Seeing is believing: the power of role models in the Canon Young People Programme

Self-belief is powerful, but it doesn’t come from nowhere. It quietly creeps up when you meet someone who recognises your potential. Or offers words of encouragement. In the Canon Young People Programme (CYPP), self-belief often manifests when students realise that someone who looks like them, comes from their world, has already walked the path they didn’t realise they are capable of taking.

“It’s important to meet them where they are in their life,” says Alexander Rosenberg, Head of Fundraising at Mentor Sverige. “We work with schools to reach young people in settings closely linked to their future education and career opportunities.” Mentor Sverige is part of Mentor International and has been a partner of our Young People Programme for a number of years. They use role modelling to help young people gain knowledge, find inspiration and expand their networks. “We believe in the power of adult role models,” he explains. “By entering their lives as early as possible, they can show them all the possibilities of life, strengthen their belief in their own abilities and create better conditions for them to reach their full potential. It can also reduce the risk of other challenges later in life.”

Because it’s a sad truth that too many teenagers simply don’t have any visibility of alternative futures, as their world may not be a place where new ideas, aspirations or broad horizons thrive. Yes, they see what success can look like – social media is awash with achievements and lifestyles – but for so many there can be a belief that ‘people like me don't do that’. And nowhere is this seen more than in young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Which is why CYPP partner organisations like Mentor Sverige in Sweden and Wild Shots Outreach in Africa (WSO) carefully, and with great success, connect young people with role models who can bring all the possibilities into their line of sight.

“We think of the Canon Young People Programme as a form of ‘group mentoring’,” explains Alexander. “We often base workshops on the idea of ‘ikigai’, asking ‘who am I? What are my dreams? What does society need? And then explore how these strengths and interests can connect to future educational and career opportunities”. Mentors and coaches from Canon start conversations, sharing their own experiences from their teenage years and how they came to be where they are now. “Some students are initially shy, but then the discussion naturally evolves,” he adds. “It quickly becomes about future aspirations, possibilities and life choices, and that’s incredibly inspiring to see”. But beyond that, Alexander admits that the young people sometimes just welcome the chance to talk to a mentor purely because they’re notconnected to school or family. Someone with a completely different perspective, who brings no preconceived ideas.

This breaking of assumptions is something Mike Kendrick, founder of Wild Shots Outreach, has founded a life’s work on. His organisation connects unemployed and disadvantaged young Africans to nature and conservation through wildlife photography – changing lives and opening opportunities in the process. It’s fair to say that, in the beginning at least, the last thing his students see for themselves is a successful and creative career. And yet so many of WSO/CYPP alumni are inspired into just that by the people they meet. “Generally, they don't have networks, and I think that's really important to know,” Mike says. “So, when you're young and unemployed, being introduced to a role model – someone who has made it from your community – is really empowering”.

For Mike, the most exciting examples of role modelling in action have been among the young women and girls of underserved communities. Most cannot even conceive of a world where they might be employed, let alone working as a safari guide, instructing tourists on how to use their cameras on game drives. But through WSO and CYPP, that’s exactly what has happened. And it took just one young woman’s success to begin a domino effect that has been quite spectacular.

“It started with a young woman called Queen, a safari guide and former CYPP graduate” he says. “Mukateki met Queen at one of our workshops and realised that she too could be a guide. So, she worked hard and did it. Then Melody met and was taught by Mukateki with Wild Shots Outreach, and she also became a guide. Today there is a chain of seven young women, with each one inspiring the next.”

And while this is exciting to read, research and analysis tell the same story. During their evaluation of the Canon Young People Programme, the Institute for Social Innovation and Impact at the University of Northampton found that “the programme has a significant impact on young people’s general self-efficacy and wellbeing”. Self-efficacy – a person's belief in their own ability to succeed – is really important here, as it’s known to be the number one predictor of human motivation.

Basically, when a young person watches a role model succeed, their brain processes it as a ‘cognitive blueprint’, meaning that not only do they now think, ‘I can do that too’, but it can naturally lead to them going a step further – choosing greater challenges and persevering when the going gets tough. Certainly, this is something that is reflected in the Northampton University’s findings, which noted that the longer a young person was part of the CYPP, the more their self-efficacy increased.

"Since I was involved in this course and getting to know different people, talk with people… it boosted my confidence. I started seeing myself different in a way,” says Thabisa, a CYPP alumni, speaking to researchers. And this is exactly the goal when we first put a camera in a young person’s hands and introduce them to people who are already sharing their stories with the world. We, along with our partners, are telling them that they matter and what they have to tell us is really important. Crucially, they come to believe it.

Learn more about the Canon Young People Programme.