and friendships… I can definitely trust more people” – Young Person
- Greater Functioning and Independence - “They do exceptional work in moving young people on in getting back into being able to function in their life the way most young people do” – CAMHS Staff
- More Confidence - “[BBBS] boosted him, boosted his confidence and made him feel like that he was a nice person and a good person and worth getting to know ” – Parent
- Enhanced Mood and Positive Affect - “They’re invaluable in service really, in helping young people from a mental health perspective” – CAMHS Staff
- Improved Coping and Wellbeing - “It has given her a little bit more resilience” – Parent
- Stronger Self-Identity - “That relationship as I say is incredibly positive…it has really built her up as a person” – Parent
- Increased Engagement - “I think that the skills that they build on through the mentoring programme are transferable so they transfer to school, into their friendships, making new friendships” – CAMHS Staff.
Download a copy of the research here.
