The £34 million package was said by City Hall to be the most ever invested by any UK city in providing mentors and aims to reduce youth violence.
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00:00 I know from personal experience the difference a mentor makes in relation to fulfilling potential.
00:04 We also know unfortunately there's around 100,000 young Londoners that could be seen
00:09 at home with domestic violence, that could be in danger of being excluded if not already
00:14 excluded, they could be living in poverty, they could be somebody who's just left a young
00:19 offender's institution, who haven't got that adult relationship that can provide a really
00:23 positive role model.
00:25 The evidence we have from the 150 projects we're funding and 50,000 of the young people
00:31 have been through the process now, finished the process, another 20,000 are currently
00:36 in the process of having the mentor support.
00:39 We've seen the quality difference and the quantity of difference it's made in relation
00:42 to better mental health, better relationships, doing constructive things, either being in
00:48 training or in a job.
00:49 So we know it makes a difference in relation to people fulfilling their potential.
00:54 We passionately believe in the difference prevention and early intervention can make
00:58 in relation to youth violence.
01:00 So since the VRU was set up, England's first in 2019, we have seen a reduction in young
01:05 people being injured with knife crime, we've seen a reduction in teenage homicides, a reduction
01:10 in homicides, a reduction in burglary, and also since 2019 a reduction in robbery as
01:16 well.
01:17 So we think that there's a link between the prevention and early intervention and the
01:20 reduction in those sorts of crimes.
01:21 And what does this, I mean, if a young person is given a mentor, what does that consist
01:25 of?
01:26 Do they see them how regularly every week?
01:27 Can it vary?
01:28 One of the things that we were keen to do when we first embarked on this journey was
01:32 to make sure there's good quality mentoring.
01:34 And so the process is rather than us re-running the wheel, we ask those who already do this
01:39 sort of stuff to apply.
01:41 We make sure they satisfy our standards in relation to being a good mentor.
01:44 So we do the relevant checks to make sure those checks are done in relation to safeguarding.
01:49 We also make sure they understand what we expect the mentoring to take place.
01:53 That could be as much or as little as the mentee wants.
01:55 It could be a phone call once a week.
01:57 It could be a phone call three times a day.
01:59 It could be face-to-face.
02:00 It could be Teams or Zooms or virtual.
02:03 The key thing is you want somebody who can give you advice when you need it, but also
02:07 provide proactive support as well.
02:09 And I've spoken to some of the mentees today.
02:11 They tell me that their mentor is always available.
02:15 There's no end point in relation to that relationship, which is fantastic.
02:18 And I spoke to a mentor today who told me he used to be a mentee.
02:22 So it's a good example of a virtuous circle.
02:24 Somebody who received support previously, but is able to provide support and get some
02:28 wage for doing so.
02:29 Your target is to get to 100,000 mentors by the end of the year.
02:32 We've got the election first.
02:33 Do you hope that whoever may succeed you in May will carry on this programme?
02:38 Well, let me be quite clear.
02:39 I've got no confidence at all.
02:41 If I don't win the election and the Tory wins this programme and many other programmes will
02:45 continue.
02:46 I've got no confidence.
02:47 I don't have council homes being built.
02:48 I've got no confidence the first freeze would carry on in the future.
02:51 I've got no confidence the free school meals would carry forward in the future.
02:54 I've got no confidence the VIU would carry on in the future, let alone the mentoring
02:58 scheme.
02:59 It's incredibly important.
03:00 Londoners understand it's going to be a close election on May 2nd.
03:02 It's a two-horse race, I say in a respectful way to my friends in the Green Party and the
03:06 Lib Dems.
03:07 Only two people could be the mayor after May 2nd.
03:10 That's my Tory opponent or myself.
03:12 I'm passionate about leading this.
03:14 I've seen the difference mentoring makes.
03:16 But also I've met some brilliant organisations like this one today and I'd be devastated
03:21 if this work stopped because I didn't win the election on May 2nd.
03:23 [BLANK_AUDIO]