The Link’s MARC Project and volunteers recognised for mentoring and befriending achievement

The Link’s MARC Project has been shortlisted for the regional finals of the ‘Mentoring and Befriending Recognition Awards 2010’. The awards recognise individuals and organisations that have made a difference to people’s lives through mentoring and befriending services.

The MARC Project Befriending Scheme has been shortlisted in the Befriending Project recognition category and John Melvin and Alice Baxter have been nominated for a recognition award in the Befriending Recognition award category. The MARC Project of The Link supports those with addiction problems to reduce self harm, promote sobriety and maintain independence. The Befriending Scheme was set up to help people with a chronic addiction to alcohol. It was recognised that many clients of the project only had other addicts as friends and this reinforced their addiction rather than encouraging sobriety. Positive time spent with a non-addict was really felt to be important if clients were to conquer a long-term addiction aims to build a supportive, positive and trusting one to one relationship with a vulnerable adult. Two recent “graduates” of the MARC’s Floating Support programme had achieved over two years of sobriety after an average of 20 years of chronic addiction. These “graduates” had befrienders who very much contributed to their ability to remain sober.

Commenting on their success, MARC Programme Manager Anne Faloon said: “It is said that “children spell LOVE, T-I-M-E!” But our experience has been that this doesn’t change much as we get older.  Isolation is a huge issue for most of our group, so having someone take time out to spend in a one-to-one capacity with them can be life-changing.  Even if it’s just someone to listen to how they feel or introduce them to new people or activities, the availability of that support can make a huge difference, and can make positive change seem possible. Our befrienders consider themselves to be ordinary people, but the impact of the care they show is truly extraordinary!”

The awards are a part of a national campaign, called ‘Supporting Life’s Journeys’, to celebrate and support the many individuals and organisations who help to address poverty and social exclusion through mentoring and befriending.  Mentors and befrienders are usually volunteers who are trained and supported by a range of charities and organisations to give one on one support to vulnerable or at risk people.  Mentoring and befriending have long been recognised as powerful and cost effective approaches to helping people achieve their full potential and avoid damaging or even criminal behaviour.

Steve Matthews, Chief Executive of the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation, which organized the awards, says: “Individuals, projects, funders and commissioner across Northern Ireland have demonstrated how mentoring and befriending can transform people’s lives.  They help the most vulnerable people in our society, from the very young to the very old, cope with real difficulties and challenges.  We had huge numbers of entries to the awards, with many people and projects being nominated by members of the public.  It was really difficult for the judges to choose between so many diverse examples of excellence, so we really would like to congratulate all those who made the shortlist; they are incredibly special.”