Good Mentor Day

Some people I chat to have many varying challenges in life; family, money, depression, bereavement, culture and on and on...
So it's nice to know once in a while that just by being there and listening to someone can, not only make all the difference to the whole university experience for some, but it can also be just what they need emotionally too.

We all get confidence wobbles sometimes, especially when one feels that there is nothing more that can be done to give someone the support and guidance that they really need.

Today somebody tapped me on the shoulder, I turned around to see a face that I had not seen since the beginning of the autumn term. It was a lady that I had spoken to several times over the summer when I was doing my telephone work, welcoming new students to UWN, finding out if they had any queries and how these could be best resolved etc. Any way, this lady had serious concerns before she started her course. She had concerns whether she could fit uni around her small children, there were cultural and religious issues that were playing on her mind, and basically she lacked confidence. I spent a lot of time in late August / early September, and during her induction week reassuring her that no matter what there was always someone that could offer her support. I put her in touch with a tutor that I felt may empathise with her and offer a greater source of professional support than I. Additionally I didn't sugar coat the university experience she was about to undertake, I told her (and other students) that what she was about to do will be intense and a steep learning curve. I felt that she would benefit more if I was completely honest with her, so I was.

Today, roughly five months after I last spoke to her, she wanted to thank me and let me know that she appreciated the fact that I had been open about the new journey she was about to travel. She did find it hard at times, but because of my openness she had been able to ensure that she had a good support network around her and she was determined not to let her previous concerns stand in her way of achieving her goal.

I left that conversation knowing that I had made a difference to her life, a small one yes,  but nonetheless it was significant enough for her to still want to say thank you to me after all this time. I love being a Student Mentor at UWN!

Today was a good Mentor day!

Volunteering

Periodically (almost daily) a swathe of emails drop into my inbox from one particular person... my Mentor Manager (and all round wise oracle) Kerry. These emails offer up many varying opportunities; training sessions, work opportunities, the chance to make an idiot of yourself in front of a room full of students, etc, etc.
Recently I had realised that I hadn't been grasping at any of these 'opportunities', until I read one email:

Have you worked as a Volunteer?!

.... here’s the call to share your experiences!

The Careers Team do an annual event that highlights the benefits that volunteering has on your CV and for the individual. 

This interested me, and after a quick scan through my memory bank at past experience of volunteering, I thought "I can do this", it was also about time I got off my backside and responded positively to one of Kerry's emails.

So I volunteered to go and put myself in the spotlight (albeit briefly) and have a chat to some students about my experience volunteering as a Management Committee member for Blaenau Gwent Domestic Abuse Services (BGDAS)... It doesn't end there though! Not only did I volunteer myself, but I also managed to volunteer a lovely friend, Jodie. I considered Jodie to be excellent for this opportunity based on her experience volunteering and assisting 16-18 year old young people for Newport's NEET project. She wasn't aware at the time but I kindly broke it to her gently in a text! Have I mentioned that at the time she wasn't even a fully fledged Student Mentor? No? Well she was a brand new member of the scheme, but yet to undergo her Mentor training and nab a snazzy 'Mentor Blue' hoodie. Anyway, in my wisdom I thought it would be beneficial for her to 'hit the ground running' so to speak! Luckily for me she didn't mind and was very glad to have been given this opportunity so early on in her journey as a Mentor at Newport.

 When the day arrived, the two of us joined some more professional speakers;  Lisa Davies from Just Add Spice, which is a

 'social enterprise that develops agency timebanking systems for communities and public services that engage and empower the many rather than the few.' 

and Laurence Hall from The Great Primate Handshake, whos objective is

'The Great Primate Handshake raises awareness of primate sanctuaries and primate conservation programmes through the production of media.'

Both of these great speakers provided some really useful information not only for the students present, but for Jodie and myself also. 

Eventually it was our turn, and although we didn't have snappy PowerPoint presentations to support us, we got through it. Not only did we discuss our chosen topic, but we managed to get a word in for the Student Mentor Scheme also, which after all, if I hadn't volunteered to talk about volunteering then Jodie and I wouldn't have benefited from the experience ourselves. 

Volunteering is good... never be afraid to stick your hand up and say "I will do it!"