" Service to others is the rent you pay for your time on Earth "
- Muhammad Ali
Mentoring is proven to be among the most effective tools we have for enabling transformational growth and development in people. It is a mutual learning experience, where both mentor and mentee stand to gain an enormous amount. Indeed we often hear from our mentors that they feel they are getting more out of the programme than their mentee - which isn't the case, but does point to the incredible power of mentoring.
The journey of a young athlete is inevitably a tumultuous one, full of high peaks but also great challenge, and significant low points. But there is no reason why they must navigate this journey alone, falling into all the same pitfalls as those that came before them. A mentor is someone has has stood in the same shoes, lived similar experiences and now wants to support others to get the absolute most out of their lives.
The mentoring dynamic is perfectly designed for sport. Since we brought together our first ever mentoring pair, back in 2016, our programme has grown into the most established, most pioneering athlete mentoring programme, worldwide. Through witnessing now hundreds of mentoring relationships, we have seen the incredible, transformational impact that mentoring has in sport.
In the words of one of our Olympic mentors..
" TAP is a fantastic human adventure "
Our Mentoring Programmes
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We offer two distinct mentoring programmes, our Global Mentoring Programme (which individuals can join) and our Tailored Mentoring Programme (which organisations and teams can join).
On both programmes, mentors receive a suite of TAP training to provide the best possible support to their mentee, learning a range of skills for their career in and after sport. Mentees not only receive the personalised nurturing support of an incredible role model, but also a personalised mental skills training programme developed by our team. We take a personal approach to matching mentors and mentees, knowing that every journey will be different. This is not a prescriptive programme, rather we allow athletes to move through our curriculum in their own way. The TAP curriculum themes are:
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We were proud to receive the 2018 World and GB Olympians' Association Partnership Award for social impact through our Global Mentoring Programme.
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“ It was a fantastic opportunity and I was paired with a mentor who very easy to talk to and was very encouraging in all aspects of life and sport. I have learnt a lot about myself and realised a lot of my doubts and lack of belief is not uncommon in sport but was given the tools and advice to tackle them
- Sasha Tristram, 2022/23 Mentee
About Our Global ProgrammeWe match athletes across sports and location. Mentors are international-level, senior current or former athletes. Mentees are aged 15 - 24 and committed to their sport. Both mentors and mentees should be able to commit to the full year of the mentoring process.
Our 2022 cohort matched 72 athletes, across 38 sports and 12 countries! |
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“ The TAP program gives both the mentor and mentee the skills and resources they need to navigate complex real life situations. Whether you are a current, former, or aspiring athlete, the TAP program has something valuable to offer that could change your life and the world for the better. I would encourage anyone reading this to get involved! Thank you to the TAP team!
- Ian Choy, 2022/23 Mentor
About Tailored Mentoring
We will work with you to build a TAP mentoring programme for your team / club / organisation. We will operate the programme in its entirety, taking care of matching, safeguarding, training mentors, monitoring relationships, and measuring impact.
Contact us to find out more.
Contact us to find out more.
We brought together a community sports centre, a governing body (Basketball Scotland), and the University of Edinburgh to match university student-athletes with young people from areas of high social deprivation.
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Some of our past Mentors and Mentees..
“ The True Athlete Project was a truly unique experience that left a profound impact on me as a person and an athlete. It provided the kind of support that I had been missing for most of my sporting life and its holistic perspective and nurturing support is something I can only hope every young athlete will one day be fortunate enough to experience. I feel so grateful for and connected to my time as a mentee that I could not be more proud to now be a part of the project as a mentor and pay that forward for another young athlete.
- Phoebe Newton Hughes, 2022/23 Mentee
“ This mentoring journey has been absolutely incredible thus far. I have been paired with a fantastic mentee, Kristina, and my biggest takeaway thus far has been the power of working together, side-by-side, in that journey of growth both as mentor and mentee. It is very special to be able to share our experiences with each other about life within and beyond sport - and to do so in an environment free of judgement or expectation. Though it has only been four months since I joined TAP, I am already noticing that I am more present and intentional in my day-to-day life, and I feel a strong sense of fulfilment from the mentoring process. I am so grateful for TAP and very excited to continue this journey with Kristina!
- Taylor NG, 2024/25 Mentor
“ The programme encouraged me to focus on processes instead of outcomes and reassured me that winners can be kind. For me TAP therefore provides hope. Hope for a future world of elite sport that is centred on values of compassion and happiness.
- Louis Saunders, 2022/23 Mentee
“ Being part of the 2023 TAP Programme was wonderful. The experience and relationship my Mentee and I built over the year was special to both of us. The Programme facilitated us both to grow and develop in new ways, and provided a different type of support space where any subject could be talked about - inside and outside of sport. I would highly recommend the Programme to anyone thinking of being a Mentor or Mentee. I look forward to continuing my Mentoring journey.
- Erik Rowbotham, 2023/24 Mentor
