Young lads won’t open up to people who don’t ‘get’ them. 

Connection is key, and that’s why peer mentoring mental health approaches can make such a difference for young men.

What is peer mentoring?

Peer mentoring is a structured relationship built on mutual understanding and experience. In the context of young men’s mental health, this often means slightly older mentors (ahem, sorry team) who have faced similar challenges, supporting younger men through conversation, shared activities, and role modelling.

If you didn’t know, the whole ethos behind The Mental Shift (TMS) is based on our founder, Kai’s, experience with mental health. We now have a team of peer mentors who’ve also lived through hell and come out the other side. And that matters. It means that we can relate to and empathise with young men who are struggling with mental health. Our ambition is to provide the best level of continuous and effective support and education to as many young men as possible, and peer mentoring is a key part of how we’ll deliver that goal.

Why peer mentoring works for mental health

There’s a large volume of research supporting the positive impact peer mentoring has on mental health. Improved self-confidence, better emotional regulation, reduced stigma, and stronger social connectedness are all verified positive outcomes.

We’ve seen it work here in the North East too! 72% of the young men we’ve peer mentored reported an improvement in mental wellbeing. What’s important is that the young men who need our help feel safe, supported, and like they’re talking to someone “like me”. The shared experience at the heart of peer mentoring creates an environment where vulnerability feels achievable (even enjoyable), instead of feeling threatening. 

What peer mentoring looks like with TMS

Forget clinical settings and therapeutic talking points. Our peer mentoring mental health support is about being real, honest, and meeting young men where they are. Often, young men don’t get that kind of support anywhere else — not because no one wants to help, but because parents, teachers, and even care workers can feel ‘too close’ to open up to.

Young men can access our martial arts programmes through peer mentoring too, and vice versa. Training together and learning discipline, respect, and teamwork creates a unique and highly effective model of mental health support. 

Within this setting, mentors naturally build relationships and offer guidance both inside and outside of training. Breakthrough moments can happen between rounds, during warm-ups, or after sessions, when the young men have their guard down (both literally and metaphorically!)

Building confidence and self-worth, developing emotional awareness, and learning essential coping strategies are all valuable outcomes for young men at risk of disengagement from school or involvement in negative behaviour. For those wanting to support young men, peer mentoring mental health programmes are a practical, evidence-based solution. It bridges a gap where young men may otherwise fall through the cracks. 

We worked with 240 young lads in 1:1 peer mentoring in 2025, but spaces are limited.

Get in touch for more information and our current availability.