Volunteer to become a Brightside mentor
Our volunteers are the beating heart of our programmes.
Join thousands of Brightside volunteer mentors and become an inspiring role model to a young person.
Bring your unique experience to provide advice, guidance and support for young people to choose the right path for them.
How it works
How it works
Mentoring takes place through text messaging on our online platform.
You’ll give one to two hours per week to support up to five mentees.
Our mentoring projects typically last between eight to 12 weeks.
Apply now
What you'll gain
We know our mentors have a positive, rewarding experience providing guidance for young people on our programmes because that’s what they tell us.
They find it mutually beneficial and they often learn something from the people they mentor. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on your experience, develop your skills and it looks great on your CV.
Hear our mentees' stories
Daniel’s story
I only had a vague idea of what I wanted to do after GCSE and I had no idea where to start. I was interested in aviation, zoology and conservation but after that I was lost. I didn’t know if you needed a degree or an apprenticeship and I wasn’t sure which path to choose. Mentoring was a very useful tool to help with this; it gave me a push to start looking at new things.
Rano’s story
I knew I wanted to be a lawyer but I was concerned about the workload. My mentor was a working lawyer, so not only gave me advice about my UCAS application and interview questions, but also reassured me that you don’t need to overwork yourself to be successful. He told me about his personal experience of finding balance and saying no, and reminded me how important enjoying your free time is.
Simran’s story
I always wonder whether I’d be thinking or feeling the same about university if there wasn’t a pandemic. I completely lost that in-person interaction and was struggling with the UCAS application because of it. But then, if there hadn’t been the pandemic, I wouldn’t have been able to do the virtual work experience and use the Brightside platform.
As I embark on my next steps, my voluntary work across a range of sectors has given me unmatched insight into the world of work. It has also helped me to better identify my strengths and (my weaknesses!). Volunteering has also very much become the pillar of my CV and given me experiences that I can draw upon in applications and interviews.
Emma, Brightside mentor
