I kind of ‘fell’ into mentoring at The Mix as part of the Together Project via a challenge set at work.

I was given lots of training and support and eventually matched with a young person at a local school. I see her once a week and we work on her self esteem, healthy behaviours, self awareness, and future goals.

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It’s been really challenging and we have gone through her being too scared to look me in the eye, then her pushing me to find her boundaries, and now we are finally in a place of trust where some good work is happening.

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Chloe the Together Project Lead at The Mix has been there every step of the way and the support I have received has been brilliant. My young person and I talked about whether to extend our sessions beyond this academic year, and her enthusiasm for this was so rewarding and made me feel like she really values our sessions now.

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I was so nervous the first time we met and can’t believe we have been meeting since October 2022. I really enjoy our sessions and I have learnt to push when needed, support when needed, listen when needed and sometimes just chill out by playing games together.

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Between us we celebrate each success and build on these to move forward, and I look forward to continuing to work with such an amazing young lady.

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I really enjoy a completely different dynamic working with a young person one to one compared to my day job, and this hour has become one of my favourites each week. Volunteering boosts self esteem because you are giving back to the community and it gives energy because it is a different way to spend your time.

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If you'd like to find out more about volunteering, get in touch with our volunteer coordinator > volunteering@themixstowmarket.co.uk

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