BEING a teenager can be daunting and stressful at times but now a new scheme in Worcestershire brings business professionals and young adults together to help combat that.

Mentor Link is a programme that puts trained and vetted volunteer mentors together with young adults at school who may be experiencing personal difficulties. The mentor is independent and thus can look at the situation clearly. She or he is also non-authoritarian and not part of the school.

"Anyone can become a mentor providing they are non judgemental, patient and good listeners," said Andrea Maddocks, who founded Mentor Link.

"The aim of the mentor is to encourage the pupil to feel more positive about themselves and education. The mentor goes into the school each week for half an hour and listens to, advises and encourages. Difficulties exp-erienced by the young adults can be anything from family break-up, to illness, peer pressure or low motivation."

Helen King, who has recently started as a volunteer mentor and is lead client account manager for the Chamber of Commerce, Herefordshire and Worc-estershire, said being a mentor was very fulfilling.

"I would really recommend it - I like to feel I am putting something back into the community. It's very different now to 10 years ago when I was 15.

"There are the same pressures - things don't change that much - but it's just the context we look at them in. Whereas we used to pass each other notes in class, now kids text each other."

For more information phone Claire Quinn on 01299 400616 or visit www