Being a Mentor - by Adrianna Wisnia

Over the course of two months myself and 20 other students have

been apart of a peer mentoring programme with loveLife Generation .
At the beginning it has been challenging, as we have all

been anxious on how to approach young people without secondary

thoughts, however we have all remembered some of the techniques

from previously carrying out mentoring programme with a group

of Kingsford lower years students. Those mentoring sessions have

also included learning about the boundaries between us and our

mentee’s as we would have regular meetings with them. We must

always be aware that we don’t grow a closer bond with out mentees

even though sometimes it may be quite hard to keep space

between us and still keep them feeling comfortable around us.

Throughout this time there have also been many fascinating

practices which have enabled us to prepare for the real meeting

with our peer mentee’s. Group work is what I enjoy the most about

these sessions as we can all come together as one and learn from

each other. This programme enabled me to develop my confidence,

self esteem and has build determination to make a positive change

in someone else’s life through mentoring.

During our sessions we have also learnt about the no blame

approach where we ask questions around the subject of matter to

prevent more damage from occurring and causing further conflict

between the two peers.

Overall, I can honestly say that this programme teaches me life

skills which enable me to develop my own personality and shape

it. What we practise is everyday problems which we all face in our

everyday life from bullying to feeling low or misinterpreting what

someone else has said about us. Opinions will always be shared

about us and between us, but it’s what we do with it can change our

perspective on everything. One crucial thing about these sessions

is the positive thinking that we must always have when attending

these sessions as it has a big impact on how the session goes, how

much we learn as a person as well as how we apply it to everyday

life scenarios.

Each week has bought something new to us and has given us the

chance to not only be prepared to help and support others but to

become a better person. The experience which I have gained from

these sessions is incredible and I recommend it to anyone who

wants to improve the life of others and enhance their own abilities.