Volunteer Spotlight - Jamie Broom

Jamie Broom, Macquarie employee, has been an enthusiastic and committed mentor at the ReachOut Academy for three years now. When he’s not mentoring, Jamie is a keen runner and has raised a fantastic £5770 for ReachOut doing various marathons and half-marathons with colleagues, which has been generously matched by the Macquarie Group Foundation.

How did you hear about ReachOut and get involved?

One of my colleagues attended ReachOut regularly for a few years and the concept of combining football with mentoring and learning seemed like a great idea. I was looking for a something to get involved in outside of work to challenge myself whilst (hopefully!) doing some good. Getting involved was really easy, I applied online then they sent me an email with more information and invited me to a training session.

What were you nervous about before you first started?

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started. I don’t have many family or friends who are in the age group of the young people who attend ReachOut so I wasn’t sure what they’d make of me. Luckily, the ReachOut staff are incredibly good and made the whole process easy. The training also helped.

What have the challenges and high points been so far?

I do find it challenging when meeting new young people for the first time as we don’t immediately know what we have in common. The high point is always when one of the young people shows a breakthrough in learning something that they didn’t know already. I also enjoy listening to interesting stories about the lives of the young people. They all live much more interestingly than me!

How do you manage mentoring with your routine?

This can be really tough. I work at a bank and support activities going on around the clock so getting out in time for ReachOut can sometimes be tricky. I generally block plenty of diary time out for ReachOut and try to be strict to leave on time! I’ve explained to my team how important it is that I make it to ReachOut every Wednesday and they’re really supportive – probably because they know it’s a worthwhile cause.

Have you gained anything yourself from mentoring with ReachOut?

I have learnt to connect with a greater range of people which has helped me when dealing with different personalities at work. ReachOut has also taught me ways to motivate individuals and to communicate effectively with them. At first, there were occasions where I felt out of my comfort zone but these turned out to be times where I was gaining new life experiences.