Kev Kennedy's Blog

Giving something back

Over the past six months I’ve been mentoring a 15-year-old. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Surely, they could have found a better person to be a mentor than you, Kev.”

And the answer is 'probably yes'. But nobody else wanted the job. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure about it. After all, how exactly could I help a kid half my age? Back when I was 15, no one in school, not even the teachers, had a mobile phone, let alone a phone with the internet (the what?) on it. Life as a teenager today is nothing like it was back in my day.

But even though things have moved on, some things are refreshingly the same. “How do I get on with my annoying little sister?” “What’s the best way to respond to someone who seems hell-bent on making my life a misery in school?” “I’m really stressed out about my exams - help!”

And the thing is, as I talk about things which I’ve found helpful, and things which I haven’t, some of the stuff I say actually makes some sort of sense. He even finds it useful! (I know, I'm amazed too.) I guess, just having someone sit down over coffee and talk about stuff in a grown up way helps. We all want to be taken seriously, whether we’re teenagers or in our thirties.

Mentoring is really just giving a person time and attention. There’s a bit more to it, but that’s the foundation. I honestly think anyone can do that. It’s just a question of whether you can be bothered.
 

Created on Mon 8th September 2008 14:00