Demos undertook an evaluation of the Mosaic mentoring programme, to measure its success in raising aspirations in young people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. The evaluation comprised two parts. The first part is an evaluation of the mentors’ attitudes about the programme, based on survey responses from 61 mentors. The second is a 12-month longitudinal evaluation of the effect of the programme on the mentees, which measured mentees’ aspirations, attitudes and soft skills before and after they took part in the programme.

The results suggest that the Mosaic schemes are very well run and respond to the needs of the mentors who take part. The overwhelming majority reported that being a mentor had given them extra personal and professional skills, and nearly all would recommend other people to take part. For the mentees, the evaluation found noticeable increases in a range of positive outcomes, including an increase in the likelihood that the mentees would like to attend university, be more confident and happier in 12 months time, improve their views on school, and enhance their general happiness and sense of well-being.

The evaluation recommends that Mosaic’s mentoring programme continue, and that they ensure it is tightly targeted at individuals who can benefit most from the mentoring relationship in order to maximise effectiveness. It also confirms that the Mosaic programme, and similar mentoring programmes more generally, should focus on helping people develop soft skills, aspirations, and create bonding capital that can help them turn those aspirations into education and work opportunities.