Scottish Mentoring Network
Mentoring in Scotland
What attracted you to the mentoring scheme?
I really want to work with teenagers and I thought that
having a mentor would have been really good for me when I
was a teenager as well. A once in a lifetime opportunity,
It's very valuable and it gives you alot of experience
and points you in the right direction for full-time work.
I signed up to be a mentor because I myself was mentored
at University and also on some of my job based placements
and I found it an invaluable process to have someone that was
more experienced giving me a real insight so the idea was
to go through the same process to give something back.
What are the benefits of mentoring?
I think seeing that it's not actually as scary as you think
it will be, getting to see what work is actually like and meeting professionals
and being with someone who you know is actually there to help you.
The initial stages, just having someone to talk to
who actually knows what your going through and you know, I never had any
idea at all, I was, my partial sight was very sudden
and you know I didn't know anybody at all, you know and I didn't know what to do,
so you know, just having someone to talk to who knows what your going through
in the same position. You know your not alone, They've got all different kinds of
things that while your in the group so it doesn't make you feel like
if you were joining a group for example in a community centre
or that you would feel a bit more, it would be a bit more daunting.
Seeing how they progress and how they gain confidence,
and actually try things that they never have tried before.
I think the mentoring programme is a good way for people to
get involved with young people in their communities
and to give something back.
I think the main benefit for the students so far has been
just to see the workplace and what goes on. I think it's
difficult sometimes from a student point of view if you don't
have work experience, to understand just how much training can translate
into a real job. Probably the triangle of support
that I get through me, the mentee and Move On,
To be able to come in and talk to the staff if and when
you've got any problems or anything like that, it's good knowing that
it's there. Being involved with people because I'm now disabled and that
and don't have a wide family group around me and things like that and
I'm involved with lots of other things, Dementia services and other services
with Grampian Opportunities it allows me to get involved with things.
How do you work with your mentor?
We've been out you know, before I had my mentor, I usually tended to stay in
all of the time and never go out of the house. I was just getting depressed and
then my mentor got me coming out and we would go and do things,
maybe go for cups of tea, just the fact that I got out and started
to go out more often, that helped me.
My mentee, one of them was an old lady who had just been diagnosed with
macular degeneration and was not in a good place,
but came on through time, through chatting, lots of chatting,
lots of phone calls to make her day a bit brighter.
We were talking about things that were happening in Coronation Street
and she seemed to enjoy that and we would both make comments
and this is the type of thing that I spoke to her about was
taking the seat, a small seat up to the Television
so that you can see it. What little sight you have got, make use of it.
What did you think of your experience?
I'm more confident now about going out and I actually don't really,
it's not that I don't care if people are judging me now but I feel less ashamed.
The big one for me is seeing the development of the relationship and just seeing the young person
from the beginning of the mentoring to the where I'm at now at the end.
Networking, meeting lots of people, seeing around the Studios,
my mentor took me on a tour getting to see how people work and also learning about
how he got to his position. I think what's been most rewarding about
the programme is seeing the mentee develop, coming in during the initial stages
unsure in terms of what to do and where to go
and then by the end of the programme actually having the confidence
to take areas that we've explored and actually putting them into practice
into the professional world.
Well if anyone could have told me that it was possible to change so much
in such a short time, it was unrealistic but I've seen the change
beyond imagination.
How would you describe mentoring to others?
I would describe it as a very valuable service to someone who is maybe
looking to be mentored, where they could get the help and support that they need
in a way that is not telling them what to do, it's them actually deciding
what to do and being given informed choices.
I speak on the phone to, every fornight, every week for every fortnight to
a man in Cumbernauld, he's now 93 and we have a long chat about football
and different things like that.
The Scottish Government, Scottish Mentoring Network, National Lottery
Scottish Mentoring Network would like to thank all the mentees and volunteer mentors from projects across Scotland who participated in making this video.
Aberlour Scotland's Children Charity, Grampian Opportunities, Historic Scotland and Edinburgh Napier University
Street Soccer Scotland, STV, TCA Dundee, Xplore Dundee
Academy of Music & Sound, Link Up, Move on, Visibility
Broadleaf Community Media and Blue Orca Digital Media Production Services
Scottish Mentoring Network - Project Development and Mentor Training - Scotland Mentoring Programmes