Case Study 6
8 til late
Summary: The aim of the project is to build resilience around young people to prevent them from joining gangs and being involved in gun crime.
Name: 8 til late mentoring project
Region: Manchester
Type of Organisation: Local Authority
Brief description of project: The 8 til Late Project is an intensive mentoring project that provides eight to ten hours per week of mentoring and family support to primary school children aged between 8 and 11-years-old, in areas particularly affected by gangs and gun crime. The aim of the project is to build resilience around young people to prevent them from joining gangs and being involved in gun crime. Young people that are mentored usually have a family member involved in gangs, has been affected by gang violence or is attracted to gang culture. The project works with schools and the local authority to identify relevant young people to participate. The mentors are usually aged 16 to 18 and encourage the young people's interests into positive directions, e.g. sports, music or art. Both the mentors and mentees develop interpersonal skills and better understanding of others.
Outcomes
- Developed strong and positive relationships between people from different backgrounds and circumstances within schools and the community.
- Increased awareness of positive activities available in the local community.
- Built relationships between parents of mentees and schools.
Success criteria
- Working across boundaries, to bring together young people from different areas and cultures to prevent territorialism.
- Building positive relations with community organisations and others (e.g. police).
- Using slightly older mentors, so that they have experiences to share, but young people are able to relate to them easily.
Last updated: 26 September 2008
