Capital City Academy
Programme
Over the 2022/23 academic year, Oppidan mentors provided training sessions to a group of 40 Y9 and Y12 pupils. The training took place over a series of workshops spread across two days, these Y9 and Y12 pupils were trained to be peer mentors. Each Y12 mentor was paired with two Y9 mentees, and each Y9 mentor was paired with two Y7 mentees. These two-to-one peer mentoring sessions took place throughout the Spring and Summer terms.
Outcomes
Mentoring programme cultivates a sense of belonging
Mentors experienced a 23% increase in feeling highly valued, while mentees saw a remarkable 41% increase in feeling a sense of belonging within the school community.
Growth in empathy and understanding
Mentees demonstrated a significant 105% increase in their ability to understand others' feelings and a 126% increase in spending time with lonely peers, indicating the fostering of empathy and interpersonal understanding.
Positive impact on communication skills
Mentors showed a commendable 35% increase in asking open-ended questions, while mentees exhibited a remarkable 55% improvement in using attentive body language and a 48% increase in listening without interrupting.
Enhanced self-awareness and emotional intelligence
Mentees exhibited a significant 75% increase in examining their feelings and a 69% increase in understanding the reasons behind their emotions and behaviors, indicating the promotion of introspection and emotional intelligence.
Development of leadership skills
Mentors reported a remarkable 43% increase in supporting others and 6% more mentors reported managing disagreements to reach shared solutions, highlighting the program's effectiveness in nurturing leadership qualities and conflict resolution skills.