ReachOut

ReachOut is a mentoring charity, rooted in local communities across London, Greater Manchester and Liverpool. We support young people aged 9-16 from under-resourced communities, with long-term programmes, delivered in schools, that build confidence and character through structured group activities and individual mentoring.

The coronavirus pandemic meant that we had to significantly adapt our service delivery, both throughout the various lockdowns and as restrictions began to lift. When the pandemic hit, ReachOut was determined to be there for young people at a time when they needed us most. We quickly transitioned our delivery online, adapting our curriculum and developing a wide range of new tools and materials, including those to support young people’s emotional wellbeing. This helped us to ensure the young people we supported could remain connected to their mentors and their peers. As restrictions began to lift, we adapted again, taking a flexible approach to running projects either online or back in the classroom, depending on the needs of schools and individual circumstances. As a result, we were able to connect more young people with more mentors, adapting to changing circumstances and safely delivering 14,595 hours of mentoring to 824 young people.