University of Manchester students volunteering at the Mentoring Charity “ReachOut” have given a staggering amount of their free time this academic year despite some projects finishing slightly earlier than expected due to COVID 19 and lockdown.

87 Univesity of Manchester students enrolled with the charity to support a diverse range of young people aged 9-14 from disadvantaged areas across Manchester and Oldham. 1 to 2 hour sessions which aim to raise aspirations, build character and improve attainment were taking place in a range of primary and secondary schools across our region before the country went into lockdown. Many projects in secondary schools had to stop all together although a handful of the projects were able to quickly adapt to allow the mentor-mentee relationship to continue virtually. Despite these challenges and constraints, our dedicated students ramped up 1,845 hours, the most of any university in the UK.

In addition to the mentoring, three ‘world of work’ visits took place on campus in February and pupils from three local primary schools visited the University to speak with our current students about student life, courses, careers and future opportunities.

Of the 87 exceptional student role models, three of our students have now been offered paid part-time roles as Project Leaders and are enrolled on the Reachout Leadership Development Programme which wil be a fantastic asset to their future careers and skills profiles.

Skills such as communication, time management, behaviour management and motivating others are just some of the key learnings this year’s mentors cite as having already been developed during their time as mentors.