How Impact Mentoring grew from a small idea to supporting over 1,000 young people
Impact Mentoring was founded with a simple belief: that every young person deserves someone who believes in them. Starting with just a handful of mentors in Bristol, we began working with young people who had become disengaged from education and needed a different kind of support.
As demand for our services grew, so did our team. We expanded our mentoring staff and developed our one-to-one approach, building relationships with schools and local authorities across the South West.
We introduced learning programmes linked to ASDAN accreditation, giving young people the opportunity to gain recognised qualifications while working with their mentors. This was a turning point — it meant the time spent mentoring could directly contribute to a young person's future.
Responding to the needs of young people who were nearing the end of their schooling, we launched our Post-16 provision. This programme supports young people aged 16+ who need help transitioning to further education, training, or employment.
We now operate across 7 regions in the South West, with offices in Bristol and Gloucester. Our team of nearly 90 mentors supports young people in communities, schools, and through local authority referrals.
Since 2010, we've worked with over 1,000 young people. Every one of them has a different story, different challenges, and different goals. But they all have one thing in common — they deserved someone who believed in them. And that's what Impact Mentoring has always been about.