Blog

09.08.2021

intandem expand their team and help map mentoring to Keep the Promise

As part of their ongoing commitment to amplify the voices of children and young people, intandem are taking action to Keep the Promise of the Independent Care Review.

After a successful application to The Promise Partnership, intandem secured investment to recruit a Programme Development Intern to support the national mentoring programme, and are delighted to announce that Josh Hurd has joined the team in this new role.

Josh will play a crucial role within the fund over the next year, helping to embed the voice of young people within intandem’s mentoring programme.

Upon joining the fund, Josh said:

“I enjoy working as a team and learning new things. I am a very enthusiastic person who loves spending time with people. I enjoy down time with family and friends and like being in people’s company.

I’m excited to meet everyone in the team and can’t wait to started. Family and friends are the most Important to me, as we build each other’s confidence up and help each other to overcome the bad times.”

Debbie Zima, performance advisor for intandem, added:

“We are delighted to have Josh join intandem. He brings experience of working alongside young people in sports coaching and most importantly has an infectious drive to get the views and ideas of young people at the front of all our minds, which will ensure intandem develops with their voice at its heart.”

In addition to welcoming Josh to the team, intandem have been working with the Scottish Mentoring Network and YMCA Scotland to map mentoring provision for care experienced children and young people in Scotland. The goal is to identify gaps in mentoring provision by mapping an accurate picture of where and how care experienced children and young people can currently access mentoring services.

Scottish Mentoring Network have launched a nationwide survey to enable mentoring services to contribute to the mapping exercise. Responses will help SMN and partners to better understand the current mentoring landscape and will allow them to make informed recommendations about how to improve access to mentoring services for all care-experienced children and young people.

Sarah Barr, Scottish Mentoring Network’s project lead for the mapping project, said:

“We are really excited to have been awarded funding to enable us undertake this vital piece of work. We know the positive impact that the mentoring services we work with have on the lives of Scotland’s young people and by contributing to this project you will be helping to ensure these opportunities are equally available across the country”.

Susie White, intandem performance advisor, added:

“Mapping mentoring provision will provide a clear picture of the current support available across Scotland. By working together to understand what mentoring services are available and where, we can build better connections across the sector to complement each other’s work and, most importantly, ensure young people get the support they want and need at the right time.”

Funded by Scottish Government and designed and delivered by Inspiring Scotland, intandem provides mentors for young people to help them face the unique challenges their circumstances can create. To find out more about the programme, visit intandem.scot.