We are delighted to see the launch of our brand-new peer support programme – ‘Q-Mentor’ at the Senior School.
We currently have around 20 student mentors in Year 12 who have received training and are very keen to be a point of contact for our younger students.
Head of Pastoral, Miss Jones has set up the scheme, working closely with Year 12. She said: ‘Building resilience and promoting wellbeing are areas we place great value on at Queen’s. We know that many young people find it easier to talk to their peers so it is hoped that these new connections will provide our younger students with a variety of options of who to talk to about all sorts of things, from work and school, to friendships, parents and general wellbeing. I am sure it will also develop new friendships along the way.
‘I have been so impressed by the number of Year 12 students keen to be involved in this programme and it is a superb opportunity for them to develop important leadership skills such as self-confidence, a sense of responsibility, active listening, empathy and communication’.
The first meet and greet sessions for Year 9, 10 and 11 have been held this week in the Year 12 common room where students simply dropped in for a drink and a chat during lunchtime to find out more about the support available and meet the mentors.
Tasha Latham in Year 12 is the Mentor Co-ordinator and is really excited to get started. She said ‘I am so pleased to be involved in the Q-Mentor programme as I think it will be really beneficial to the younger girls to be able to talk to us about things that we have probably been through ourselves not so long ago. I definitely think it makes a difference to be able to talk to someone closer in age than a teacher, someone that really understands it from your point of view, and I know it is something I would have used when I was younger.
‘Whether they want to talk about any problems they might be having or just ask about sixth form, I believe it will also be a great way to develop more connections and friendships between the younger and older year groups’.
Each mentor has a biography on Firefly for students to find out more about them and decide who might be the best person for them to talk to, depending on their need.
Chola in Year 10 went along to one of the first sessions, she said 'The meet and greet with the mentors was great. They were really friendly and I will definitely be keen to meet with someone again on a more regular basis.’
Younger students can access the scheme by filling out a form on Teams or might be recommended to the programme by a teacher.
Whether it is a one-off session, or something more regular, as part of a group, or one-to-one, we hope our Q-mentor scheme will be another way for our students to find support and learn from each other through shared experiences.
