When they enter the UK refugees face many barriers to successful integration. These include difficulties with language, a lack of knowledge about UK systems, such as where to find employment opportunities, financial hardship and often open hostility and discrimination from the host community.

Mentoring is one of the most effective ways of overcoming these difficulties. Mentors support, encourage, motivate and guide their mentee as they seek to achieve their goals in education, employment and integration.

Mentors spend 5 hours per month with their mentee for a period of 6 months to a year, meeting at least twice per month. Mentors help their mentee to feel more at home in the UK by sharing their knowledge and experience, and offering their friendship. This might mean doing anything from helping to write a CV, to visiting a museum or art gallery, to helping to practise English. Time Together provides full training and support to mentors and mentees throughout the course of the mentoring relationships.

Since the project was launched in 2002, over 2,500 refugees have been matched with a volunteer mentor.

There has been a great response to the project in London with mentors coming from all different walks of life and all showing commitment and dedication to the mentoring relationship.

Independent research for Time Together concludes that mentoring is highly successful in helping refugees integrate in the UK. To read more, download the Changing Lives evaluation report (June 2007) from the website address below: http://www.timetogether.org.uk/TT_report_online.pdf

Refugees and the host community.

The Home Office and HM Treasury provided funding support.