The Mentoring Project

Rob Smith Talks to Levi Ferguson

Piloting a scheme involving schools and parents with the full support of New Deal for Communities and the Education Department, Levi explains in depth the task he has in hand.

Levi, I’m shocked to know how many young children are being excluded from education, before they even reach comprehensive school age!

Yes Rob, that’s why it’s so important that we as a community and as parents take note and try to change what’s going on.

Taking a leading role, Levi has been mentoring some of our young children who’ve found it difficult to settle into this education system.

Problems children have, that may well stem from home, combine with the stresses teachers and schools are under, and this is where mentoring comes in Rob. 

Soon a team of volunteers will be working alongside Levi, aiming to tackle these problems, he explains. 

We hope to begin with a small team of about three workers. We need people with life experiences who know the community and the people who live in it. People who want to gain respect and job satisfaction from the work they do.

The mentoring work that Levi does involves tackling the issues behind the disruptive behaviour being displayed by some of our young at Primary school age, where their chances of gaining a step forward in this life are truly made.

You see children from our deprived communities are the offspring of parents from deprived communities, caught in a cycle that needs to be broken, a cycle that cannot be broken by those outside without the help of those within

Bridging gaps between parents and teachers is the way to begin a joint approach to helping those children being disruptive, adds Levi Sometimes this means challenging parents but it can also mean challenging teachers and schools.

So if anyone wants to get involved in this valuable area of regeneration then now’s their chance Levi?

Yes Rob, but due to the nature of the work, proper child protection checks need to be made on all volunteers and future employees. This doesn’t mean that any offence you’ve ever committed places a mark against you, but obviously all our work falls within Child Protection legislation.

So I guess that means if you’re okay, you can also make mentoring the way to really help the children of today.

Yes Rob, respect.

No Levi, my respect rolls out to you and all those now prepared to stand up and represent how they know things should be. A damn sight better than it was for them and for those before them to create a better future for those coming behind. 

This is Rob Smith talking about a valuable part of regeneration for the people of Burngreave need to know.


If you are interested in joining the mentoring project, contact Dr. Robert Gregory, Sheffield LEA, 2735734