Mentorship and Enablement
Mentorship at Heart
At The Usual Place, mentorship and enablement are at the heart of everything we do.
Young people learn by doing meaningful work in our café and kitchen. Alongside Mentors, they work at their own pace, practicing and talking about what they are doing and why they are doing it step by step.
They build skills, confidence, and experience that prepare them for life, work, and the future.
We are NOT a service to pass time.
We are a real working environment with real expectations, real customers, and real opportunities to grow.
What Makes us Different?
What makes The Usual Place unique is how we enable each young person to succeed.
There are no groups or cohorts.
Every young person has their own placement and a personalised journey.
We believe every young person has potential.
We work alongside them to focus on strengths, enable steady progress, and grow confidence—at a pace that feels manageable. There is no pressure to keep up with others.
This is a different way of learning.
It is active, structured and real.
Our Mentors
Our mentors are at the heart of this work and are highly valued within The Usual Place.
Mentors are skilled, trusted, experienced employees who make a real difference for young people.
We invest in them because their judgement, consistency and approach make this way of working possible.
Mentors work alongside young people every day in a real workplace.
They take time to understand each young person:
- what they are aiming for
- what they are good at
- where they need to grow
Mentors know when to step in and when to step back.
They listen and take time to understand.
Mentors do not do things for young people.
They enable young people to learn, practise and manage for for themselves.
This creates a balance. Young people are supported, while also building confidence and independence.
Young people are not left to struggle, and they are not pushed beyond what they can manage at that particular time.
A Team Around Each Young Person
Each young person is supported by a network of mentors who usually work one to one with them, including:
- Kitchen Mentors – developing practical skills and food preparation
- Front of House Mentors – building customer service and communication skills
- Early Enablement Mentor – enabling young people through our Introductory Programmes
- Lived Experience Mentor – offering understanding, insight, and encouragement
- SVQ Mentor – supporting accredited learning and qualifications
- Employer-Ability Mentor – preparing young people for sustained employment
Together, this team creates a structured but flexible pathway that adapts to each individual.
High Expectations with the Right Support
We are a busy cafe serving the public every day. Our standards matter and young people are expected to take part, try and contribute.
We believe in young people’s ability to meet those standards. Over time they are trusted to take on real responsibilities and continue to build their skills.
Expectations are introduced carefully and they will not be pushed into situations they cannot manage. Mentors make sure each step is appropriate and achievable..
We want young people to become resilient, by balancing challenge and enablement so that young people:
- feel safe
- feel ready
- can succeed
Learning and Growing
Learning happens through experience at The Usual Place.
Mistakes are part of the process.
They are recognised as part of learning, not failures.
Over time, with our mentors alongside them, young people build:
- confidence
- resilience
- independence
At their own pace. The Usual Place way.
A Wider Impact
Our work is about more than skills and training.
It is about ensuring young people are seen, heard, included and valued in their community.
Customers experience this every day and become part of it themselves in a natural and ordinary way
We demonstrate every day that young people who need additional support (ASN):
- can work
- can contribute
- can succeed
Our customers engage with this in action.
They experience real inclusion, not just hear about it.
It is about being seen, valued, and included.
It is about having a future.
Our mentors enable young people to move forward into work, education, and life with real skills and real confidence. Our community both supports and benefits from the contribution of young people who are future.
Learning through Experience
At The Usual Place the aim is not quick change, but lasting progress. We want young people to move on with a stronger sense of what they can do, and a clearer path forward.
- mistakes are part of learning
- experiences open up opportunities
- challenges are part of progress
- effort leads to achievement
Young people are enabled to build resilience step by step, at a pace that works for them.
They are not expected to “keep up” with others.
They are supported to keep moving forward in their own way.
A Future Not A Service
We believe every young person deserves:
-
- a meaningful role
- real opportunities
- a life, not a service
Through mentorship and enablement, we help make that happen.