Mentoring
Veteran Pathways
Transitioning from military to civilian life can be a complex time for Veterans. Trained Mentors can provide help with professional and business matters, along with personal challenges too. They can assist in identifying goals, and tackling professional or personal barriers, leading to a more fulfilled life.
Our Mentor programme was launched in 2014, and was originally offered to Veterans completing our Sports Habilitation Ski Week with nearly all of them taking up this offer. It has now expanded and is now offered to all Veterans across all of the SWV pathways.
“My mentor has helped me to sew the weeks together.”
It is a structured programme with each Veteran allocated a dedicated Mentor to support their return to meaningful civilian life and employment. The process may continue long after a Veteran gains employment, and the vast majority of mentoring relationships last beyond a year.
Mentors are someone a Veteran can confide in and work through the many areas of their life with. The difference they make is often considerable. 82% of Veterans who attended the mentoring said it had been beneficial to them.
"The support of my mentor makes all the difference. She has been absolutely life changing. Her guidance is empowering, I have lost 5 stone, am swimming and feel that my mental health is improving all of the time.
It has saved my life, I couldn't even walk to the kitchen without sitting down. You lot are the best! I have learnt to take ownership of my life and my health"
Veteran 2022
Mentor Training
After selection, Mentors go through a comprehensive training process - they then attend four training sessions each year, meet with their Veteran quarterly and speaks with their allocated Veteran weekly.
The cost of mentoring each Veteran is £800 per annum which represents the cost of the Mentors’ training days, travel costs, administration and materials.
A mentor's perspective
Alice Bromage is a business owner from London and one of SWV's mentors.
"After 20 years in the British Army I recognised that there is an amazing pool of talent amongst the military that often goes untapped. I wanted to ensure that I could offer something back into the system, and as I was starting my coaching and mentoring business and this provided the perfect opportunity.
"I have a close friend who was paralysed in the military and has been involved in the charity for several years. I new that SWV was a charity with a set of strong moral values and would get things done.
"Mentoring has been an absolute pleasure and honour from day one. Seeing the transformation of my mentee from being unable to leave his home to running his own profitable business has been unbelievably rewarding. Providing morale support, helping him become comfortable as a business owner and learn how to bring and develop his own expertise and passion into his business has brought great rewards to us both."