A NEW mentoring service for young people affected by the alcohol and drugs use of others is to be launched by a Musselburgh-based charity.

The Bridges Centre’s pilot scheme has been made possible following a £20,421 grant from Midlothian & East Lothian Drugs & Alcohol Partnership (MELDAP) and a £9,000 National Lottery award from The National Lottery Community Fund.

Called ‘Listening Peers’, it will see previous Bridges clients, aged 25 and under with experience of other people’s substance use, mentor young people aged 13-21 in East Lothian who are currently affected by the issue.

All mentors will be volunteers apart from a co-ordinator who will supervise the service.

They will be assigned one young person at a time and meet them weekly for informal activities that will help them build a relationship.

This could involve enjoying walks, utilising community facilities or going to the cinema.

Young people will be able to access support for as long as they need.

In addition to the informal weekly activities, the mentors will also be able to signpost the young people to other specialist services in case they need further support.

They will hold consultation groups where coping strategies for overcoming stress will be discussed. This will inform a guide that will be distributed across East Lothian for other young people in similar situations.

A spokesperson for the Bridges Project said: “Bridges Project hopes that ‘Listening Peers’ will be able to provide a range of benefits to young people affected by other people’s substance use.

“Firstly, it will give them respite from challenging living conditions at home. It will also ensure that these young people will have a supportive role model who gives them confidence.

“Furthermore, it will help them tackle feelings of stigma and discrimination and provide them with first-hand advice on overcoming challenges related to being affected by other people’s substance use.

“Finally, young people who use the service will be able to access other services more easily which can help prevent any future harm.”

Emma Scarcliffe, CEO at the Bridges, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have received this funding to set up our new peer mentoring service for young people affected by others people’s substance use.

“This is an exciting new service for us to implement at Bridges Project and one which will complement the other services we already have in place to inspire young people to build a confident future. This peer-led service will enable young people with lived experience to mentor other young people and act as positive role models who not only listen to and understand their concerns but can offer invaluable advice, guidance and support.”

‘Listening Peers’ will run for a year and the goal is that 20 young people will receive support through the service during that time. If the service proves successful, the Bridges Project, based on Bogpark Road, intends to seek funding to continue it and increase the number of mentors and young people being supported.