Pastry Chef Gives Up Free Time to Support Young People

AFTER being made redundant Leone Boyle decided upon a complete career change and embarked on a journey into youth work.

“I wanted to do something I enjoyed and youth work was definitely it. I saw an advert calling for volunteers in the local community to come forward and offer their time and support to young people at risk on the Give and Take Scheme. I said to myself - this is for me.”

Include Youth’s Give and Take 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. 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.

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

“I applied to become a mentor as it offered valuable training and a great insight into the lives of young people and how to work with them.”

Despite a busy schedule - mother to a five-year-old, a student at the Northern Regional College in Newtownabbey, carer of a three-legged guinea pig and pastry chef at Springsteen’s - Leone still frees up a few hours each week to dedicate to a young person in her area.

“Before you start mentoring you go through training, which is very valuable and a great chance to meet like-minded people, all passionate about helping young people. I had a lot of fun while doing it; in fact, I didn’t think it was possible to gain an accredited qualification while having so much fun!”

Leone, who lives in Carrickfergus, completed her training in July 2010 and in October 2010 was paired with a young person.

“At the beginning it can be hard to get things rolling, you start to worry that you’re not doing enough or that your meetings aren’t beneficial; but soon you realise that it’s the little things that count most. The young person was quite unmotivated about meeting with me at the start, but I stuck at it, and soon she started to trust me and we both really began to enjoy our meetings. We get on really great now.

“I love doing outdoor things, especially camping, walking and fishing; but some of the activities I enjoy doing most with the young person are very different. I’ve helped her prepare for her new flat and we spend lots of time talking and raking around.

“You also meet regularly with staff from Include Youth which is really reassuring and empowering as a mentor. The staff at Include Youth are 100 per cent dedicated to the young people they work with. It is fantastic to get advice from such a passionate group of people.”

Leone believes that mentoring isn’t about ‘fixing’ young people.

“Anyone interested in becoming a mentor should take each meeting one step at a time and not rush. Mentoring is different for everyone involved; but you shouldn’t do it if you want to change a young person. You need to embrace your individuality. Don’t try to be what you think the young person wants, instead just be yourself. That is much more valuable.

“I have learnt that I don’t need to ‘entertain’ my mentee, sometimes just listening to her is enough.”

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.

“All of the young people on our Scheme really benefit from the additional support that having a mentor in their local area can provide. I see many very successful mentoring partnerships formed with so many people giving up a few hours a week to help support a young person over the course of 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 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, Communication Worker at Include Youth, on 028 9031 1007 or [email protected]