Mentoring programme
Many disabled people are not at the point where they can contemplate completing a long run and instead need support to get active and engage in their communities. Some disabled people need support gaining confidence, learning what active groups are available in their local area and starting on a road to physical activity. This is what our mentoring project does.
Our mentoring programme will provide a person-centred approach supporting disabled people to access the life-changing power of getting active.
How it works
We will match trained mentors aged eighteen and above who have lived experience of disability and who are involved in sport, with disabled people aged eighteen and above who want to be more active. For some this may mean going on regular walks, others might want to join their gym, join a boxing club or start a running journey. Our mentors will be able to share their experiences, including how they got past adversity and barriers.
Our mentees intentions can be big or small, but they will be at a stage where they know they can and want to be more active within the next six months and able to work with a mentee to achieve their goals.
Find out more
Are you passionate about sport, supporting people, involved in regular activity, based in the East Midlands, and have a lived experience of disability? If so, have you considered being a mentor with the Richard Whitehead Foundation?
Our mentors support disabled people to be more active through weekly or fortnight chats. These can be online or face to face depending on the request of the mentee.
Become a peer mentor
Interested in having a mentor?
Are you a disabled person aged eighteen or above and ready to be more active? Are you also based in the East Midlands? Our peer mentoring might be for you.
We’re looking for people with physical, sensory, hidden disability/disabilities or learning impairment(s) who are keen to be more active but aren’t currently taking part in regular physical activity or sport or taking part in physical activity/sport less than twice a month.
Past projects
Project Notts
In partnership with Active Partner Trust Project Notts, we supported 10 disabled individuals in Nottinghamshire with mentors who had lived experience. The project broke down barriers and guided participants to achieve their personal ambitions through the life-changing power of movement and sport. Due to its success, we are proud to extend the programme across the East Midlands in 2025.
“The impact mentoring can have in the long term is just so powerful and hearing my mentee sound so empowered about his life, and his outlook, just made me very proud. “
Jaina
Thank you to our sponsors who have made our Mentorship Programme possible:
