Community Mentor Volunteer

22nd October 2025

Volunteer at Independent People 

Independent People supports 16 to 25 year olds who have faced or are facing homelessness in the South West. We house and support young people to build independent lives. 

Our aim is to make sure everyone gets something out of your volunteering experience; you, us and the people we support. 

Become a Community Mentor and help young people to grow  

1625ip are welcoming individuals to volunteer as Community Mentors to mentor young people living in South Gloucestershire.  

A Community Mentor is a reliable, positive, figure in a young person’s life. Community Mentoring offers young people the chance to build positive relationships with members of the community who they might otherwise never have the chance to meet. Mentoring can transform lives – both for the Mentor and the Mentee. Community Mentors receive training and ongoing support to mentor a young person aged 16 – 24 to develop confidence, self-esteem and independence, improve interpersonal skills and wellbeing, and reduce isolation. If you can listen with empathy, share your experience, provide encouragement, and you can spare an hour a week, we’d love to hear from you! 

Community Mentors:  

  • Are matched with a young person within the local community who may be new to the city and would benefit from help to get to know the city and/or in need of positive relationships with others. 
  • Provide one-to-one mentoring on a weekly basis. 
  • Spend quality time together with mentees doing interesting things in and around the local area. 
  • Empower mentees to increase confidence and make positive choices. 
  • Listen, encourage and inspire young people. 
  • Have empathy, patience, knowledge, professionalism, honesty and an ability to motivate. 
  • Are a reliable, personable, and positive figure in a young person’s life. 
  • Are happy to share common interests and to discover new things. 
  • Have enthusiasm for making the most of what the local area has to offer. 

Commitment from a Community Mentor: 

  • Be able to commit to six hours of training. 
  • Be able to commit to at least an hour a week to mentor a young person for at least six months (once matched with a young person following completion of training) and up to one year. 
  • Be flexible, assertive and resilient and able to develop a positive mentoring relationship with a young person. 
  • Be able to travel in and around the South Gloucestershire area. 
  • A commitment to adhering to 1625ip’s volunteering, equal opportunities and data protection policies, including following the code of conduct, maintaining boundaries, and confidentiality. 

What we offer: 

  • An Enhanced DBS check. 
  • Full induction, initial mentoring training programme and access to ongoing training opportunities. 
  • Regular support and supervision. 
  • Travel expenses and reimbursement for refreshments and activity costs with young people. 
  • References are available upon request after six months of volunteering. 

Closing date for applications – 18 June 2026

Read our full Volunteering Policy here.  

Appointment is subject to application, successful interview, two satisfactory references and an Enhanced DBS check. 

1625 Independent People is committed to promoting equal opportunity and diversity. 

Any enquiries or if you need a paper version sent to you, please email volunteering@1625ip.co.uk  or call 0117 317 8800 

Volunteering Application Form

  • 1. Contact Information

  • If you have any questions, or would prefer this form to be emailed or posted to you, please email volunteering@1625ip.co.uk
  • MM slash DD slash YYYY

  • 2. SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

  • 3. REASONS FOR VOLUNTEERING

  • 4. References

  • Please provide two referees. In absence of a professional, employment or educational referee we can accept a reference from a support worker or character reference (excluding friends and family members)

  • 5. CONVICTIONS

  • We want to ensure that our workers, volunteers and clients are not placed at risk. As 1625 Independent People meets the requirements of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, certain roles may be required to undergo a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Offences do not necessarily mean that your application will be turned down. We give careful consideration to providing opportunities for ex-offenders.

  • 6. DISABILITY / Access Requirements

  • 7. Volunteering Diversity and Inclusion Monitoring

  • We are committed to make sure all our Volunteers are not discriminated against on the grounds of protected characteristics. By providing information about yourself, you will help us adhere to equal opportunities best practice and to identify any barriers to diversity among our volunteers. You do not have to answer all the questions but the more information you give, the more effective we can be. All information is treated in the strictest confidence.
  • Disability Definition The Equality Act 2010 states “A person has a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.” We fully support the social model of disability and we recognise that people with different impairments or medical conditions can experience different barriers.
  • I confirm that the details I have given in this application are accurate. If my application is successful I understand that any false statement or failure to disclose information may result in the end of any position offered to me.