Subject-specific
Brightside’s subject specific ementoring creates links between school pupils who are interested in a specific career, and an undergraduate or professional studying or working in that area.
Case studies
Bright Journals is Brightside’s pioneering ementoring programme for aspiring medical students and healthcare professionals. Launched in 2003, and run with partner universities, Bright Journals has linked over 3,000 disadvantaged young people with medical/ healthcare undergraduates and those working in relevant careers.
Who it helps
Bright Journals supports young people in years 9-13 who:
- Are interested in studying medicine or allied healthcare higher education courses
- Do not have a family history of attending higher education
- Are from a low-income family
- Have been in care
- Have a disability
Bright Journals provides a safe and stimulating online space for young people (mentees) to ask questions and seek advice from their trained, CRB-checked mentor. Ementoring conversations are supported by online resource articles which focus on medicine and healthcare, as well as school studies, UCAS applications and university interviews.
I have been using the Bright Journals website for about 3 years now, and it's been of great help to me. I've had help with my personal statement, my normal subjects at college and with interviews at university. We've even discussed my career & university choices, gap year/ 3rd year college plans, financial situations, social life and so many other things. I personally think it's such an amazing thing to stay still offer me help and answer ALL my question and offer answers with genuine interest to help over a long period of time.
We are still in contact, and I am very happy with how our relationship is built on friendship, respect and trust.
Sara, Bright Journals Mentee
Get involved
Bright Journals helps young people, who are recruited via universities which have subscribed to the programme. If you would like to set up your own Bright Journals scheme, please contact Sue Guiver on suzanne.guiver@thebrightsidetrust.org or call 0207 922 7797 for more information.
If you are an undergraduate studying a medical or healthcare degree, or are working in a relevant healthcare field and would like to volunteer to mentor a young person, please apply online.
Pathways to Law is an innovative widening participation initiative providing opportunities for students with no family history of higher education, who are interested in a career in law. Pathways to Law was launched in 2007 with funding from The Sutton Trust and The College of Law to provide a programme of activities for students in year 12 and 13, including;
- Ementoring
- Lectures and seminars delivered by academics, research students, university graduates and members of the legal profession
- A 3-night residential conference
- A 3-5 day law firm placement
- A ‘graduation’ ceremony
The scheme’s ementoring enables participants to access up-to-date careers and university advice, receive regular news feeds from the legal world and benefit from the specific experience of their mentor. Mentors are undergraduate law students in one of the Pathways to Law partner universities:
- London School of Economics
- UCL
- University of Bristol
- University of Leeds
- University of Manchester
- University of Southampton
- University of Warwick
Get involved
If you are at school and are interested in getting involved in the Pathways to Law programme, you can find more information about signing up on the Pathways to Law website.
Building on the success of the Live Journals pilot scheme, in 2010 Brightside once again teamed up with the Royal Academy of Engineers (RAE) to launch the three year Bright Links Engineering project. The project was established to target the specific needs of engineering students from socially-disadvantaged backgrounds in further education, where our joint research identified a gap of support. In order to achieve this, Bright Links Engineering has enlisted a number of professionals from the engineering industry as mentors, who are both inspiring role models themselves and provide personal advice about the opportunities and challenges in engineering, based on their own experiences. Brightside and RAE will also develop a series of bespoke resources and activities for this project, focusing on vocational routes into engineering as well as the transition to higher education.
Bright Links Engineering forms part of the wider Engineering Further Education project being run by The Royal Academy of Engineering with support from BP plc.
Get involved
If you would like to get involved with Bright Links Engineering please contact Amelia Smith on amelia.smith@thebrightsidetrust.org or call 0207 922 7802 for more information.