Mentoring aims to help young men 'fulfil potential'

A 21-year-old man says he has found having an older mentor "liberating" and he now feels hopeful for the future.

The charity ABandOfBrothers paired Gabriel, from Brighton, with Joe, 52, under its mentoring scheme for young men facing adversity.

The organisation reports it has grown in recent years as men turn to them for support.

"This idea of having a mentor that started off as a stranger really is quite liberating and for me it was really, really safe, and there's a real sense of trust," Gabriel told the BBC.

He first turned to the organisation as a teenager after struggling with his mental health.

"I was suicidal, very self-destructive, very low self-esteem and self-worth and I really struggled with self-harm," Gabriel said.

"I think the worst part of all of that was that I was very self-aware."

Through ABandOfBrothers, he was paired with mentor Joe for hour-long sessions each week.

The charity also organises weekend-long residential experiences for the people it supports.

After completing the mentoring programme, members can join community support groups with people of all ages that meet weekly.

Gabriel said: "Just to have a man there that at the beginning wasn't far off a stranger, just to know that that man cares, not because it's me, because it's him, that's who he is, it's a good feeling."

Mentor Joe, from Brighton, has been involved with the charity for four years.

He used to "feel fear" when coming across younger men.

"I didn't want to feel that fear," he told the BBC.

"I think intuitively I wanted to understand them and get to know them and talk to them in ways that I maybe wasn't able to."

Probation services and homeless charities are among the organisations that refer to the charity, but people can also get in touch themselves for support.

"What we find is most young men want healthy relationships and often haven't got the tools," said Joe.

"Getting to know an older man who cares, but might not have all the answers, really helps them. It helps them to make choices in their lives."

Almost 250 young men have been supported by the charity.

It has 14 of its communities in Sussex, including in Brighton, Eastbourne, Crawley and Hastings.

Michael Parker, the charity's regional lead for the county, said young men "need support to fulfil their potential".

"A lot of the young men we work with may not have had a trusted adult male role-model that listens in that way of being non-judgemental," he told the BBC.

Gabriel said he was "excited" about the future following his mentoring programme.

"It's the first time I feel very confident about the future and I feel in control," he said.

"I feel very confident that, no matter what happens, I have the tools to have the best outcome."

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