The
final day of the ReachOut Club at Brook Community Primary School ended
tumultuously, with reflections from both mentors and mentees and of course some
dodgeball! It seems like yesterday that I was a ReachOut Club mentor at De
Beauvoir Primary School, about to embark on my journey as a Project Leader. One
year on, I have completed my ReachOut Club project at Brook and it has been one
of my most satisfying and intriguing challenges.
At
my first session as Project Leader I was very nervous. Nervous because I did
not know how the mentees would behave and I had doubts about my own ability.
The kids were over-excited (something you should always expect on a Friday
afternoon at Brook) and diverse. However, over the coming weeks, relationships
flourished during one-to-one mentoring which allowed mentors to be role models
and confidants to their mentees.
I
must admit it was weird to be on the other side of the fence, watching the
volunteers have their own mentee and being able to see them develop. Watching
the progress of all the mentees (and the mentors, although they may deny it)
gave a sense of satisfaction and I planned ahead to be able to help each and
every individual to be the best that they could be. This may sound clichéd but
pushing every child to reach their potential is something that is indicative of
what ReachOut is about. Evidence of this came from their work folders, which
showed how insightful and creative some of the mentees were with their English
work and how astonishing their maths skills were for ten year olds.
Academic
work aside, enthusiasm for sport exuded from each and every mentee. Their love
of football made games fiercely competitive, which lead to some lively but also
thoughtful discussions about good sportsmanship.
 |
Dealing
with altercations was one of the hardest parts of being a Project Leader; reasoning
with youngsters is a hard job! By using the 'reflect, repair, reconnect'
technique, this was made much easier and allowed the youngsters to reflect on their
own actions, and then how to control and rectify their behaviour it if it
happened again.
As
for the volunteer mentors, it goes without saying that without them we would
not have a project. I would like to say again what a great job the mentors at
Brook did, which made my life so much easier when managing the project. To be
honest, managing a group of volunteers, some of whom were older than you, was
hard. I was worried that I would be undermined but there was no such problem.
Communication was key; I had to underline some expectations of the volunteers
to make my life easier and not let the mentees down. This was paramount. The
face of a child when you inform them that their mentor is absent is something
you do not want to see as it makes them feel unwanted. I was able to rely on
some of the more confident mentors to carry out activities whilst I was dealing
with other issues which gave me comfort that some people could be stepping into
this role the coming academic year!
It
has been an overwhelming experience with highs that definitely outweigh the
lows. Personally, it has made me a more confident, well-rounded and
understanding individual, whilst furthering my ability when dealing with
mentees and volunteers. I use the word mentees frequently; this is
because I do not want to call them children or kids as they have grown and
progressed into the young people that will be heading into year seven the
coming academic year. For the young people here, I am sure they will stick to
what they have learnt and carry it into later life.
Belief
is a funny thing. I sometimes don't believe my impact has been as great as
others have made out, just like I don't believe volunteers see the true impact
that they make on the mentees. One thing is for sure though – projects like
these are a worthwhile cause.
Jeremy
Tang
No comments:
Post a Comment