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Call for volunteer mentors to help boost pupils' confidence and achievement
A project which provides positive role models for local schoolchildren, particularly pupils from ethnic minorities, needs more volunteer mentors to help it expand.
The Aselu (meaning cooperation) Mentoring Programme began as a pilot project at St Stephen's Primary School from 2000-2001. It is now operating at two other local primary schools and a secondary school, and is due to start at a third primary school soon.
Among the mentors currently working for Aselu is Hammersmith resident Casey Adaraonye, 35, a member of the poets' and writers' collective Scribes UK. Casey is a volunteer mentor to two pupils at Normand Park Primary School, in Lillie Road, Fulham, whom he meets for an hour each once a week.
He said the programme aimed to develop children's self-confidence and self-esteem to improve their behaviour, motivation and levels of achievement. Volunteers talk to their mentees about any problems they are experiencing at school as well as their aspirations and help the children to set goals.
"It is an opportunity for them to talk about personal and non-academic issues that might be affecting their performance at school," said Casey. "My role is to provide encouragement and motivation."
Janet Lawrence, a full-time learning mentor at Normand Park Primary, helps to coordinate the Aselu programme at the school. She said: "Casey is a very committed person who obviously enjoys the work and has a good rapport with the children. We have a lot of children here who would benefit from this programme but we need more mentors."
Cllr David Williams, deputy for education, said: "The Aselu Mentoring Programme is a valuable means of helping us to raise levels of achievement in our schools, particularly among pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds. It is not only the children and young people who benefit a great deal - the mentors get a lot of satisfaction from helping young people and improve their own skills and self-awareness at the same time."
Aselu is funded by two regeneration schemes - Regenasis and the Phoenix Neighbourhood Renewal Programme - and is currently operating at Normand Park and Canberra primary schools as well as Phoenix High School. It is due to start at Wormholt Park Primary School soon.
One of the aims has been to prepare older primary school children for the transition to secondary school as well as helping younger pupils at Phoenix High to adjust to life at secondary school.
Mentors must be aged over 16 and will be given training and expenses.
If you are interested in volunteering contact Nicholas Foster or Jay Atie on 020 8743 9590 or email aselu.mentoring@btconnect.com