Urban youth charity XLP have launched XL-Mentoring National, which will provide support for more struggling young people and their families.

UK churches can now get involved and equipped to run XL-Mentoring projects, thereby benefiting the lives of local young people.

Across the UK, vulnerable young people are struggling with difficult circumstances, including family breakdown, poverty, drugs and crime without any consistent support in their lives, often leading them to drop out of school.

A recent statistic from the Prince's Trust states that 31 per cent of young people not in education or employment did not have someone to talk to about their problems while they were growing up; and with almost a million young people unemployed at present [TUC 2013], it can be hard to see hope for the future.

XLP acknowledge that mentoring won’t change situations overnight, but believe that providing someone who is committed to working with young people will help them overcome challenges and move forward. Churches will now be equipped to offer mentoring and vital support to the young people in their communities, which could start a turn-around. Mentoring co-ordinators in each church will recruit, train, monitor and supervise volunteer mentors sourced from the local community.

XL-Mentoring has already proven highly effective in supporting young people and their families who are facing emotional, behavioural and relational challenges: helping them to improve their life-skills, relate better to their peers and community, avoid educational failure, and choose not to become involved with gangs.

Patrick Regan OBE, CEO and founder of XLP, says: “Just this week, I chatted to a single mother and her son, Samuel, whose lives have been transformed through their relationship with an XLP mentor. She spoke movingly about the way in which the mentor’s presence in her son’s life has really taken the pressure off her. She is reassured that there is someone who is committed to seeing Samuel excel at school and make positive lifestyle choices.”

Les Isaac OBE, CEO and founder of the Ascension Trust, added his support, saying: “I'm always excited and thrilled about the work of XLP. I believe that their work with young people is having a significant impact. When churches get involved with XLP mentoring they are able to extend their contribution to the life of a young person.”

XL-Mentoring provides one-to-one role model mentoring that equips the young person to better cope with the challenges they face and to make better choices. Mentoring is a way to bring out the best in people and helps them make use of their own resources.

www.xlm.org.uk