I first came across CXK’s Get Connected when my careers advisor shared the mentor volunteering opportunity with me. I felt like it would be a good opportunity to gain experience with SEN (Special Educational Needs) and boost my confidence.
I was in year 12 when I joined the programme and I was taking English Literature, History and Biology for my A-levels. During secondary school, I did peer mentoring in my lunchtimes for the younger years and I feel like I’ve always enjoyed helping others, so wanted to continue doing so outside of school.
“Being a Peer Mentor has made me a better listener”
I have enjoyed getting to know my mentee and I feel like being a peer mentor has made me a better listener. One thing that has been quite nice is that my session starts at 5:30 so I have time to chill out and read a book before our meeting and I wouldn’t usually have a set time to do that.
At first, it was a little awkward having the sessions as we were getting to know each other, but now it’s just like meeting up with a friend. I really feel like the programme has helped me to meet my goal of becoming more confident.
“I’m using my experience from CXK’s Get Connected to support my job applications”
Currently, I am applying for teaching assistant roles and I’m using my experience from CXK’s Get Connected to support my applications. After that, I want to go on to do a Childhood Studies course at university.
If I had to say something to anyone thinking of volunteering with CXK I’d say: don’t be nervous about starting. I was pretty nervous about the interview and meeting the staff at CXK and then my mentee, but none of it was as overwhelming as I expected it to be and you get a lot of support.
