Shining a spotlight on one of our incredible mentors. In this edition, we’d like to show our appreciation for our mentor Sam!
A fantastic relationship and friendship has struck between Sam and her young person. Sam was warned that her young person might be a little shy and quiet, so she prepared herself with a few tools to help the meetings get underway.
After the initial introduction and finding out that the young person loved all things arts and crafts and was good at drawing, Sam took along some resources to paint pebbles. This was very successful, and the young person ended up giving some of the painted pebbles away as gifts at Christmas.
They both then came up with various ideas of things they could make together: spiders for Halloween time, wreaths for next Christmas, etc., and so started off with making these adorable kittens.
Sam feels that having an activity to do really helps her connect with her young person, and the conversation flows while they connect on an activity.
Her young person has shared some challenges with Sam and has given feedback to her, saying: “You are a brilliant mentor, I love making things with you.”
Sam really feels her young person has gained confidence and enjoys the visits. Their next project is learning to crochet, which neither of them knows how to do, so they are both looking at YouTube videos and books to learn together.
Sam had this to say about her mentoring experience so far: “I am so grateful for the opportunity to mentor a young person as it has helped me so much with my mental health and confidence.”
“I get really excited for my Monday visits, and I am so happy that my friend recommended me to MCR. I feel I have a real focus and feel very passionate about helping my young person progress.”
Barbara, our Mentor Services Coordinator, would personally like to thank Sam and all our wonderful mentors for their time, commitment, and support. As mentors, you may not always feel or see progress after every meeting, but just turning up and being there is what some young people may need. Just a listening ear and a smiley face goes a long way.
Barbara thanks you for your patience, understanding, and everything each and every one of you do for our young people.
Please know you can reach out to any of the Mentor Services team at eastregionms@mcrpathways.org if you need a chat or any additional support.
