Mentoring

At Shadow to Shine, we offer a range of mentorship opportunities for young people, including 1-to-1 mentorship matches, professional mentorship (based on career aspirations) as well as mentoring on shorter, flexible terms. 

Mentoring can give young people positive role models who can inspire and encourage them to think big about career ambitions, as well as providing them with advice and guidance from their own personal and professional experiece. 

We’ve searched high and low to secure the best and brightest mentors, who are all leaders in their fields, which span the music, creative and arts industries, law, finance and accounting, property and sports, retail, hospitality, media, PR, marketing, publishing, broadcasting and and journalism, tech and gaming as well as within charities and NGOs.  

Overview

Shadow To Shine facilitates specially tailored virtual mentoring programmes designed to bridge the gap between young people and their dream career industries. Our mentor pool consists of highly experienced industry professionals who we carefully match with a young person interested in the mentor’s field of work. By matching the skills and knowledge of our mentors with the specific needs and interests of our young people, Shadow To Shine aims to provide our youth network with professional role models they otherwise feel they do not have.

Mentorships last for a duration of six months with meetings occurring on a regular monthly basis. This is flexible dependent on the young person’s circumstances and needs - e.g. if your mentee requires additional preparation for an upcoming interview, you may decide to meet twice in one month. Our aim is to facilitate long-term support for our young people, which helps them work on Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely (SMART) goals over an extended period of time. 

Mentors have a duty to report each meeting to Shadow To Shine, who oversees the process and ensures both parties are happy with the ongoing partnership. We check in regularly and share any resources that might be of use for the sessions and are always on hand should our users have any questions or issues arising out of their mentoring experience.

All mentoring sessions are currently being carried out virtually (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or via phone) as a result the COVID pandemic. As restrictions ease over the course of the year we hope to see more mentors able to meet mentees at their place of work once again and offer them first-hand, valuable insight into the real-life conditions of their world of work. We will be keeping our mentors posted on when this is possible based on guidance from the government and National Youth Association.

MENTORS

Our mentors range from having 5-25 years’ experience in their particular field. We welcome professionals from all backgrounds and walks of life who feel they have valuable knowledge and experience to share, all that we ask is that you have:

• An evident path of career progression behind you

• The commitment and availability to meet a young person on a regular basis

• A warm, friendly and encouraging attitude

• A passion for helping young people reach their full potential

• A recent DBS certificate

You can sign up to be a mentor with Shadow To Shine by completing the sign-up form here. Once you’re application has been reviewed, a member of our friendly 

MENTEES

If you’re aged 16-24 and do not feel like you currently have access to your ideal career industry, you may be eligible for Shadow To Shine’s mentoringprogramme. We currently have reached capacity in our mentee pool for virtual networking, but will be taking on new cohorts over the course of the year. Get in touch via email to add your name to the waiting list and we will email you when applications open again.

CURRENT MENTEE FEEDBACK

“I feel supported and have learned how to write my smart goals properly, so I don't continue to self-sabotage. Because we are in the same age bracket, it is easier to relate and speak candidly as she understands me. I look forward to the work that I will produce at the end of this process!”

Jimi Alli, Shadow To Shine mentee

“I feel like me and my mentor are a good match, she has been helping me a lot with trying to gain experience and refining my CV in preparation for the end of my studies.

We meet regularly, so far no month has been missed, and she is really flexible and accessible via email in between meetings for any questions that I might have.”

Taffie Rwapunga, Shadow To Shine mentee

“I’m really enjoying my mentorship and so far I feel it’s a great match for me. My mentor has been really insightful about the industry I want to get in, as well as general mindset towards work and life.”

Rayo Yusuf, Shadow To Shine mentee

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“My mentor has been the perfect match! I've been finding it incredibly supportive and really encouraging. We're managing to meet every other week on a regular basis. I'm definitely feeling support in the areas I'm struggling with and really appreciate all the advice I've been receiving . Thank you so much!”

Sabrina Li, Shadow To Shine mentee

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“I'm enjoying the mentorship she has gone above and beyond to help me and for that I am very grateful. We are able to meet on a monthly basis which suits my schedule as I am a busy masters student balancing a plethora of responsibilities. Also, I do feel like I am being supported and I believe I will be going over my CV with my mentor  in our next session.”

Kaniya Abubakar, Shadow To Shine mentee