How it works

Level Up is a tech mentoring scheme for young adults in Iraq, Iran and Syria.

Level Up is the first mentoring scheme of its kind in Iraq, Iran and Syria. We are running a 6 month pilot starting in September. We will have 10 mentor-mentee relationships, and we hope to grow that number from there.

Applications for September have now closed.

So, how does it work?

First…

we collect potential mentors and mentees. We have a growing number of tech professionals in the UK who have singed up to mentor. If you are interested you can apply here.

We also have a growing number of young people in Iraq, Iran and Syria who want a tech mentor to help take their careers up a level. If you are interested you can apply here.

We are building partnerships with local universities and coding schools in Iraq, Iran and Syria to make sure that we find the most motivated mentees.

Then…

we have a conversation with mentors, and we look at mentees applications, and use what we have learned to pair them up.

If you are not selected then we will store your details for the next group that will start in March 2021.

A mentor will receive information about their mentee. And a mentee will receive the same. They are then introduced to each other.

From here on in the relationships is theirs for the next 6 months. We recommend a minimum of 1 conversation every month. Our guide for mentors and mentees are useful during this period.

During…

the 6 months, we will reach out to both mentor and mentee to understand how their experiences are going. We will ask you to fill in a survey and will also supply any extra support you might need during this period.

After…

6 months we will do a deep dive into the experience for both mentor and mentee. We will use what we learnt from these relationships to improve the next 6 months of mentor-mentee relationships.

Then we start the whole thing again in March 2021.


In order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care. You must care. You don’t have to know how many square miles are in Idaho, you don’t need to know what is the chemical makeup of chemistry, or of blood or water. Know what you know and care about the person, care about what you know and care about the person you’re sharing with.

Maya Angelou


Become a mentor or a mentee today