If Mentoring is so important .... why is no one prepared to pay for it?

I recently had the privilege of attending the awards ceremony for the 2nd team of Regen School Students at Bryncynon Strategy Feelgood Factory. There was a real buzz about the place as over 15 pairs of students collected certificates and fed back the value of taking part in this innovative programme of support to leaders of ground up community organisations.

And I was over the moon to see Mike Jones and Andrea Williams, Tredegar Communities First Partnerhsip, pick up their certificates - I had the pleasure of mentoring them over a 5 month period. The project they wanted to get to grips with was bringing back a derelict pair of flats in Atlee Way, Cefn Golau as a community facility - linked to the wider support being developed across Communities First areas across Tredegar in Blaneau Gwent. Regen School supported Mike and Andrea to take valuable time out to look at this challenge in new ways - which they did superbly.

Organisations the world over are embracing mentoring as an effective way of developing confidence and expertise. The Regenschool model is firmly in this tradition.

So ....... if mentoring is acknowledged to be so good then how on earth is it so hard to persuade people to fund it. Development Trust Wales now has the experience of 2 student cohorts to demonstrate the benefits - and the bad news is that a whole raft of funders have not been able to back this programme.

It really is galling that a pilot get tested, value is demonstrated, momentum builds - and at just at the moment when the whole thing should be lifting off to a new level.... everyone who has been involved starts to fight rear guard actions.

Not sure what else I can say.....