The resources used to run mentoring schemes are justified on the basis of the progress that is made by the mentee and while this must be the correct focus, it is important that the motivation and needs of the mentor are considered if programmes are to be successful. This study examines the impact on the mentor when working with a diverse, complex group labelled disadvantaged youth, generally within state guidelines through a voluntary organisation and where the mentor is a volunteer, drawn from society at large and equipped with basic everyday skills that have been enhanced through a short training programme. Using survey methodology, it examines the reasons people undertake this type of work, what they actually get out of volunteering and whether it changes attitudes and allows them to achieve goals in their social, personal and working lives that they would not have been able to achieve without that experience.