Mentoring Young People; the Give-and-Take

WITH youth unemployment nearing its highest rate in Northern Ireland for more than 15 years the services provided to young people, often outside of the mainstream, through Include Youth’s Give and Take Scheme can be invaluable.

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

One aspect which has attributed to the Scheme’s recent success is the opportunity for each young person to receive additional weekly support from volunteer mentor recruited from the local community.

Angelina McNally, a 29-year-old former GP receptionist from Portaferry, has been a mentor with Include Youth since 2009.

“Experiences have made me realise that life can be uncertain and unpredictable at times; I felt that by mentoring a young person who is considered at risk I could show empathy with them.”

Angelina, who is a final year social work student, heard about the opportunity during a law lecture in her first year of study.

“I always wanted to work with young people so when I heard about the Scheme I realised it was the perfect chance to offer my support and experience, while benefiting my studies.

“At the beginning my biggest fear was about how I would get on with the young person. Through time I realised, as our relationship started to grow, that all my fears and difficulties were manageable.”

After a few weeks Angelina and her mentee discovered they had quite a bit in common, with a good sense of humour being one of them.

“We set a goal to save up some money each week so that we could afford concert tickets. We got the tickets and were both really looking forward to it, so much so, I ended up picking her up for the concert a night early! We both saw the funny side and were thankful to be a night early instead of a night late!

“We also both enjoyed as my mentee called it ‘eating and munching fags’; but we balanced these activities out with keeping fit and our passion for helping animals.”

Angelina who had a very successful experience with her mentee stresses the importance of having an ‘empathetic ear’.

“You have to be open, honest and non-judgmental to the young person’s circumstances. The young people need you to be patient and reliable; but also flexible to what is going on their lives that week – which at times can be really challenging. “There will be occasions when you will have to recognise concerns about the young person, such as they may be in a low mood or be at risk of harm to themselves, or potentially others; but that shouldn’t put you off. “The staff at Include Youth supports you really well from start to finish and I never felt hesitant about running an issue by any of them. They also provide training which is comprehensive and highly relevant. I’ve gained an OCN Level 2 in ‘mentoring young people at risk’, which will be invaluable for my future career in social work. “One of the biggest achievements for both of us was the continued relationship despite recurring difficulties, including homelessness, self harm and then my studies, which at times got in the way of our weekly meetings.

“We really did achieve so much and I’m very proud to have been able to play a part, including watching my mentee achieve 18 qualifications while on the Scheme. “This whole experience has been an invaluable learning experience for me and I would encourage anyone with a passion for helping young people to get involved.”

Deborah Burns, Personal Development and Mentoring Worker for the Give and Take Scheme based in Newtownards, recruits mentors on an ongoing basis to assist the young people she works with.

“The young people really benefit from the additional support a mentor in their local area can provide. The role can at times be very challenging but we use our knowledge and experience to support both the mentor and the young person on their journey.

“Since we introduced ‘Mentoring Matters’ to the Scheme we have seen so many successful relationships formed. Now we want to make sure the young people we work with in this area and local volunteers get the chance to have a mentoring success story of their own,” said Deborah.

The Give and Take Scheme works in all the Health and Social Care Trust areas with offices based in Belfast, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Derry and Omagh. Many of the young people are in care or from a care background and are not yet ready to take part in mainstream training 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.

‘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 are interested in finding out more information on mentoring please contact Dearbhla Holohan.

ENDS

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Please contact Sharon Whittaker at Include Youth on 028 9031 1007 or [email protected]