press release

POSITIVE PEER POWER

Volunteering opportunities for ex-offenders to work with men and women leaving
prison
It is immensely powerful for a prisoner to be met by someone who has that
unique insight concerning the issues they are facing and knows - through
personal experience - that there is support to build a better, lawful life, says
David Gamble, Mentor Co-ordinator.
TODAY (Tuesday, 3rd February) the Leicester-based mentoring project Advance
to Go is launching a further recruitment drive for volunteers to work with
individuals who are involved with the Criminal Justice System. Many of the
current offenders will have just left prison or are on a supervision order with the
Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland Community
Rehabilitation Company.
The recruitment appeal is open to men and women with former criminal
convictions and other individuals, who would like to become involved with this
range of volunteering opportunities.
The requirements are:
-

over 18 years of age

crime free lifestyle
able to volunteer for a minimum of two hours a week
willing to engage with Advance to Go for nine months or more.

Change is Possible
Each application will be assessed on a case by case basis, explained Dave
Gamble. But we know that from other volunteering programmes the peer
mentors, with a previous criminal record, can have such a positive impact
because the person they are linked with can see that change is possible. These
reformed individuals have walked in their shoes, by this I mean that they have
intimate knowledge of the issues faced when leaving prison.
This role is voluntary but we do cover travelling expenses etc. Becoming
involved in our Advance to Go project, in Leicester, has helped some of our
unemployed mentors to find work. They have been able to update their CV by
highlighting that they have successfully completed the training and sustained the
commitment to the mentoring programme. We can also supply a current
reference that details their dedication and level of professionalism.

Advance to Go
Launched in the Autumn of 2014, Advance to Go is financed by the
Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner, Sir Clive Loader, to work with
current offenders from Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland who have been
identified as requiring additional support.
The focus will be on offenders aged 18 - 24 years needing help to build their
confidence and life skills, as well as practical support in regard to finding and
maintaining accommodation, applying for benefit support, health checks and
establishing community links.
In a Previous Life Ex-offender Dave (aged 56 years)
I was in the first group of people to undertake the training for Advance to Go.
You really get involved from the first session and the tutors help to develop your
skills, which is good for the mentoring work and other areas of life.
My personal history featured a violent childhood. If you wanted something, you
fought for it. As a young adult I would drink alcohol and then Id end up fighting. It
wasnt until I got married, and had children of my own, that I realised your family
is about caring for one another. Seeing a different side of life brought about a big
change in me.
We all have a past, it is how you deal with those experiences that counts. For
me, my work as a mentor is about building up a rapport with people.
In a Previous Life Ex-offender Richard (aged 42 years)
Once upon a time I was a drug addict. I was a young man that turned to crime. I
had no values, no direction and no guidance. I was in and out of prison, just
feeling isolated and lost.
Many prisoners experience fear as they near their release date from prison.
They know theyve got to start facing the world and that can involve finding
somewhere to live, having the money to pay the bills on time, learning to look
after yourself instead of relying on prison to tell you where to go and when to eat.
Being a peer mentor means that I have undergone the training and I know how
to work with these guys. I can help contribute to getting them settled and living
lawfully in society.
Interested in volunteering with Advance to Go?
Contact David Gamble at 6 to 8 Nelson Street, Leicester. LE1 7BA or send an email to
david.gamble@dlnr.probation.gsi.gov.uk
Press enquiries
Dave Gamble and peer mentors Richard and Dave are available for interviews.
Contact Communications Manager Fiona Buchanan on 0116 251 6008 or 07711 160685.