We have some great news! Our Director Mike Yates has become a Mentor for a youth at the Wigan Youth Zone.
What made you get into mentoring?
I believe as you get older you naturally become more empathetic; this leads to social awareness and an almost moral obligation to do something about what we see as a negative within our community. I didn’t want to be one of those people that that complain about the youth of today and then do nothing about it. There are lots of factors why a young person may need a mentor mostly and usually are factors outside of their control. If I can help a young person overcome any obstacles they may have in their life, then surely that’s productive
Why do you think a mentoring programme is important to certain young people?
Some young people don’t respond well to people of authority telling them what to do (Parents – Teachers etc) I believe a mentor can bridge that gap and give the YP the confidence to discuss any issues they have and together we can then work on an action plan to highlight areas for improvement. All of the action points are discussed and agreed upon together with the YP having the majority of the input – this is key as they have to believe it and want to do something about it.
What are you hoping to gain from mentoring?
Obviously, there is the feel-good factor of helping others but it’s something more than that – I think I am learning as much if not more than my Mentee.
From your recent meetings with your mentee could you tell me a couple of things you plan to do together?
We have only had a few sessions to date, all of which have been at the youth zone getting to know each other and gaining trust. Together we have completed a list of activities that we want to do over the next months, bowling, cricket, football match, rugby match – the list goes on!
If you feel you have what it takes and would like to become a Mentor, then please contact Mike Lomax (Mentor Coordinator) on the details below:
Phone: 01942 612061
Email: mike.lomax@wiganyouthzone.org
Website: wiganyouthzone.org
Address: Wigan Youth Zone, Parsons Walk, Wigan, WN1 1RU
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