Newly appointed United Access and KAN APP mentors joined pre-existing colleagues for a day of presentations, workshops and group activities at City University, London.

2017 mentor training followed a similar schedule to that in previous years, with a consideration of the role of the mentor in relation to the AAF mentee development programme, the opportunity for current mentors to share their experiences with those newly inducted in to our organisation, and refreshers on child protection and safeguarding, as well as planning sessions looking ahead to the upcoming summer residentials. With five cohorts now taking part in AAF programmes our mentor community is also growing, which is great to see. Mentors can be as useful to each other as they are to their mentees, and the key for the AAF has always been the ability of mentors to drive their role and the way in which they interpret it, and therefore the nature of their invaluable contributions to our programmes.

Put simply, the mentor training day is a crucial day in the AAF calendar:

Mentoring and the relationships between our mentors and their mentees are at the heart of what we do, and have been fundamental to the success of the APP up to now, and will be equally important to the work of the United Access project starting at Caterham School this summer. The relationships between mentor and mentee are mutually beneficial and it can be genuinely inspiring to witness the way in which these groups of young people interact, with the shared aim of allowing the mentees to explore and fulfil their potential. The opportunity for our students to work alongside and learn from current and recent undergraduate students is invaluable to them, with the mentors working to engage, stretch and inspire their mentees, and to show them the possibilities that are out there for them.

Following on from the welcome tea for new additions to the APP programme at Tonbridge School at the weekend just gone, and meetings in Oxford relating to potential partnerships for United Access on Monday, preparations for the summer residentials are in full flow – watch this website and twitter for more information!