Getting Started!

Ready to dive into a whole new way of finding support? At MindJam, we’re here to empower young people just like you by combining emotional support with the creativity and excitement of gaming. When you get in touch, we’ll start with sending a simple questionnaire. This helps us learn more about you—your interests, the games you love, and what kind of mentor can best support you.

Once we know about you a bit better, we’ll match you with one of our amazing Mentors! Our Mentors are passionate gamers and can support in areas like game design, digital art, music, and more—but most importantly, they’re here to support your mental health, encourage you, and help you feel confident in exploring your unique talents and passions.

So, if you’re ready to level up in a way that’s all about you, let’s start the journey together!

The Questionnaire

This guide breaks things down step-by-step, making it easy to give us the info we need to get your young person started with MindJam!

1. Young Person’s Information

  • Name & Details: Their first name, surname, preferred name, pronouns, and date of birth.
  • Contact Info: Home address, postcode, and council area.

2. Parent/Carer Contact Information

  • Primary Contact: Name, email, and phone number of the first parent/carer.
  • Additional Contact: Details for a second parent or carer, if applicable.

3. Session Setup

  • Session Preferences: Choose the session length, preferred times, and days.
  • Equipment & Gaming Setup: Tell us about the gaming device(s) they use and their favourite games.
  • Communication Method: Indicate if they prefer to communicate via Xbox/PSN Chat, Discord, Google Meets, or another platform.
  • Mentor Preferences: If a specific mentor gender is preferred, please specify here.

4. Session Goals & Background Information

  • Goals & Interests: What are the main goals for sessions, and what are their interests or hobbies?
  • Challenges & Needs: List any specific needs, such as fears or triggers, and note if there are any past safeguarding concerns.

5. Funding Information

  • Funding Source: Confirm session funding. This could be from a school, local authority, or self-funding.
  • Funding Duration: If funded by a school or local authority, let us know how long the funding lasts.
  • Invoicing Details: Provide an email address where invoices should be sent.

6. Education & Additional Support

  • Additional Support Needs: Share any educational needs or other provisions they may receive.
  • Other Professionals: List any additional support professionals involved, like SENCo or therapists, and include their contact info.
  • Documentation: Attach any helpful documents to provide context.

7. Historic Information

  • Previous Info (if any): If any information changes (like a new address), list the previous info here and update the new details above.

Meeting Your Mentor!

Once you’ve been matched with your MindJam Mentor, it’s time to get ready for a friendly introduction meeting! Your Mentor will reach out to set up a time to chat, so you can get to know each other and feel totally comfortable. Before the meeting, they’ll send you a little bio so you can read about their interests and skills on our Mentors page and get a sneak peek at who you’ll be working with! Don’t worry if you’re feeling a bit shy, they can always speak with your parent or carer first time round, but if you want to join the call that’s awesome!

During the intro meeting, you’ll talk about all kinds of fun stuff—like the games you’re excited to play in sessions, how you’d like to keep in touch online, and areas where you’d like some support (or maybe even new skills you’d like to learn!). The mentor will get your gaming details ahead of your first sessions, and share theirs with you too. This way, you and your Mentor can jump into sessions knowing it’s going to be a great fit.
We can’t wait for you to meet your Mentor and start this awesome journey together!

Getting Comfy & Connected 🙂

Ready for your first MindJam session? Here’s everything you need to get started in your own comfy space!

Find Your Comfy Spot: Whether it’s your bedroom, a cosy chair, or your favourite corner, set up somewhere that feels safe and relaxing. We want you to feel totally at ease, so pick a spot where you’re comfortable and ready to dive in.
Grab Your Tech: You’ll need something to connect with—like a laptop, tablet, or phone. Make sure you’re set up with your preferred platform, like Discord or Google Meet, so you and your Mentor can chat smoothly.
Parent Back-Up (if you’d like it!): If you’re feeling a bit nervous, your parent or carer is welcome to join the sessions as you get to know your mentor. Over time, we hope you’ll feel ready to join solo so you can build a strong connection with your Mentor. This time is all about you, so feeling comfortable to talk freely and share your thoughts is key!

Your Mentor is here to listen, support you, and make each session something you look forward to. Let’s make this a time where you can relax, connect, and have some fun right from the comfort of your own space!

No Pressure: At Mindjam, it’s totally okay if you don’t feel like talking about how you’re feeling – no pressure here! We’re just as excited to game with you, chat about your favourite things, and dive into whatever interests you most. Whether it’s games, movies, anime or anything else that lights you up, we’re here to hang out, play and just enjoy the time together. It’s all about you, and we’re here for whatever feels right!

 

You’re in Control

Sessions For All Kinds Of Days!

At MindJam, we know that some days are easier than others—and that’s totally okay! Sometimes, you might feel ready to dive into a full session, and other days it may feel a little bit harder to start the sessions. That’s absolutely OK! We all have difficult days from time to time, but your mentor will happily join you in the game of your choice and you can just relax and have fun!

If you know ahead of time that a session might be a bit challenging, it’s super helpful if parents or carers can give the Mentor a quick heads-up. But no worries if not! Our goal is to make each session a safe, low-pressure environment where you can just be yourself and take things at your own pace. This is all about building trust and creating a space where you feel comfortable to connect, share, and grow in your own time.

 

FAQ'S

For answers to our most commonly asked questions regarding sessions, please visit the FAQs page.

Benefits of Gaming

Read our guide to the benefits of gaming, that looks at current research around health and wellbeing.

We'd love to hear from you.

If you would like our team to get in touch with you to discuss how we can help you and your young people through our services, please feel free to fill out our contact form, and we will be in touch as soon as possible to talk you through enrolling with one of our mentors or counsellors

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