Awards event for local mentoring project students

July 2, 2019 by Leigh-on-sea.com

A local mentoring project will be celebrating the success of its pupils at an upcoming event in Southend. 

On Wednesday 10 July, The 60 Minute Mentor South Essex (60MMSE) team will be hosting a celebration event in The Pod at South Essex College for the pupils involved in the project, highlighting their achievements and progression over the past year. 

The event will run from 9am – 1pm with an inspirational speaker from Fix up Enterprise attending to give a speech to the pupils. There will be mentors from the companies involved, with gold, silver and bronze awards up for grabs for the schools that engaged most successfully with the project, including student engagement and initiative, as well as school participation.

The 60 Minute Mentor South Essex project was set up by the council in 2016 which supports local year 8 students. Each school has 10 students matched with a mentor for a seven month period, which consists of a mix of four group and one to one interventions with the mentor.

Since the project started back in 2016, 685 young people have been matched with a mentor in south Essex, with 27 schools signed-up to the project, and all 29 signed-up for the second year.

The mentors come from local businesses in South Essex who have an interest in helping to motivate and support local year 8 students.

Cllr Anne Jones, cabinet member for children and learning, said: “It is fantastic to see this project go from strength to strength, offering children, not only in the Borough, but now in the whole of South Essex, an opportunity to be inspired by an amicable mentor.

“The project has allowed local children to grow and develop as young adults, giving them opportunities to prosper in their near and adult futures.

“I must offer a huge congratulations to all the pupils involved as they have really come on leaps and bounds over the past 12 months. The mentors also deserve lots of credit as they have taken it upon themselves to act as role models to these young people and for that we must offer our gratitude.”