19/10/2020

New Project at HMP Brixton

Having been delayed by the Covid-19 lockdown, preparations are now well underway for the full launch of Trailblazers’ new project based in HMP Brixton. Our Project Manager, Martha, had been in the early stages of recruiting mentors for the new project back in February and March, before the pandemic halted progress. However, in recent weeks Martha and our new Community Support Worker, Angus, have been able to get inside the prison and meet some of the potential mentees eager to work with Trailblazers.

As a Category C training prison which no longer accommodates remanded prisoners, Brixton holds a large number of men who meet Trailblazers’ eligibility criteria: men aged between 18 and 25 who are coming up for release. Speaking to a few of these men, there is a real appetite for the kind of sustained one-to-one mentoring support we can offer, especially because other services have been forced to scale back due to Covid. One of the young men even expressed hope that he could be the ‘first success story’ for Trailblazers Brixton and was keen to star on our website with photos. Watch this space…

Partly driven by the pandemic, there has also been a rush of interest from volunteers wanting to mentor at Brixton. Ten potential volunteers will undergo training next week and, as they do not need to receive prison vetting, will be ready for matching as part of the new adapted mentoring service by November, alongside the mentors trained before lockdown.

Though volunteers are not currently allowed into the prisons, many have spoken of their excitement at the prospect of joining a fresh project, meeting their mentees and working with them in earnest from the day of release as they navigate a way through this challenging social and economic climate. As we continue to build our partnerships and networks of community support, Trailblazers will support mentors and mentees alike at every stage of the rehabilitative journey, and we look forward to forging new and deeper relationships with other agencies and organisations to aid us along the way.

Despite the undoubted challenges, the early signs from this new project – Trailblazers’ fifth, and our third in London – are very positive. Such bold beginnings at Brixton is bringing optimism and fresh hope to mentors, mentees and everyone involved with Trailblazers.