“The programme has made me more confident to be myself. I’m very much a brand-new person and I’ve just had a fun time.”

Our Power2 Progress programme gives Year 8 students the opportunity to mentor primary school students who will be joining their secondary school in the following September. Mentors benefit from the experience of inspiring a younger child, thus recognising their strengths and developing their resilience and interpersonal skills, and primary school students are supported through the often-challenging transition to secondary school. 

Before the programme, Kaye, 14, was having a hard time with other young people being unkind to him at school and this affected his mental health and self-esteem. He said, “In school I had zero confidence.” 

When Kaye was first put forward for the programme, he initially had doubts. He said, “I started off defensive and wondered why I was picked.” 

Kaye was paired with a Year 6 mentee but he found speaking up quite difficult. Missy, one of our Programme Leads said, “When Kaye first started mentoring his Year 6 mentee, he struggled to say what was on his mind. The Kaye who started the programme was quiet, defensive and unsure.” 

During their first few sessions together, Missy and Kaye identified communication as an area Kaye wanted to improve and to have the confidence to speak up for himself. 

“We worked together on setting healthy boundaries with others and speaking his mind. This in turn helped Kaye to be a role model to his Year 6 mentee who was facing similar challenges,” said Missy. 

Kaye’s mentee was shy, and like Kaye, also struggled with his confidence. He was particularly worried about making friends at secondary school. Kaye was able to put his mentee’s nerves at ease and helped him understand what to expect during the transition. Kaye’s honesty was really appreciated and he built a clear picture of secondary school without terrifying his mentee!   

From here, Kaye’s communication style continued to improve as he learnt how to express himself in a calm and focused way.  

Missy said, “We discussed the different ways to be assertive by using our facial expressions, body language and eye contact. He then used these skills with his peers. The opportunity to interact with others and to practice his new skills helped Kaye realise that he could speak up and mentor someone.” 

 “Power2 Progress really boosted his confidence. It has been great to hear Kaye become more involved in group discussions and he offers different perspectives to our conversations” 

Earlier this year at our 2024 graduation ceremony in the North West, Kaye was able to speak on stage in front of a big audience which shows just how far he’s come. At the ceremony, he was also nominated for the Outstanding Progress of the Year award.  

Although Kaye initially started the programme with doubts about why he was chosen to take part, he now has a different perspective. “I’m now glad I was picked, and I would tell anyone to jump at the chance if they were offered one of the programmes,” Kaye said.  

Kaye has benefitted enormously from Power2 Progress and is now more confident than ever. “I am proud of myself. I am comfortable being me and what other people say and think about me doesn’t really matter. I’m very much a brand-new person and I’ve just had a fun time."