A Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawke’s Bay Mentor’s Recount:
Investing in a young person’s life has given me a sense of achievement I never thought possible while living in my own world
Lance Jeffreys
Lance, 57 years, joined Big Brothers Big Sisters in March 2019 and has been matched with his Little Brother for 12 months. Lance became a mentor because he wanted to participate in something that was community focused. “Over a period of time I had become aware that my life was very inwardly focused, I wanted to change that and becoming a mentor has more than fulfilled that need. I don’t see my mentee as a project, more a life that is worthy of my best investment.”
“I can use my life and practical skills to teach, guide and support this young man as he navigates his way through his life. My reward comes through the relationship and bond that I have formed with my Little Brother.“
When asked about the changes Lance has seen in his Little Brother, Lance says “he has become confident and comfortable with me, this makes him more open to communicating, and he trusts me. We do all sorts of activities together sports, building things and hanging out. He is learning new skills, becoming more socially interactive and I see my time with him as supporting and enhancing the life skills his family impart to him.”
Lance recommends mentoring for many reasons, most importantly giving his time to a young person outside of his personal world “Each week I see a young man eager to learn, spend time with me, and take advantage of the opportunities I can offer him, it is really rewarding.”
“Every person has skills they can share with a young person, I would encourage you to extend yourself and invest time in helping a young person to reach their potential. All you need is time and that can be as little as an hour a week. The rewards are enormous – anyone can become a mentor it a truly worthwhile cause.”
A great track record to date
As you will have noted from Lance’s story, mentoring is about offering a child a positive relationship, introducing the child to activities they may not normally have access to, supporting confidence to grow, and helping them reach their potential.
Since January 2018 Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawke’s Bay have matched 69 children with mentors. It’s biannual reporting results show an improvement in young people’s attitudes to school, improvement in their relationships with families and peers, and improved self-confidence.
Reasons people volunteer to be a Big Brother or Big Sister Mentor
The Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring model is appealing for people in the community who want to give back. Many mentors introduce their mentee’s to activities they might not have tried themselves, enjoying a sense of achievement for both. The positive impact mentors can have on a young person’s life is rewarding, and many mentors discover a new youthful joy and personal growth, whilst forming lifelong friends.
Each person has a different reason for mentoring, often it can be having new-found spare time, others really enjoy being around children, some have no family locally and are missing the day-to-day contact with their children or grandchildren.
Mentors bring a raft of skills and unique life experiences to each and every match. They play a positive and constant role in the life of the child they are matched with. A mentor can help expand horizons, extend knowledge, all the time whilst having fun. One-on-one mentoring works in many positive ways for a young person and it can be life changing.
The criteria for being a mentor
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Mentors can be between the age of 18 and 80
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They must have a full drivers license
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Be committed to one or more hours per week to seeing their mentee (excluding holidays, illness etc)
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Agree to mentor for 12 months or more (the longer a match continues the more positive outcomes for a child).
