Having read up on the likes of Wayne Gretzky and being inspired it got me thinking that we all in some aspect get mentored throughout our lives. Whether it is in a personal capacity, educational one or in a professional capacity.
There are lots of stories and lots of ways in which people of means and success have mentored and been mentored, leading to positive and successful, productive lives.
Mentoring is engrained in our DNA. If you see it from how we are raised, we are raised by our parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunties. What we learn throughout our childhood is an accumulation of their experiences.
We have educational tutoring that is available for kids who are gearing up for GCSE’s where they can have an extra couple of hours with a tutor so they can better prepare for GCSEs. This is Mentoring, mentoring comes in many forms and we are in an environment of mentoring all the time. If you look at starting a new job you have your induction and there is someone there for you be it your manager to help you and mentor you.
Mentoring brings out the best in people as for these Refugee children that come to this country on their own they have lost everything, family, home, friends etc. People that were important for the child’s stability. These children need mentoring to settle in the UK so they can become upheld citizens and like any other youth, they have the support and scope to excel.
This Helps a child appreciate, understand, and respect the diversity we see in our communities, in the people we meet, and in the possibilities that are in front of them. It is important to work and will build a more positive future for our community and our world.
Our Mentoring Program
The focus of outcomes for our Mentor programme is targeted towards young migrants as the primary recipients of services. Mentors are professionals from various fields including financial, law and creative sectors, looking to help mentees become active British citizens.
The target audience is young people who have experienced a level of trauma due to their sometimes treacherous journeys. The primary beneficiaries are 15-18 years old and are currently in care or just leaving care.
This programme offers a tangible pathway out of foster care into adulthood. We believe this is the key time for any young person, whether in care or not, migrant or local, making life decisions about further education, career choices and exploring identity.
This opportunity will last for 12 months. Mentors are trained by experts to deliver a tailor-made programme which includes 12 x 2 hour sessions such as; ‘Career Day’ where young people visit Mentor workplaces, ‘Half Way Video’ where mentor and mentee produce a ‘vlog’ that will be entered into a national competition and ‘Real Project’ where they plan, deliver and evaluate a real-life project. Mentors are also expected to make a fortnightly phone call to their mentees.
People involved in the programme will gain invaluable skills as both mentors and mentees. Mentees will learn to become more confident, think independently and become more active in their communities. Mentees will learn about Faith identity, British values, and People skills.
Mentors will also gain experience to put on CV’s but much more importantly, they will be giving much needed positive experiences to young refugees. Acting as a guide, mentors will facilitate the development of their mentees using learning from their training, activities from the handbook and experiences from their own lives.
Mentoring a child is important for us as a community to unite and come together as well as the benefit of having a child gain valuable life skills.