Project Link is a brand new addition to the Odysseus Mentoring Project portfolio.

Funded by Connexions, this innovative three month pilot project is aimed at helping young people linked to Youth Offending Teams (YOTs), who have literacy, and/or numeracy needs. Preparations for the new project started in January.

Instead of simply teaching numeracy and literacy in a classroom style setting, each young person has picked a heritage and culture topic of particular interest and relevance to them.

They have borrowed a laptop computer and a digital camera and have been paired up with a mentor with the aim of producing a leaflet or booklet on the subject within an eight week peiod.

Four young people who are already involved in mentoring relationships through the Gateshead YOT, along with three young people from Newcastle YOT who are new to mentoring, started the project on 1 February.

The Odysseus Mentoring Project has had many successes over the years. Heather Armstrong, OMP project manager, told us: "We've been piloting numeracy and literacy training at Gateshead YOT for the last eighteen months, and have some excellent success stories.

"Project Link takes this one step further, taking young people outside to explore their local area. Already the young people who have volunteered for the project are very enthusiastic, and I'm looking forward to seeing the results.

Danny Gilchrist, the Northumbria Coalition's Youth and Community Programmes manager, added: "Following this three month pilot, we are hoping to be able to extend the project work with young people from all the Youth Offending Teams in the area. We'll publish some of the results of this project in the next newsletter."

Northumbria Coalition Against Crime, Northumbria Police HQ, Ponteland, Newcastle upon Tyne NE20 0BL
Telephone 01661 868 424, Fax 01661 868488, E-mail [email protected]