About Us

SMASH stands for Swindon Mentoring And Self Help. The SMASH Youth Project is currently funded by The Big Lottery, The Heritage Lottery Fund, The Community Foundation for Wiltshire & Swindon and Heart FM tosupport vulnerable young people aged 13–18 in the Swindon area. ‘Swindon defines vulnerable children as those who face a number of barriers and obstacles preventing them from achieving their full social, emotional, health and educational potential without additional help’. The overall aim of the Project is to support and encourage young people to increase their potential for achievement in the future.

Mentoring is the process by which one person assists another to grow and learn in a safe and trusting relationship. A mentor, with our Project, is simply a more experienced adult who is willing to get to know a young person, give their time to develop the relationship, and share the benefit of their skills, knowledge and life - experience.  Mentors are effective with young people as they are separate from the family, not part of “the system”, and not in a position of authority.

Young people agree to join the Project and make a commitment to work on their own issues within our Project aims.  In return they are assigned a fully trained, CRB checked, adult mentor who shares common interests and agrees to meet weekly with the young person in semi public places in the local community. The SMASH Project funds cost effective activities with young people and mentors. Young people appreciate that the mentor is unpaid and is meeting with them because they are genuinely interested in helping them to achieve their own goals.