We have a saying: "What they see is what they will be". We understand that young people are most influenced by the images that they see most often and are more likely to aspire to become the kind of role models that are most presented to them.

Our flagship mentoring programme is delivered under the trademark 'Mentoring the 100 Way Across a Lifetime'. It is our aim to support and help develop young people in our charge from their youth into adulthood and then to continue to act as their mentor throughout theirlives.

The need for mentoring in the Black communities becomes more relevant by examining the socio-cultural context in which Black youths are living in contemporary London society.  The demographic nature of the Black Family unit has changed substantially; for instance, in Black Caribbean families 46% of children live with both parents and 54% live in lone parent households, the overwhelming majority of which are single-mother led households. There is thus a substantial number of Black children who are growing up without direct regular access to a Black adult male role model.

Beyond the education system, Black communities remain over-represented at each stage of the criminal justice system. Blacks are more likely to be stopped and searched under all three appropriate penal codes. Black people are also more likely to be victims of crime, and 4.5 times more likely to be homicide victims than Whites. 24.6% of the prison population in the UK is of the Black community, and in 2005, Blacks also represented 10% of the total deaths in police custody recorded.

Mentoring is the method by which a more experienced adult (mentor) guides and advises the younger person (mentee) with a view to helping that younger person develop and achieve his or her goals.

The 100 Black Men of London believes that through the process of mentoring, we can help endow our youth with the life skills they will need to become positive contributors to society and develop into the leaders of tomorrow.

Our "Me I Can Be" programme takes young people through a comprehensive programme, looking at life skills as wide ranging and important as self identity to goal setting to money management.

We have developed a unique method of mentoring, known as "Mentoring the 100 Way Across a Lifetime" which has been carefully designed to address the most pressing issues relevant to young boys and girls living in London in a group mentoring setting.

For more information on our flagship Community Programme, see under Our Programmes