Mentoring

What is Accelerate?

This Open City programme spans an academic year and is for individual students who are keen to explore whether a potential career in the built environment sector would be right for them.

  • A design and mentoring outreach programme run by Open City.

  • Supporting young people (aged 16-18) from under-represented backgrounds to pursue careers in the built environment industries.

  • Equipping them with the skills, portfolios, networks and the confidence to make informed career choices

Course Structure

  • A series of 10 skills development workshops taking place at various locations and institutions in London from October to April.

  • 12 hours of mentoring at leading built environment practices across London.

  • At the end of the programme we organise a joint public exhibition of student work.

  • We aim to support our Alumni through education and practice via our monthly newsletter and ongoing events.

Working Together

Accelerate survives each year entirely from external funding and the generosity of those who support us.

It costs £1500 per student to take part in the course. We ask each participating practice to make a contribution of between £1000 and £3000 to the course (Open City source the remaining cost from other forms of sponsorship).

The amount you decide to pledge will not affect your exposure to the course. Each practice will get the same amount of time and access students and training, but we ask for larger, more established practices to contribute more financially than smaller organisations.

Invoices will be sent out at the beginning of September, and so we look for a firm commitment from each of our mentor practices no later than August.

Organising Your Mentoring Sessions

Each practice will be delegated 3-5 students and will deliver 12 hours of mentoring.

Mentoring sessions will take place on weekdays in February, with longer sessions arranged for the February half term school break. We ask mentors to confirm their preferred dates for mentoring by November.

Each practice will create a lesson plan for these sessions with the help and support of the Accelerate team (template provided by Open City)

We ask that mentors organise no more than 3 separate sessions to reduce student travel (see options below).

Mentor Training and Support

Open City provides three midweek evening sessions across the year to guide and support mentors (each session is approx 2 hours long). At least one mentor from each practice should attend these sessions to receive guidance and briefing, which they can pass onto their team

Mentor Training Sessions

Session 1: Introduction to the Year (One evening in November)

Session 2: Lesson Plan and Mentor Preparation (One evening in January)

Session 3: Evaluation and Feedback (One evening in June).

DBS

  • All mentors are required to have DBS Basic check in order to work with young people in the programme, and you will need to send your certificate to Open City before mentoring begins.

  • If you already have a check you do not need to reapply.

  • Check costs £18 each and can take up to two weeks to process.

  • Use this link to apply: https://www.gov.uk/request-copy-criminal-record

CPD

Your mentoring can be logged as continuing professional development (CPD).

In total we estimate: 6 hours mentor recruitment training, 2-4 hours of preparation and 12 hours mentoring

  • Champion diversity in the built environment sector

  • Engage with young people and build lasting relationships

  • Develop your skills as an educator

  • Promote your practice by facilitating job opportunities and work experience

  • Take part in the programme as a mentor/guest facilitator

  • Meet other professionals from the built environment industry, exchange ideas and facilitate future collaborations

  • Support young people to navigate their futures

  • Provide young people with the tools to become critical thinkers

  • Democratise the processes involving our built environment

become a mentor •

become a mentor •

If you have any questions or would like to know more please contact Siraaj Mitha (Director of Accelerate):

siraaj@open-city.org.uk