Secondary pupils from across Slough have met local MP Fiona Mactaggart – at an event to celebrate their achievements during Mosaic’s youth mentoring programme.

The ‘Making a Difference’ event – organised by Mosaic’s local delivery partner, Learning to Work – was attended by 64 pupils, along with their mentors. Held at O2’s offices, it marked two years of the organisations working together in Slough.

On the day, attendees celebrated the achievements of the students and their business mentors. The students also took part in a brainstorming session, where they had an opportunity to put some of what they’ve learnt on the mentoring programme into action. Working on tables with their mentors – they came up with ideas to improve their schools and the local community. They then had an opportunity to feed this back to Fiona Mactaggart MP. Commenting on the day, Fiona said: “This was a great opportunity for local young people to learn about the world of work and the opportunities which exist in Slough. They made real progress in the day, having experience of working in teams with others they had not met before, being supported by adult mentors. I saw them gain strength and confidence from the event and I hope they will go on to fulfil their ambitions.”

The event also provided an opportunity for the students to feed back about what they had enjoyed about the programme, and what they’d like to see more of in the future.

Taking part in the table-discussions with the pupils were a number of mentors. They included Lisa Chellar, a portfolio manager for 02 in Slough, and mentor at Bayliss Secondary and Beechwood Secondary schools. She took part in the table-discussions on the day:
“Being a mentor is a fantastic opportunity for all to take action around supporting the next generation for the future, and support their personal development by inspiring inspiration and creativity. Our young people are the future.”

Year 10 mentee, Syeda, from Slough and Eton Secondary School, felt that the mentoring sessions had given her more confidence to speak up: “I like the group work because I didn’t have much confidence when talking in a group. But, as the sessions go by, I talk more and I can talk easier in the big groups. My mentors are very helpful and very nice. I have really enjoyed the event today, it’s nice to meet other students, and see my mentors outside of the school.”

Speaking on the day, Mosaic’s head of operations, Kim O’Reilly, commented: “This event marks the culmination of our long-standing and successful partnership with Learning to Work. Slough pupils are a particularly shining example of the real benefits that mentoring can bring – both in terms of raising their aspirations, and developing their confidence.”

Nancy Lalor, operations manager for Learning to Work, commented: “It has been great to once again be involved in the programme and work with all parties to help support the development of young people in the area. It is vital that we all get actively involved in supporting our young people if we are to really help them understanding the expectations of them from the working world and genuinely support them in their transition from education to employment. The Mosaic mentoring programme has gone from strength to strength locally and we are really pleased to be part of the delivery team for both the group mentoring and Enterprise Challenge in Slough.”

The event also marked the launch of a new range of ‘Talking Guides’ – interactive PDFs which bring to life Mosaic’s mentoring programmes, and promote the immense benefits that mentoring can bring for both mentors and students. The guides were sponsored by the Heathrow Community Fund.

Find out more about our Secondary School Mentoring Programme