Mentoring for
Girls and Young Women
A trusted mentor helps girls feel valued and builds self-esteem, confidence and resilience.
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"Talking to my mentor and baking fun stuff is the best part of my week. And she really gives me good advice like breathing and hand squeezes to help me calm down."
-Henny, age 15
1:1 Mentoring
Sunbeams is the happy place for so many girls and young women. Girls aged 8-16 are matched with a trained and supervised volunteer mentor and build a trusting relationship during weekly sessions. Through inherently therapeutic activities such as: baking, music and arts, girls have fun, let go and finally express themselves freely. Mentors offer a listening ear, safe and non-judgmental guidance and coping skills, so girls can get help, build resilience and thrive.
Memorable Days Program
Our Memorable Days program gives mentees the (often rare!) opportunity to enjoy great days out at local museums, parks and restaurants on a quarterly basis.
Mentoring hours Annually
Mentees
Memorable Days Trips
Group Mentoring
Our group mentoring sessions are led by skilled, trained and passionate young women who are experts in arts, drama, music or sports. Being part of a supportive group, users feel comfortable to speak out, share their experiences and get help while building social skills, emotional resilience and healthy relationships. Users form lasting friendships and the ability to make new friends in the future.
Group sessions per week
Users
Activity choices
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Our Youth Network
This network creates a safe space where girls and young women are empowered to shape change.
Through facilitated group sessions, girls share experiences, voice ideas, and speak openly about the issues that matter most to them in their own lives and within the wider community. We value girls’ opinions – helping us shape Sunbeams’ work and the wider support systems around them.
Group sessions per week
Sessions
Monthly service users
Key Worker Program
Our keyworker service offers intensive support for girls, aged 11-16, dealing with multiple and complex issues. Professionally trained and supervised by our Clinical Lead, keyworkers provide goal-based, holistic interventions that are fully responsive to each girls’ needs, including practical and emotional support as well as sign posting. We coordinate with schools, GPs, CAMHS, social care and parents to generate positive, substantial and sustainable change.
Sessions per week
Users
Multi-disciplinary meetings
Reisy's Story
Reisy (14) came to Sunbeams feeling overwhelmed and stuck. She described herself as “not happy” and “misunderstood,” and was clearly desperate for things to change. She often felt anxious and stressed, which led to low motivation and increased isolation. Life felt heavy, and she didn’t know where to begin… Reisy ended the programme feeling more confident, more in control, and, in her words, “more like myself again”
What Makes
Our Sessions Great
Professional
Volunteer mentors receive professional trainings, ongoing supervision and support from our Volunteer Coordinators and clinical lead
User-led
Mentees are highly involved in shaping the service - choosing the sort of activity, day and timing of sessions, planning trips and providing ongoing feedback on the mentoring relationship.
Holistic
We work holistically - in partnership with parents, schools, statutory services to ensure that progress is carried over across the board and to onward-refer issues identified.
Consistent
Consistency is key. Our sessions take place weekly, for one hour, so users build trust and feel safely supported.
Positive
Our premises are aesthetically designed with child-friendly colours, positive memos and comfortable rooms - making Sunbeams a truly magical environment.
Accredited
We completed The Mentoring Quality Framework and were awarded London Youth Quality Award, which means our practices and policies are in line with best practice guidance.
