Mentoring Services
We have seen some incredibly positive changes in the lives of the young people we support through our Mentoring Service.
Examples of how our Mentoring Service has made a difference, include:
– A 15 year old girl with chronic fatigue syndrome. This teenager is wheelchair bound, and unable to attend school, but has a keen interest in the arts. A Children First Derby volunteer has taken her on several outings to museums and art galleries and is currently supporting her to put a portfolio of art work together, in preparation for her future plans to attend an art college when she has recovered.
– A boy of 14, who had spent some time in a remand centre. He returned to the family home and found it difficult to integrate back into his school and his community. Through Children First Derby’s Mentoring support, he has now gained the confidence to make friends at school and attend activity groups.
– A 13 year old girl who had experienced physical abuse. This teenager was having difficulty in maintaining peer relationships, she did not like school and very rarely attended. She had no plans for her future, had low motivation, and suffered from poor hygiene. Following support from a Children First Derby volunteer, she now enjoys reading and writing and has subsequently won a writing competition in her school! She is now happy, achieving well, making friends and taking pride in her appearance. At the close of support, her attendance at school rose from 68% to 98% and she has future plans to go to university to study literature.
Our Mentoring Service volunteers created a unique Children First Derby Drama group, for our mentees to join. This was an opportunity for children and young people, aged 10-16 who experienced low self-esteem, to develop their social and communication skills, meet new people and discover new talents. In November 2017, the young people demonstrated their achievements by performing a play, which they had written themselves, in front of their family and friends. The play emphasised the positive impact of mentoring and was a great success.
Our founder, Millie Wigley, is pictured below with some of the members of the Children First Derby Drama Group.
One of the young people said:
“Before joining the Children First Derby Drama Group, I didn’t have the confidence to sing in public. Thanks to the help and encouragement from Children First staff and volunteers, I do now, and I definitely want to do more performances in the future.”