Tabletop Games for Mentoring Sessions

Description

Light Up Learning is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) providing one-to-one mentoring for high school students in Edinburgh and the Lothians.

The programme aims to address issues of unequal access to education and disengagement in the classroom by creating low-stress, supportive, and playful learning environments for young people who have experienced disadvantage. We place each student in charge of their own learning and give them the resources, skills, and contacts they need to achieve their potential. 

We currently work in 12 partner schools across Edinburgh, the Borders, and the Lothians.

At Light Up Learning (LUL), we’re all about making learning exciting, personal, and fun! We pair young people aged 12-18 from challenging environments with mentors who help them explore what they care about, in their own way and at their own pace. Our dedicated mentors help them explore their interests in a low-stress, playful environment, fostering creativity, confidence, and curiosity.

 

 

Most of the young people we work with are accustomed to a specific teacher-student dynamic when they meet adults in school settings. In LUL sessions, the young person is in charge. As mentors, our job is to support them as they explore their interests in the ways that appeal to them. This can feel a little strange at first!

Many of our mentors use games like Uno, Jenga, or chess to break the ice. Games are great ways to establish relationships in a relaxed and positive way.

Games also teach collaboration, communication, strategy, and confidence. If a young person can learn how to play a game, then they see that they can probably learn other skills, too! By starting small and taking a relaxed approach, our mentors can help mentees move onto the next stage in the process, find what lights them up, and explore it while having fun.

"I've learned that learning about things I like can be fun! It was interesting to learn about things I wouldn't normally take seriously.”

-Former LUL mentee

We request a collection of teen-friendly tabletop games. With limited storage in some schools, we'd be grateful for some that don’t take up much space.

Some examples requested by mentees:

-Decks of cards

-Uno Flip!

-Chameleon

-Dixit

-Dobble

-cards vs dice

-Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza

-Water's Edge

-Codenames

-Herd Mentality

-Azul

Games are a great way to ease nervousness around meeting a new person. There’s less pressure to make eye contact, and their hands are kept busy so your contribution would have a fantastic impact. 

 

You can see our request for mentoring packs here.