It’s the second day of Volunteer Week!
As part of the nation-wide #volunteersweek campaign we’re delighted to showcase Young Glasgow Talent’s amazing volunteers.
Our fabulous mentors are making life-changing differences to Glasgow’s disadvantaged young people. Our city’s young people are disadvantaged through no fault of their own. Our mentors help them find, grow and use their talents.
We really can’t celebrate them enough! So this week we’re letting you get up close and personal with them. Find out what makes them tick and learn more becoming a part of our amazing community!
Mentoring School: Springburn Academy
Length of Time Mentoring: 1 year
Full Name: Donna Martin
Q1: What first inspired you to get involved in our YGT mentoring programme?
I mentored new starts and work experience school pupils whilst working in the kitchen at the Glasgow Marriott Hotel. When MCR contacted the hotel to see if they could explain the programme to the staff and to see if there was anyone interested in joining, Patricia Rainey and Claire Fisher from HR thought I would be perfect for the role! We deliver a number of programmes in the hotel helping people from the more disadvantaged areas of Glasgow. As an employer I know they want to support those people from our community who need assistance. I knew that taking part in the YGT mentoring programme would take my skills to the next level.
Q2: How was your very first meeting with your young person?
My first meeting was relaxed and I was put at ease by Lindsey McConnell, the YGT Pathways Co-Ordinator at Springburn Academy. I met my mentee and we chatted for about 20 minutes and she said she would like it if we met again the following week.
Q3: How much have you seen your young person grow and develop since that first meeting?
Before, my young person did not have a good year outside of school and her attendance was not great. She has since grown emotionally. She has started to take driving lessons and has a part-time job working in a childrens’ play centre. She is also taking part in the toe-to-toe programme, helping first year pupils settle into school.
Q4: With your support and with your young person’s motivation, commitment and resilience, what stage has your mentee now reached in their journey?
My young person has now left school and has two college offers starting after the summer, one for childcare and the other for a barbering course. I feel that whatever she does she will be more likely to succeed and strive to achieve more that she thought she ever could over the next few years. I have told her that I can see strength in her that she cannot see yet. She has had a tough start in life but I have encouraged her not to let that hold her back.
Q5: How unique has this experience been for you? How rewarding has it been to see your mentee grow and develop under your invaluable support?
When I met my mentee she was young for her age and was very unsure of herself. She was unhappy with the area in which she lived but had never bowed down to peer pressure from those around her. It has been good to see her grow in confidence and being able to open up more about her personal situation. I explained to her that she can live her life in any way she wants – she just has to want it enough! I believe I have helped her see that her dreams can come true and that if she tries hard enough she can live and work abroad in the next couple of years, if that is what she wants. It is really rewarding seeing someone change in just a few months. Knowing that you are giving back without expecting something in return is one of the best feelings you can have.
Q6: What has been the major highlight of your experience so far with your young person?
It was my young person’s birthday so I called ahead and asked permission to bring her in a small gift. She said she had never received a gift from outside the family before. Showing a young person that they are important to you helps them to grow and gain confidence in themselves!
When the report cards came out I asked my young person what her foster mum thought of the results she said that she hadn’t shown her any reports for a few years. I asked if I could see it and we spent the next 30 minutes going through it. It felt good knowing that she trusted me enough to allow me to talk her through her report.
Q7: What would you say to someone that has been inspired by our amazing community and is looking to get involved in the YGT programme?
Go for it! Showing a young person that you care about their future and that you are willing to help them get onto the right path is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have.
More young people than ever before are signing up for the YGT programme. Can you support them by becoming a volunteer mentor? Just visit this link. You’ll be joining an amazing community! Full of like minded and committed people. Keep an eye on our website, Facebook , Linkedin and Twitter until 12th June to meet many more!
If you’d like to hear what our young people have to say first hand, watch our youtube video here:
Is there a friend or family member that you know would make a perfect mentor. Send them our way! We’re looking for new mentors to match with young people at our new schools. We have loads of new young people waiting. You or someone you know could be the perfect mentor for them! Visit our website and find out more today.
