I have been a youth mentor at North Yorkshire Youth for over 3 years now and have witnessed firsthand how important the mentoring role is. A lot of the young people I work with have experienced some form of childhood trauma, which can often present itself through challenging behaviors and poor mental health.
The role of a mentor is not to wave a magic wand and fix everyone’s problems, but to build a trusting, role model type relationship with the young person. Throughout this process, the challenges young people experience often come to the surface at their own pace and when they feel comfortable enough to speak about the difficulties they face. This is when the mentoring role comes into play. At this stage, we can then offer the most appropriate and effective strategies to help a young person manage their feelings and emotions and where necessary, refer to other specialist services.
I have found that my mentoring work has generally been highly valued by schoolteachers the most. There have been times when the only person that could help diffuse a difficult situation in school was myself, which many schoolteachers have been amazing at accommodating. Ultimately, I think mentoring works so well due to the consistent one to one time we can offer to young people.
Throughout my time as a mentor, I have seen young people go from not attending school at all, to now attending college full time and working on building sites learning a trade that will support them financially for the rest of their lives. I have worked with young people that have committed crimes but have gone on to become valued members of society. To be part of a young person’s journey and see them doing so well is an absolute honor.
I am so incredibly proud of every single young person I have worked with throughout my life. Their drive, determination and resilience are remarkable, and I know that one day they will realize how inspirational they truly are.
Liam Powers, Change Direction Youth Mentor