Mentoring Matters to Magherafelt Volunteer

CHARLOTTE Turner had never worked directly with vulnerable young people before; keen to try something different she applied to be a mentor with Include Youth’s Give and Take Scheme.

The Scheme works with young people aged 16 to 21, who due to their circumstances or experiences are unable to participate in mainstream training or work.

One aspect which has attributed to the Scheme’s recent success is Mentoring Matters, where volunteers are recruited from the local community to provide young people with the opportunity to receive one-to-one weekly support.

Charlotte, 26 and from Magherafelt, became a mentor after graduating from university. It was through the local volunteer centre that she heard about the Scheme.

“When I first became a mentor I was very sympathetic towards the young people because so many of them have had very difficult backgrounds.

“I thought I could use my own life experiences to get them 'back on track'; however this changed dramatically during the course of my journey as I began to gain a better understanding of the young people’s needs. I thought that by setting myself goals I would in turn enhance their quality of life. With hindsight, I was a little naive at the beginning.”

All mentors gain an OCN Level 2 in ‘Mentoring Young People at Risk’ qualifications before they are paired with a young person. The training provides all volunteers with the skills needed to mentor a young person at risk.

“The training followed by regular supervision sessions with the Give and Take Scheme staff were a great way to overcome all my fears. The staff were very supportive and provided guidance or advice whenever I needed it.

“When I got paired with the young person I worried that they would not like me and that I wouldn’t know how to deal with the difficult situations that she might find herself in. However, weeks of her getting to laugh at me shoveling horse manure - we volunteered at the stables every week – proved the right environment for us to form a close bond.

“Our biggest achievement to date has been the interview we did for BBC Radio Ulster about the mentoring aspect of the Scheme. It was a great opportunity to see the young person overcome so many personal barriers and see how much her confidence had grown from when I first met her. I was really proud of her for doing it.”

Charlotte volunteered initially to gain experience in the health and social care sector but also so that she could explore something totally different.

“I absolutely loved the whole experience. We had some fun times and now that she has moved on from the Scheme, I do really miss our mini adventures. In my experience mentoring really does make a difference to the young person, no matter how subtle that difference may be.

“Include Youth’s staff were extremely supportive and I have never been part of an organisation that is so passionate about doing the best for the young people they work with. They are very good at rewarding and acknowledging the time and effort that you put in to mentoring, which is very important.

“Anyone interested in volunteering as a mentor should be aware of what they can offer a young person and be realistic about the amount of time they can commitment to. There is no point in establishing a relationship if you can’t maintain it.

“I believe a good mentor is someone who is non-judgmental, honest, open-minded, empathetic, willing to learn and ultimately believe in the cause, which is setting goals with the young person that will enable them to be the best they can be. Most importantly, anyone thinking of mentoring should just have fun - it is a really enjoyable experience.”

Include Youth’s Give and Take Scheme is based throughout all the Health and Social Care Trust areas, with offices based in Belfast, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Derry and Omagh.

Lucia Kearney, Personal Development and Mentoring Worker for the Give and Take Scheme based in the Northern Health Trust area, recruits mentors on an ongoing basis to assist the young people she works with.

“Many of the young people we work with are in care or from a care background and are not yet ready to take part in mainstream education or employment. Seven out of ten of the young people have reading and numeracy difficulties and less than half have experienced mental or emotional health problems. All of the young people on our Scheme really benefit from the additional support that having a mentor in their local area can provide.

“Charlotte’s story is just one example of a very successful mentoring partnership where volunteers give up a few hours each week to help support a young person over the course of up to 12 months to set goals that will ultimately help them progress into employment.”

‘Mentoring Matters’ is funded by Big Lottery Fund NI through the Safe and Well programme and mentors are recruited throughout Northern Ireland on an ongoing basis.

If you have what it takes to mentor a young person on the Give and Take Scheme please visit www.includeyouth.org or contact Dearbhla Holohan at Include Youth on [email protected] or 028 9031 1007.

ENDS

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: If you would like more information please contact Sharon Whittaker, Communications Worker at Include Youth, on 028 9031 1007 or [email protected]