The Aspire Project

Research shows that ex-offenders are up to 50% less likely to re-offend if they have a job or training to go to after release.

Safer London Foundation’s Aspire Project was created to mentor serving prisoners and ex-offenders from London to support them into sustainable training or employment.  Funded for three years by KPMG LLP, Aspire opened for business in January 2007 and by directly addressing this important factor in the cycle of re-offending is working to make London a safer place.

Mentors are recruited on a rolling basis and after assesment receive a bespoke training course, delivered once a month, providing an awareness of the criminal justice system as well as knowledge about the issues facing ex-offenders such as disclosure and mentoring skills such as boundary setting.

Aspire actively encourages applications to train as mentors from people with an offending history.

Potential mentees (who have been assessed as posing a low risk of harm) are referred to Aspire by prisons holding prisoners returning to London on release.

Mentors are matched to mentees who are either approaching the end of a prison sentence, or serving a community based sentence. They provide identified practical and motivational support; with contact initially on a weekly basis, stepping down to monthly as things progress.

Aspire works closely with the Home Office's National Offender Management Service and its Corporate Alliance to Reduce Re-offending.  Aspire is continually developing links with employers to increase understanding of the issues and opportunities presented by employing ex-offenders.

aspire@saferlondonfoundation.org
020 7202 8512