YMCA Tayside is looking for volunteers for a new mentoring programme to help vulnerable girls.
The programme, Y’s Girls, will offer help and support to young women and girls at risk of developing mental health issues.
They are calling on the community to get involved and provide positive role models.
Working with social workers, schools and local police, Y’s Girls will connect vulnerable young women aged nine to 14, with mentors from a range of different backgrounds to offer support and positively influence their lives.
Mentors will be trained by YMCA Tayside. They will regularly meet up with their mentee’s over a 12-month period, no more than once a week for two hours, offering an ear to discuss anything that might be worrying them, from family and personal relationships, to lifestyle and education.
Mentors
Jill McGrath, Chief Executive of YMCA Tayside, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be launching this vital mentorship and support programme to vulnerable young women and girls in and around Tayside, and would love to hear from anyone locally who would be keen to get involved.
“We are all too aware that mental health issues amongst children and young people are rising dramatically, and so the chance to offer that much needed time and support at such a critical stage is invaluable.
“The additional pressures of the pandemic, coupled with consistent and damaging cuts to youth services over the last decade, have left many young people isolated and without essential support.
“Projects like Y’s Girls provide a much-needed bridge within our youth work, helping to reach vulnerable young women and girls in their time of need.”
The project aims to establish 250 mentoring relationships across 10 YMCAs based across the UK from April 2021 until July 2022.
YMCA Tayside is committed to providing opportunities for young people across Perth and Kinross, and is part of YMCA Scotland, which acts as the national voice for 29 local YMCAs working with over 10,000 children and young people each week.
For more information on Y’s Girls or to find out about mentor opportunities, click here or contact alyxs@ymcatayside.com.