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EMPOWERING VOICES
MENTORS HANDBOOK

Simple guidance for Empowering Voices volunteers is an effective way to ensure that everyone can understand our principles, policies, and procedures. This provides clarity and protection for our volunteers, recruits and those who engage with and support us.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to develop and maintenance of the mentors handbook.
  1. WELCOME 
  2. ABOUT EMPOWERING VOICES
  3. WHY A CHARITY?
  4. MEMBERSHIP
  5. WHAT SUPPORT DO WE OFFER?
  6. HOW CAN YOU HELP US?
  7. SAFEGUARDING
  8. WHISTLEBLOWING
  9. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
  10. EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
  11. CONFIDENTIALITY
  12. PRIVACY POLICY
  13. CODE OF CONDUCT
  14. FUNDRAISING/DONATIONS
  15. WE WANT TO
  16. MEET YOUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES
  17. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
  18. CONTACT  

 

WELCOME 

Welcome to Empowering Voices, the UK’s only charity dedicated to running costal breathing courses for people who stammer.  

We could never run our courses without mentors, so we are extremely grateful that you have decided to help us transform lives. This handbook explains your role within Empowering Voices and how we can all work together to help people like us. If you have any questions, feedback or ideas for improvement and change, please contact one of the Trustees.  

 

ABOUT EMPOWERING VOICES 

Empowering Voices runs intensive speech courses to support adults who stammer. Our goals are to help stammerers gain control over their speech and ultimately speak without fear.  

Between us, we have many decades of experience using a costal breathing technique, a controlled speech pattern and desensitisation methods to help control our speech. With your help, we will help as many stammerers as possible gain greater control. 

We plan to hold courses throughout England and Wales every year.  

 

WHY A CHARITY? 

We believe that the tools to gain fear-free speech should be available to all stammerers as inexpensively as possible. We are a charity because: 

  • It means we are a non-profit organisation. We reinvest any surplus funds in our courses and ongoing free lifetime support for our members. 

  • The trustees are legally prohibited from making money from Empowering Voices. This means you know they are involved in the charity for the right reasons. 

  • We benefit from charitable tax breaks. We can claim Gift Aid on any personal donations from a UK taxpayer. 

  • Any company donations made to us are tax-deductible for the company concerned. 

  • We can access funding provided by charitable trusts, local councils and businesses. 

  • Our annual accounts are available on the Charity Commission website, ensuring complete transparency over our income and expenditure. 

 

MEMBERSHIP 

When you attend your first Empowering Voices training course, you receive membership. This gives you free access to ongoing support and courses. 

 

WHAT SUPPORT DO WE OFFER? 

We offer lifetime support to anyone who has taken a course. This support is free. 

TYPES OF SUPPORT: 

  • One-to-one phone call practice, please contact fellow mentors on support directory  

  • Video call support accessed on WhatsApp or Microsoft Teams 

  • Personal development opportunities to get involved with running the courses and growing the charity - please contact trustees if you are interested  

 

HOW CAN YOU HELP US? 

We are fortunate to have you as a mentor and thank you for the time you are prepared to give us. We could not have done what we have done without you! 

Here are some suggestions for the support that you could provide: 

  • Volunteering to lead a section of the course to push out your comfort zones 

  • Providing one-to-one voice and video call support to others who have attended a course 

  • Helping us to organise a new course in your area by identifying suitable venues and making an introduction 

  • Spreading the word about Empowering Voices both online and offline 

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SAFEGUARDING 

If you are concerned about any person's safety, you must report this directly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead by completing a Safeguarding Form. All reporting to competent authorities is undertaken via the Designated Safeguarding Lead.  

If you are being abused or are at risk of harm from yourself or another person, speak with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (Leanne Kemp) or one of the Trustees.  

We are all responsible for safeguarding – if you see or witness something concerning, report it.  

SEE IT – SAY IT – REPORT IT 

 

WHISTLEBLOWING 

If you are concerned about anything happening within Empowering Voices, please report it to one of the Trustees. All concerns will be handled confidentially and sensitively.  

 

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 

With your help, we can get even better at supporting people who stammer: 

  • We hold a review after every course, which relies heavily on feedback from new participants and mentors. We look at what went well, what we can improve and how we should implement any necessary changes. 

  • Our general feedback form allows anyone involved with Empowering Voices to have a say in making our charity more effective. 

  • We are always open to ideas from our members regarding new course venues, course content, post-course support and fundraising. 

  • We will implement any suggested changes that will help our charity thrive. 

  • As our pool of mentors grows, they bring with them real-life stories and experiences that inspire others to succeed. These show how the technique, allied with hard work, can truly transform lives. 

  • If you have a new idea for support that we don’t currently offer, we would love to hear about it! Please email your suggestion to the trustees, and it will be discussed at their next meeting. You will then receive a response or a request for further information, and we will help you put your idea into action if it is accepted. Please do not try to organise anything on the WhatsApp support group or other Empowering Voices channel before receiving a response from the trustees, as our duty of care as a charity means that we need to follow a process before implementing new avenues of support. 

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EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION 

Empowering Voices has implemented a comprehensive Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy to ensure the fair treatment of all its members, including trustees, mentors, new students, consultancy staff and third parties working on its behalf. This policy underscores the commitment to treating all individuals equally, irrespective of their 'protected characteristics', which include age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation, among others.  

The policy's core principles emphasise equality, actively promoting diversity in courses, fostering an inclusive culture, and maintaining zero tolerance for bullying and harassment. The policy expressly prohibits all forms of discrimination, whether direct or indirect, and describes instances such as direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, victimisation, and harassment, detailing the conduct under each category. 

If you feel that you have been treated unfairly, discriminated against, or bullied, don't hesitate to contact a trustee or member of the course management to discuss the situation further and potentially raise a complaint. 

 

CONFIDENTIALITY 

Empowering Voices and all those involved in the charity have a duty and responsibility to behave in ways which protect people from harm. Courses are held confidentially and this confidentiality will be maintained throughout, with the explicit exception being any identified instances where there is a potential risk of harm to self or others. In this event, please speak directly with the course leaders and follow the safeguarding procedure if necessary. Empowering Voices will abide by GDPR legislation in protecting the privacy of all those who attend our courses and continue to be involved with the charity.  

As a mentor, you are not permitted to take pictures inside the course room or during a course without the explicit written consent of the participants and the Course Leaders. You are not allowed to store the personal details of any new course participant unless express witnessed permission is given by the participant. 

 

PRIVACY POLICY 

Empowering Voices has a Privacy Policy. This explains: 

  • Why we hold your personal information 

  • How we obtain your personal information 

  • What data we hold 

  • How we keep the information secure 

  • Our undertaking is not to disclose your information unless we have your written agreement or if it is required by law or directed by a court. 

  • Your data protection rights 

The full policy is available on the website or by emailing hello@empoweringvoices.co.uk  

 

CODE OF CONDUCT 

 

  • Working on our speech is a process of continual improvement. Be kind and thoughtful when commenting on someone's speech and thankful when receiving suggestions.  

  • Remember to encourage and praise other course participants, because a friendly, supportive atmosphere helps us all to succeed. 

  • When interacting with a member of Empowering Voices, please consider that they may have additional disabilities or disadvantages as well as their stammer. 

  • Discussing feelings and emotions can be very important when working on your speech. However, please be conscious of those around you when talking about the challenges you have faced, particularly when it comes to subjects such as mental health, self-harm or suicide. 

  • Be punctual; if you are 5 minutes late to the course room, the impact is multiplied by the number of people waiting for you. 

  • When you are on a course or providing ongoing support, you are an ambassador for Empowering Voices. Please don’t do anything that may lead to reputational damage for the charity. 

  • Be aware of your own language and behaviour, and treat other course participants with respect. We do not have to agree with everyone’s views, but people are entitled to them as long as they are not discriminatory. 

  • If another course participant’s language or behaviour makes you uncomfortable, or if you hear something that you feel goes against the ethos of Empowering Voices, please report it to the course leader or a senior mentor. ​

  • Please do not make unsolicited phone calls to new course participants in the first instance, as this is against Empowering Voices policy. It is natural to want to phone new participants after their first course to help them progress with the technique. However, they must be the ones who initiate this contact, either by phoning you first or requesting a call. Any phone numbers shown on the WhatsApp support group are displayed for group functionality only. They should not be seen as automatic ‘permission’ from new participants for phone contact, so please wait for them to reach out in their own time!

  •  Mentors are asked to prioritise speaking opportunities for new people or those who are less confident in speaking situations.

  • Be mindful that speaking in front of a large group can be daunting for many new people. There may be occasions during a course when you are asked to assist a new person, such as during the final-day video. Please keep these occasions brief to avoid anxiety for those speaking or waiting to speak. Five minutes would usually be adequate.

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FUNDRAISING/DONATIONS 

We want to reach as many stammerers as possible! We charge a £250 fee for each new person attending a course, which contributes towards our running costs.  

However, there are lots of other ways we would like to raise money, including: 

  • Applying for grants from businesses, charitable trusts and the National Lottery. 

  • Business sponsorship for courses and advertising. 

  • Personal donations via the JustGiving link on our website. We are registered for Gift Aid, which means that your donation will receive a 20% boost from the government. 

  • Members raising money for us via sponsorship. We can help you access the London Marathon and other iconic events that make access available to charities. 

  • Encouraging company donations, as these are tax-deductible for the company concerned. 

 

WE WANT TO: 

  • Source excellent meeting rooms with suitable acoustic properties for our courses - echoes aren't great for speech courses! 

  • Ensure good quality, inexpensive hotels within a short walk of our course venues. 

  • Choose course locations with excellent connectivity—good road, rail, and, where possible, air links. 

  • After a stammerer's first course, provide a network of people who keep in contact with the new recruit. 

  • Have a great website and social media presence to support Empowering Voices' existing members and attract new ones. 

  • Build support networks throughout the UK, including in-person support groups, online support groups, comprehensive voice and video call support available during waking hours, and pop-up workshops. 

 

MEET YOUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES 

Ian Trevor    

Fiona Cross      

Graham Parry 

Mike Grant 

Leanne Kemp 

Julian Brooks 

Michael Wright

Rosie Tuohy

Adam Price

The Trustees are tasked with upholding Empowering Voices' governance policies and procedures. They meet at least once every three months to discuss and review how the charity is running and together with mentors’ involvement, look at future course development including fundraising and how we together as a charity can continue to deliver and improve the services we offer to those who stammer.  

We currently have eight Trustees. 

 

 

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 

A successful Charity demonstrates transparency and accountability for its members. Every year, the trustees hold an Annual General Meeting. This is an opportunity for members of Empowering Voices to understand how the charity operates, what has happened during the previous year, and what the plans are for the next year and beyond. 

As part of the AGM, the Treasurer will present the annual report and accounts, and the trustees will be held accountable for how funds have been spent. It's your charity and it's your money - you have a right to know how it's being spent. 

 

CONTACT 

Email address - hello@empoweringvoices.co.uk 

Safeguarding email address – safeguarding@empoweringvoices.co.uk 

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