My Mentoring Blogs

My Mentoring Blog – The Origin Issue #1

4^th June 2025

Three years ago I took the courageous step of leaving the corporate world behind after 18 years, to finally pursue my DREAM career of working with and supporting kids as a Mentor.

Why Mentoring and not a career in teaching or early childhood learning? Perhaps that is the beauty of the unknown. I have come to realise and respect that ‘Mentoring’ is my own flavour of support, completely in its own realm. Mentoring allows me the agency to take my 40 years of life experience on this planet, plus the things that I’m interested in and use them as tools of connection with any young person.

Mentoring itself can look like and take on many different forms. For some kids, it means looking forward to weekly catch-ups either in the home environment, at school or out in the community and for others it’s more about conversations or long walks or bike rides.

AI defines ‘Youth Mentoring’ as:

‘A youth mentor is an individual, usually an adult, who provides guidance, support, and encouragement to a young person to help them with their personal and/or educational development. Mentors act as role models, offer advice, and help young people navigate life's challenges. They often work through social service programs in schools, communities, or churches.’

One of my clients’ parents recently shared that they refer to me as a ‘light bearer’, and I really love that description. My aim has always been to dial into the client’s world, be present in the moment, listen to their stories and then walk away, knowing that they feel seen and appreciated.

Mentoring, especially in a school environment, can have such an infectious and positive effect on not just my client, but groups of kids from the same classroom, or out in the yard. While I find myself there to support one child, naturally the curiosity draws others in like a magnet and before you know it, we have ten kids playing tag games, markers up or chess. It’s a truly beautiful thing.

Over the past three years, I have been witness to some truly MAGICAL Mentoring moments.

I will never forget the time a grade 5 boy, who had unsuccessfully applied to be the Class Captain every year since Prep, was finally appointed, while I just happened to be standing next to him when the announcement came over the PA at school. The look of pure joy and shock on his face, the high fives that followed from his fellow classmates, the tears that flowed from his eyes, then mine (and his beautiful teacher), could only be described as ‘MAGICAL’. This was a boy who yearned for a leadership position amongst his peers and so desperately sought acknowledgement and recognition for all of the incredible time and effort he had put into his presentation. This will be a CORE memory, not just for him, but for me too! That day, I drove away from the school, so moved and grateful to have been a part of his journey and witness the confidence in him explode!

This is just one memory of hundreds that are permanently etched into my mind.

Who would have thought taking the plunge into a completely unknown industry and career change, would set the path for experiences and human connections that far surpass anything else I have ever done professionally!

Stay tuned for the next instalment.