Mentoring Programme – Outreach Initiative

Main idea

Outline

UCD runs a Mentoring programme for prospective students who aspire to go on to third-level study. The Mentoring Programme is part of the UCD Access & Lifelong Learning (ALL) outreach programme for schools and communities. 

The Mentoring Programme is delivered with our partner DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunities in Schools) schools in the greater Dublin area and with community groups. DEIS is a government initiative and is a framework to ensure a more integrated approach to the issue of educational inclusion, DEIS schools are schools that have been identified as being in areas of disadvantage.

The general aims of the Mentoring programme is to provide earlier contact with prospective students who need support to aim for university, establish a framework to provide a joined up and continuous outreach support programme to schools, pupils and parents, foster & develop peer to peer support, and develop cultural confidence and support with students & their families.  

UCD Access & Lifelong Learning manages this programme with our partner DEIS schools and community groups. 

The programme goal is to:

• improve secondary school pupil’s awareness of college
• increase their belief in their own ability to attend college
• share important information: how to study, how to apply for college and what are college supports

Mentors are college students who have been supported in UCD by ALL. Structured mentoring sessions take place throughout the one year programme. Prospective students also have the opportunity to visit UCD where mentors introduce mentees to the campus and share their experience. 

The Mentoring Programme is based on a Mentoring Model of which there are five strands: 

1. Mentoring prospective  students; 
2. developing leadership & mentoring skills in UCD students; 
3. providing academic support; 
4. providing knowledge & support for parents; and 
5. providing scholarship & transition support in UCD.

In order to provide support for the transition to university, the Mentoring Programme offers an invitation to apply for a Cothrom na Feinne Scholarship. The Scholarship targets highly motivated students who participated in Mentoring and who successfully gained entry to UCD. It will particularly look to support those who face significant barriers to participation at Higher Education due to educational disadvantage.

Scholarships are valued at €1,500 per annum for the normal duration of the scholar’s programme of study. Scholarships are paid in two installments each year in October and at the end of January.

The scholarship package also includes:

• Dedicated Welcome Programme
• Programme of academic workshops and seminars
• Dedicated personal support offered by a team of experts
• The support of a peer mentoring network
• Leadership training programmes, networking and development opportunities

In addition to this, there is a full Widening Participation Scholarship which is open to all other eligible students for application.

The majority of UCD student mentors are from the communities in which they mentor, in cases where they are not, the mentors are from a similar profile Dublin community. 

Mentors are Garda vetted and undergo a two-and-a-half day leadership training programme, after which they begin delivery of the structured mentor sessions in schools. They do this in partnership with another UCD student mentor. Mentors also support the campus mentoring activities. 

The academic support provided to prospective students comes in the form of mentor sessions which focus on making college choices, study skills, planning, preparing for the Leaving Certificate and preparing for college, additional tuition for sixth year students, online Leaving Certificate tutorials and the provision of Eason’s vouchers to buy essential books and/or exam papers.

Mentors commit to meeting with the students for 60 – 80 minutes at scheduled intervals throughout the school year. Mentors meet the students in groups at the school during the school day for scheduled mentor sessions. Mentors will attend scheduled events with their mentees in UCD throughout the year. Mentors will continue their mentoring role with their school group through online and social media resources.

5th year Summer School 

The Mentoring Programme also includes a Summer School. Each summer UCD Access & Lifelong Learning hosts a residential summer school which gives fifth-year school pupils from linked schools and organisations a chance to meet other students who aspire to go to university. During this programme, participants have an opportunity to experience college lectures, undertake project work in a chosen subject, and enjoy a variety of the social and sports activities available to UCD students.

Parent’s Education Forum 

In terms of providing knowledge and support for parents, the programme delivers three information workshops in the Ballyfermot Civic Centre and Tallaght Library which focuses on ‘supporting your child through 6th year’, discussing access routes to university and applying through the CAO, current college fees, available grants and scholarships, and understanding how the points system works.

Goals

The five explicit goals of the programme are to: 

1. Provide a space for school and college students from the same socio-economic backgrounds to explore options for after secondary school and share information about making the transition to third level; 
2. To create an information space where students receive peer support during the application for third level and successfully completing second level; 
3. To motivate students about their potential to succeed in third level and encourage them to make informed decisions about future education; 
4. To develop leadership skills for mentors; 
5. To increase the number of students from participant schools who consider third level an option for them.

Target group

• Students experiencing geographical obstacles
• Students from non-academic backgrounds
• Students from other communities
• Students with caring responsibilities
• Students experiencing obstacles based on ethnic-cultural differences
• Students experiencing socioeconomic obstacles
• Students with (mental) health problems
• Students experiencing educational difficulties

Obstacles targetted:

• Cultural differences
• Disability
• Economic obstacles
• Educational difficulties
• Migrant background obstacle
• Social obstacles

Students involvement

• UCD Students who were previously part of the Mentoring  Programme or who have come in through an access route are trained to be Mentors
• Students are trained to do school talks. 
• Students work at Open Days. 
• Students/Mentors do campus tours as part of outreach initiatives.
• They participate in student panels to answer questions from prospective students.

Inspiration and evidence

• There is lots of theory that demonstrates the importance of Mentoring and Peer support. 
• Facilitating normal conversations about college in DEIS schools and with community groups. 

Success criteria

• It is student to student 
• The opportunity to meet people who struggled in the same way 
• Giving prospective students an insight into college life 

According to the evaluation, the clearest finding which emerged across all stakeholder groups was that peer mentoring made the most substantial difference to participants of the programme and that it did so by addressing cultural and social barriers that participating secondary school students faced in accessing university. Peer mentoring enhanced participant motivation, confidence, and knowledge. By providing key information in-person through mentors on financial supports available, on the second-level and third level education systems, and on how to navigate university websites and application processes, students, parents and mentors felt that the programme made a significant difference in ability to access university. Visiting UCD increased participant preparedness for transition to UCD and other third level institutions. 

A positive impact of participation on peer mentors’ personal development and relevant skill development was also reported. It is clear that Future You offers

1. a) a distinctive relational focus on access issues, 
2. b) a peer support network focus and 
3. c) a sensitivity to social class needs through ensuring that dialogue is with peers from a similar socio-economic background, living in areas that are either the same or culturally resonant with those of the prospective access students. 

Furthermore, Future You implicitly follows d) community development principles through establishing mentors as leaders from the community. 

These are substantial developments of ambition and understanding of access issues compared with much international practice and research. 

Points of attention

In terms of Improvement – subject streams from UCD Schools and Colleges.  There is a need for subject specific knowledge with regard to access. That schools and colleges could provide subject enhancement opportunities to ensure subject capital, this means that representation of mentors from UCD should be from across all schools and subject spectrums so that students from DEIS schools can get subject specific knowledge from their mentors. Having an access champion from each school, a faculty member who is responsible for widening participation for their school.

Effectiveness

Yes we get feedback from participants on all outreach initiatives on a regular basis.

Pre, mid, post surveys and follow evaluation on where students went 5 months after completing second level education.

Do you feel you can effectively provide the support that students require?

Would you recommend this to other institutions?

strongly agree

Evaluation

Yes the Programme was externally evaluated in 2016.

Communication

• Through Guidance Counsellor Network and visits to the schools. 
• Through our community group networks

Timing

Runs from Jan to March. 

Day information

During regular ‘school’ hours.

Resources

• Designated Staff to run the programme, recruit mentors/mentees, train them and co-ordinate the programme. 
• Designated budget 
• Leadership buy in 
• Administrative costs

Extra information

• Evaluati
• Mentoring Programme Website
• Scholarship

Transferability

We think it is quite easily transferable to other contexts or groups.

It is transferable but it may be different in a different context – maybe on campus mentoring could allow for more transferability and would be more feasible. If you are working with a particular target group then you tailor it to that group or if it is to be more general than you design it with that in mind but the same model could be used but adapted depending on context. 

One of the main challenges is around getting sustainable funding.