How does it work

How does MVP work?

The Mentors in Violence Prevention programme (MVP) recognises the role of relationships in achieving its objectives; it aims to raise awareness of a range of important issues that are impacting on communities.

By providing opportunities to discuss a range of behaviours and attitudes within the context of health and emotional wellbeing, the programme equips young people with the skills to recognise the differences between what are appropriate and acceptable behaviours and what are not, adopting strategies that enable them to safely challenge inappropriate behaviours.

Implementation Timeline

1. Teacher Training

During the MVP Staff training, staff will:

Be introduced to the MVP model and key activities used;
Gain an understanding of the Five Core Components of the MVP programme;
Explore key issues discussed within MVP;
Be given implementation and planning time with their MYA Lead;

2. Awareness Raising and Recruitment

Staff will then raise awareness and promote the programme throughout the school.

This will include Mentor recruitment assembly, Mentee awareness assembly and Staff Whole-School-Approach sessions.

Mentor Recruitment

Mentors can be chosen by your school staff or a Mentor assembly can be hosted in-school by you or your MYA Lead.

There should be a minimum of 3 Mentors per Mentee class and Mentors should reflect they diverse pupil population within your school.

Mentors will be expected to:

Attend a two-day training.
Work in groups preparing and practising their sessions.
Deliver 5 sessions in the year to younger pupils.
Work with the school MVP Lead and MYA Lead when deciding on scenarios to deliver and offering support to younger pupils if needed.

Mentee Assembly

Mentees should have a 2-year age gap between themselves and their Mentors.

The ensure Mentees have a clear journey throughout MVP, a pre-assembly will happen which can be hosted by their Mentors, MYA Lead and MVP Staff Lead to introduce them to the programme.

Staff Awareness

To ensure a Whole-School Approach to MVP, your MYA Lead can support your school with CPD Sessions, Twilight sessions or whole-staff assemblies to raise awareness of the MVP Programme to the wider school population.

3. Bespoke Surveys

3 of the 5 topics delivered by the Mentors during the programme are bespoke to the needs of your school and are therefore chosen via a survey.

Surveys must be completed prior to Mentor training to ensure Mentor training is bespoke to these needs.

The surveys explore youth violence related topics, topics that have the biggest impact upon young people’s mental health and the impact of adverse and positive childhood experiences.

Surveys can be sent to: Young People, Workforce, Parents/Carers.

4. Pre-Evaluation with LJMU

Working with Liverpool John Moores University ongoing evaluation takes place, reviewing any changes taken place since MVP delivery, how has it impacted and how can this be developed further into the school’s ethos.

Pre-Surveys should be completed:
Mentors – Prior to them completing their Mentor Training
Mentees – Prior to their first MVP Session

5. Mentor Training

MVP Mentors will be required to attend 2-full day training sessions hosted within your school. During their training they will:

Be introduced to the MVP model and key activities used;
Gain an understanding of the Five Core Components of the MVP programme;
Explore key issues discussed within MVP;
Be given implementation and planning time with their groups.

6. Session Delivery to Mentees

Mentors will deliver:

Core Session 1 and Core Session 2: which set the scene for MVP and covers the 5 core components.

3 bespoke topics: these are chosen via the survey.

The delivery of each session should occur at the same date and time to allow for consistency. Mentors should also stay with the same Mentee group to allow for relationship building.

Refresher / Rehearsal Sessions

Following the mentor training, mentors are then supporting through the planning of the sessions they will be delivering.

This support focuses on confidence building, facilitation skills, going through the sessions to ensure they feel ready to deliver to mentees.

7. Programme Evaluation

Post-Surveys should be completed:
Mentors – After completing their Mentor Training
Mentees – After their final MVP Session

8. Reflections

At the end of the academic year, Mentors and Mentees will be invited to take part in Reflection sessions hosted by your MYA Lead.

The reflections will give the pupils time to reflect on their journey of MVP, debrief on what they’ve learnt, what changes have they seen and also how the programme could be adapted in the future.

Young People’s voices are vital to MVP and each year, MVP is adapted and changed based on their feedback.

9. Mentee Assembly

RAISE Lead and MVP Staff Lead support Mentors to deliver a whole-school assembly to their Mentee year group to finalise their journey as Mentees.

10. Mentor Graduation

For Mentors, the final stage of their MVP Journey is an invite to a Graduation event. During this event, their hard work will be recognised, they will meet other Mentors from other schools, and they will have time to reflect on their schools MVP journey.
In-school Graduations can also happen – your RAISE Lead will liaise with you about this.

Download the MVP School Commitments here