13-year-old Mentee Tells His Story
Category: Service Users
Before I started with my volunteer going out each week, I was getting into a lot of trouble at school and around my area. There was nothing to do. With my mentor we go out and try different activities, he talks to me and he listens to what I want to say. I thought this would be like meeting a social worker every week but with my mentor he is my friend. I’m glad I gave the mentoring a chance.
I like having a friend to talk to. I talk more to him than I've ever talked to anyone. I always turn up cos I know he is a volunteer and doesn't get paid to have to be with me. He likes my company and we have a good laugh. Sometimes he helps me with my homework.
We've spent a lot of time fishing and we both completed a course on fly fishing with the Loughs Agency. I got a certificate and my photo taken with the others. I would like to do more courses and maybe teach other young ones like me how to fish.
If I was a salesman for the project I would say to the young people, give it a go, you have a choice to get involved and I've never been given many choices before that I had a say in what I wanted. It's a brilliant chance to try new activities and make a good friend who is easy to get on with.
Mentoring makes sense.