Mentoring
Someone on your side
A trained mentor who listens, helps you work out what you want and keeps turning up.
MentoringFAM · Futures and Mentoring
Somewhere to go. Something to do. Someone in your corner.
Free mentoring, sport and support into learning and work for young people aged 11 to 25, whether they're in school or not.
I'm a young person Refer someone
- Free, every time
- Working in Blackburn since 2014
- Registered charity 1179629
How FAM works
One pathway, from 11 to 25
We don't hand young people from one service to the next. They join us wherever they are in life, and we stay with them as they grow.
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11
Stay on track
Ages 11 to 16
Mentoring, sport and positive activities for young people in school who are starting to drift, or who just need someone in their corner.
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16
Next steps
Ages 16 to 18
The move from school to college, training or an apprenticeship is where too many young people fall through the gap. We help them land.
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18
Futures
Ages 18 to 25
For young people who aren't in education, employment or training, we build confidence first, then open doors to learning, volunteering and work.
Ways in
What young people get from FAM
Every FAM programme builds young people's digital and AI confidence. Sessions are planned so young people with SEND can join in, we run girls-only sessions, and when a parent or carer needs support of their own, we point them to organisations that work with adults.
Sport and activities
Somewhere to be
Football, fitness and multi-sport sessions where the point is turning up and belonging.
Sport
Skills and work
A route into work
CVs, interviews, placements and volunteering through our network of employers and partners.
Skills and work
New to the UK
A safe place to land
For young refugees and asylum seekers: English support, friends and help settling in.
New to the UKOur track record
Ten years of work in Blackburn
FAM grew out of more than ten years of work on the streets, pitches and community halls of Blackburn. This is some of what that looked like.
2021 onwards
Holiday Activities and Food clubs
Since 2021 we have run free holiday clubs at Easter, in the summer and at Christmas, with activities, trips and a proper meal every day. Our venues were full.
2021 onwards
Youth work on the streets
Our outreach teams have worked in Little Harwood, Whitebirk, Daisyfield, Roe Lee, Bastwell and Shear Brow, meeting young people where they actually spend their evenings.
2023 onwards
Tackling antisocial behaviour
Since 2023 we have run workshops, mentoring and positive activities with young people, working with local shopkeepers and councillors to make streets feel safer for everyone.
2023 to 2024
Into education, training and work
In 2023 to 2024 our employability programme supported more than 100 young people towards education, training and job opportunities.
2024 onwards
Getting young people moving
FACE and MOTIVATE brought inactive young people, including young mothers, back into sport. Our girls-only sessions run with a professional football club community trust.
Youth-led
Young people leading the way
Our young people have led their own appeals, raising more than £20,000 after the 2023 Turkey earthquake and delivering aid to families in Morocco. Our YouthLab girls supported a local women's refuge.
In numbers
The numbers behind the work
2014the year we started working in Blackburn
2,000+people in our sport and activity programmes, 2021 to 2022
100+young people on our employability programme, 2023 to 2024
£20,000+raised for earthquake relief in 2023
Figures from our annual reports.
In their own words
Volunteering with FACE has shown me how much young people can achieve when given guidance, opportunities, and trust. The difference we make is tangible every day.
Youth volunteer, annual report 2024 to 2025
Before coming to the holiday club, I didn't have much to do during the school break. Now, I get to play, eat good food, and make new friends. It's my favourite part of the holidays.
Holiday club participant, annual report 2023 to 2024
Start here
Where would you like to start?
Four ways in, depending on who you are.
I'm a young person
What's on, how to join and what to expect. It's free and there are no forms to start.
Find out
I want to refer someone
Parents, carers, schools, youth workers and social workers can all refer. We come back to you.
Make a referral
I want to volunteer
Training, a DBS check and proper support, whatever your background.
Volunteer with us
I want to fund or partner
Employers, funders, schools and councils, in Blackburn and in the towns we grow into.
Work with us
Know a young person who needs someone in their corner?
Anyone can refer: a parent, a teacher, a youth worker, or the young person themselves. It's free, it takes a couple of minutes, and a real person will come back to you.