This week marks the beginning of our 2022 programme of online mentoring for sixth formers from ten schools and colleges across the UK.

Alongside our Early Career Mentoring programme the Trust runs a mentoring scheme for young people in further education. This year we have ventured into the North West, Scotland and Northern Ireland for the first time ever, and thanks to our recent successful Big Give fundraising campaign, we can scale-up the programme in 2023, giving even more young people from under-represented communities mentoring time with some of the sector’s most established and successful voices.

During the 12 weeks, participants, who will become Junior Fellows of the Trust when they complete the programme, converse directly with their mentors (Senior Fellows) on an online platform or mobile phone app. The John Schofield Trust has partnered with Brightside, the leading mentoring charity for schools in this space, to deliver the project.

The Junior Fellows will be asked to complete a journalistic piece for the first time this year, which can be a written piece, a podcast or a video clip. They will be guided through the research and newsgathering stages of journalism, and supported through to conception. The Trust will be showcasing the best examples on our website and offering the pieces to local newspapers, radio and TV to be published.

The scheme ends in April 2022. We are always on the lookout for schools, colleges and sixth forms to participate. If you would like to mentor on this scheme in the future, if you know of a school or college who would be appropriate and fit the criteria of low-income and/or underrepresented in the media do get in touch (howard@johnschofieldtrust.org.uk).