Laurence serves as the Chair of Trustees at The Island and alongside his time spent in his leadership role, he has personally mentored three young people through the charity.
Laurence serves as the Chair of Trustees at The Island and alongside his time spent in his leadership role, he has personally mentored three young people through the charity.
With his most recent mentoring relationship coming to a close, we caught up with Laurence to hear more about what he loves about being a volunteer mentor at The Island.
“In my previous careers I have been very busy and knew I hadn’t done much in the community. When I retired, it felt like the right thing to do. There is so much to pick from in terms of volunteer opportunities, but I knew from when I was a football coach, lots of young people crave the support and mentor opportunity. So, The Island felt like a great fit.”
“I have worked with three young people now, and all have been very different. I think for new mentors the most nerve wrecking thing is will you hit it off? The first young person I worked with, at first 10 words spoken during the session, was a huge achievement. But the training The Island provided helped me build the skills and confidence to handle that initial relationship building.”
“The training, group supervisions and all the support you get from the team is just great.”
“I love attending group supervision. It is so nice to hear how other mentors are doing, and how every mentor processes their relationship differently. The group supervision is a beautiful model”
“I had to make a safeguarding call to The Island team once when my mentee was at risk. The team sorted it out immediately, and it was great to see how the staff team took that on for us. I can't fault the process.”
“The young people I have mentored love that conversation where you say “this is your time, I am here to do what you want to do, its confidential and your space and time to have some fun”. It is such a lovely thing for a young person in whatever trouble to just enjoy themselves”
“We are not there to coach, but there to share experiences, and stories to make them feel comfortable”
“With my age, I am more like a grandad. It was my biggest worry that I wouldn't be able to form that relationship. But I know I could be a positive role model”
“During my time as a mentor I learnt that a lot has changed, but nothing has changed at the same time. Young people just want the same as we did back then, but now they have social media and online bullying in their own homes, plus the mental health impact on that. It is frightening what young people can dial into online now. Young people just want to be happy, have fun, and have friends”
“My current Mentee and I are foodies, so we love to tour around York eating at new places”
“My first mentee was younger and just loved going to the railway museum. He had never been before I took him and it was such a great way to talk about history and engineering. We talked about his future and how he could drive trains or build trains."
“I have mentored three young people, and they never cease to amaze you. Seeing how they have all changed and adapted, little things like being able to get on a bus on their own, to play outside with new friends. Whatever it is, they amaze you. They say it how it is, and I love what they come out with”
“My advice to anyone thinking of becoming a mentor is to give it a go. I have really enjoyed it, not just for supporting a young person but it's been great for me as a person.”
Emma began her journey with The Island as a volunteer mentor in 2017 while studying at the University of York. She used the skills and experience she gained whilst working at the charity to strengthen her application for clinical psychology training, the field she now works in eight years later.
When Lynn was first signposted to The Island, she wasn't entirely sure what to expect. However, over time, it became clear that what their son received went far beyond anything that she could have imagined.