Meet our Mentors
Le Chéile believes in volunteer-led mentoring and our team of over 230 trained and committed volunteers across the country are the foundation of the organisation. Mentors provide support, guidance and encouragement to help young people and their families make positive choices and provide alternatives to offending.
What’s Involved?
Our mentors are matched with a young person aged between 12-23 years or a parent or carer. Mentors and young people meet on a weekly basis for up to 3 hours to do an activity like going to the cinema, bowling, or just meeting for a bite to eat and a chat. Parent mentors also meet weekly with a parent they are matched with to have a coffee or a bite to eat.
Mentoring sessions create an informal, relaxed atmosphere, through which the mentor can support a young person or parent and help them to make positive changes.
Le Chéile covers all costs involved in mentoring sessions; all you give is your time.
Volunteer Recruitment
Le Chéile Mentoring runs two annual recruitment campaigns. The first runs from January to March and the second runs from September to November.
We recruit on a needs basis, which means that not every region will be recruiting new volunteers during a particular campaign. Some regions may recruit only once a year and some may recruit every 18 months.
The best way to stay up-to-date on where we are recruiting is to follow us on social media, sign up to our Newsletter or keep an eye on this page. You can also submit an application form now and we will be in touch with you as soon as a recruitment campaign is launched in your area.
Your Time, Your Support, Your Kindess Can Change Lives
What to Expect as a Volunteer?
As a volunteer mentor, you have an opportunity to encourage positive change in the life of a young person or parent and to witness first-hand the impact that you can have.
Additionally, you can also expect the following:
- Tailored, eight module mentor induction training
- Support of a trained Mentoring Co-ordinator
- Regular group sessions with other Mentors
- Optional ongoing training to learn new skills
- Travel and activity expenses
- Meet new people and make new friends
- Gain experience that will support your personal and professional development
Hear from some of our volunteers on their experiences of mentoring with Le Chéile by watching the video below.