ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the concept of youth mentoring and considers the process of supporting the positive development of disadvantaged and vulnerable youth through mentoring initiatives. It is therefore important that chapter take on board the lessons learnt through previous initiatives and seek to identify and apply principles of best practice, such as those outlined here, in order to develop more effective programmes and enhance all participant's experiences of youth mentoring. A central element of the project was the inclusion of HSBC employees as volunteer mentors, who were trained to work with pupils both within the residential outdoor/adventurous activity sessions and in school-based follow-up activities. The training provided to mentors involved in the HSBC/Outward Bound (OB) project was viewed positively by many and, interestingly, the inclusion of informal education as a learning strategy within this training appeared to enhance the mentor's capacity to reflect and gain a critical perspective on their role in supporting young people's learning.
