Youth charity, XLP launches national mentoring project.

Patrick Regan OBE, CEO and Founder of XLP, says “We at XLP are excited to announce the launch of XL Mentoring National this spring. Across the UK, in villages, towns and cities, vulnerable young people and their families are struggling with difficult circumstances including family breakdown, poverty, drugs and crime without any consistent support in their lives,often leading young people to drop out of school. In fact, 31% of NEETs did not have someone to talk to about their problems while they were growing up [Princes Trust Youth Index 2013].

Just this week, I chatted to a single mother and her son, Samuel whose lives have been transformed through their relationship with an XLP mentor. I heard and felt the hope they now had for the future. Samuel’s mother, Veronica, spoke movingly about the way in which the mentor’s presence in her son’s life has really taken the pressure off her. She is reassured by the fact that there is someone else who is committed to seeing Samuel excel at school and make positive lifestyle choices. I was struck by her words, ‘it’s a whole new world for us.’

We want young people and their families all over the country to experience this support – that’s why we are launching XLM National. We will equip churches to offer support to struggling young people in their communities through an XL-Mentoring project. Mentoring Coordinators in each church will recruit, train, monitor and supervise volunteer mentors sourced from the local community.

There are no quick fixes – with almost 1 million young people unemployed at present[TUC 2013], it can be hard to see hope for the future. This family’s situation didn’t change overnight as a result of a mentor coming into their life either. But the fact that someone has committed to working with them to help them overcome their challenges means they feel able to move forward. We’ve seen countless families and young people overcome the challenges in their life by drawing on strength they previously never felt they had – strength that is unlocked when someone comes alongside them to provide committed support.”

Les Isaac OBE, CEO and Founder of the Ascension Trust added his support, saying, “I'm always excited and thrilled about the work of XLP. I believe that their work with young people is having a significant impact. When churches get involved with XLP mentoring they are able to extend their contribution to the life of a young person.”

ENDS

Further case studies, interviews and photos, available upon request, please contact Ibi Oruwari: email or call +44 (0) 7540 725 290or call the XLP office on 0208 297 8284.

NOTES TO THE EDITOR

In 1996, in response to a stabbing in a school playground, the school’s headmaster asked Patrick Regan, a local church based youth worker, to come into the school and work with their students and teachers to help with difficult behavioural issues. This was the beginning of XLP, a Christian charity that has an emphasis on being faith-based, but not faith-biased.

Over the past 15 years XLP has grown from working in a single school to operating in over 60 schools and communities across Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Islington and Camden. In the early days, Patrick began by hosting a lunch-time club on school premises that taught the kids more about their own heroes, and in particular how those heroes behaved. Today, on a day-to-day basis, XLP has projects working with over 1000 young people 1-2-1 and in small groups each week and engages with over 12,000 each year.

CEO Patrick Regan has travelled to over thirty countries working with and on behalf of some of the poorest communities. His passion is to see children and young people, from the most deprived and challenging backgrounds, succeed in life - helping them to avoid making wrong choices and to overcome the challenges they face - to realise their amazing potential. To do this he has engaged with politicians and gang members, victims and perpetrators, police, councils and housing associations, and most particularly with the young people themselves and their families. Patrick founded the charity, XLP that today is committed to fighting poverty, supporting education and serving hundreds of young people and their families weekly in inner London. He is also the author of three books including No Ceiling to Hope. He lives with his wife and four children in South-east London.

Patrick, who won the Mayor of London Peace Award for Outstanding Contribution to Peace in the Community in 2010, is also on the advisory board of the Centre for Social Justice. In 2012 Patrick received an OBE in the Jubilee Queens Birthday honours list.

To find out more about XLP, please visit

For further information please contact Ibi Oruwari: email or call +44 (0) 7540 725 290or call the XLP office on 0208 297 8284.