Mentoring Works students taught the art of public speaking
As part of the current Year 10 Mentoring Works programme, mentees from Northumberland Park Community School in Haringey and their Linklaters mentors took the initiative to organise and deliver a group mentoring session at Linklaters’ offices, on presentation and public speaking skills.
Students usually meet in smaller groups, so coming together to form larger joint sessions is a way to vary the experience. The mentees also benefit from the opportunity to learn from other mentors on the programme, as well as gain input from fellow students, outside of the school environment.
The mentees were asked to read or speak aloud from something they had prepared or brought in and were then given an unknown poetry piece to read from. The students learnt about the importance of eye contact with the audience, posture, pace and vocal volume and were encouraged to continue to practice and challenge themselves by speaking publicly.
Although the groups have only been meeting since October, one student commented that mentoring was already a “good experience, we are learning and meeting people”. In addition a mentor commented that it was clear her mentees were “keen, driven and enthusiastic”.
There are over 500 participants on the Year 10 programme this year; including approximately 200 mentors, matched to 325 students. Participating schools and companies include Cardinal Pole School with CMS London, Haggerston School with Freshfields, Mossbourne Community Academy with Schroders, Highbury Grove School with Macquarie Group, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School with Euromonitor, Highbury Fields School with Kennedys, Holloway School and Mount Carmel Secondary School with MUFG, City of London Academy Islington and Arts & Media School Islington with Expedia, St Aloysius College with Hammerson and finally Clapton Girls’ Academy and Northumberland Park Community School matched with Linklaters.
Established in 1996, ELBA’s Mentoring Works programme matches Year 10 and Sixth Form students to business professionals working in the City of London. Students are encouraged to develop the skills and competencies needed for future education, training or careers. Mentoring Works has been accredited with the Approved Provider Standard (APS) by the Mentoring & Befriending Foundation. The APS is the national quality standard designed specifically for all types of mentoring and befriending projects.
