Social circumstances determined by class shouldn’t stand in the way of young people learning in positive and fulfilling ways; and
Every young person deserves to experience low-stress, fun, and relevant learning environments in which they can explore their passions and develop critical skills.

With these in mind, we developed five Guiding Principles to inform our practices:

Fairness in Education: Too often, social circumstance determines the quality of a student’s learning. The programme aims to address this issue by offering young people who have experienced disadvantage the resources, support, opportunities, and contacts that they need to achieve their potential.
Playful and Relevant Learning: When young people can’t connect with the topics they’re learning about, they disengage. The programme aims to make the learning process low-stress, fun, and relevant to student interests.
Student-led: Light Up Learning encourages students to take ownership and be in charge of their own learning. Young people decide what subject to explore and adult mentors act as partners in the learning process, rather than as teachers.
Sustained Support: We aim for our mentors and their students to work together all the way from S3 to the end of their time at school. This gives the greatest opportunity for a strong relationship to grow between mentor and student, thus giving students the best chance to develop critical learning skills that they can carry through life.
Community of Learners: Light Up Learning wants to build a tight-knit community in which students and mentors act as resources to each other and feel supported in their own individual learning. Mentors also have a responsibility to connect their students with people and organisations that share similar passions to them and/or do inspiring things.