Insights from a sports-led mentoring programme for young people facing a threat to life

Abstract

Abstract

This paper examines mentoring relationships with young people who have been issued a Threat to Life Notice by the police, indicating risk to their safety. Nine young people in Greater Manchester who had received a Threat to Life Notice were invited to participate in the Manchester United Foundation’s GOAL programme. The programme combined sport-based activities, including football and boxing, with employability-focused workshops such as CV writing and interview preparation, and aimed to offer an alternative pathway at a moment of heightened risk and instability. Each participant was supported by a youth engagement mentor from the Manchester United Foundation. As part of an action research design, mentors were asked to document their interactions with young people through Activity Logs, creating structured opportunities for reflection on engagement, persistence, and relational practice. Drawing on these logs, a mentor focus group, and embedded reflective surveys, the paper foregrounds the lived experiences of mentors and young people within the programme. Rather than assessing programme effectiveness, the findings reveal the relational labour involved in mentoring under conditions of risk, highlighting the importance of mentor relatability, consistency, and sustained presence in the lives of young people experiencing adversity associated with Threat to Life Notices.