Who we are
We believe every young person deserves the opportunity of a fresh start in life.
We want to create a safe space for young people to enjoy, be encouraged and empowered to unlock their full potential and dare to dream.
We are GreenHouse Mentoring…
We are a local charity based in Stopsley, a service for our community and a project of Stopsley Baptist Church, but we are self-funded through local support and national grants. Our focus is to see young people in Luton empowered to unlock their full potential and thrive in life! We believe every young person deserves the opportunity of a fresh start in life.
We supply quality trained, screened volunteers from diverse backgrounds who have committed to meet, mentor and help referred young people in Luton to
- Take responsibility for their actions.
- Improve social skills.
- Improve self-confidence.
- Encourage and build on personal growth.
All of our services are free to any young people.
History
GreenHouse Mentoring was started in late 2000 by Dave Steell who was the Stopsley Baptist Church Youth Pastor at the time. It was originally called the ‘Pupil Support Project’ and was funded via the On Track/Children’s Fund.
In 2002, the project was named GreenHouse Mentoring. As the project grew and developed, Chloe Stirling-Smith was appointed Manager 2001-2003 and started the volunteer training programme.
Sue Pirks then replaced Chloe as Manager in 2004 and set about transforming the project from the ground up. ‘Mentoring & Befriending Foundation’ Approved Provider accreditation was achieved by Sue in December 2006 with re-accreditation achieved in January 2010 and April 2014. Sue was also instrumental in GreenHouse Mentoring gaining ‘Investing in Volunteers Status’ in October 2007 with re-accreditation in April 2011.
In December 2020 Sue Pirks retired along with her husband Ian who has been supporting the charity for many years.
In January 2021 Catriona Gillies became the new manager of GHM with a fresh outlook on steering Greenhouse Mentoring into the future.