If there is one thing I was ever sure about above all else is that I am a born mentor. At the age of 14 in Sri Lanka, I volunteered to fill the space of an absent Sunday School teacher for a class of 35 thirteen-year-olds. I not only enjoyed this experience but proved to be very successful at it and carried on tutoring for years to come.
Ever since my first teaching experience, I have never turned down a single opportunity to educate, mentor and facilitate others with their personal or professional development. During my time at the local chapter of the Junior Chamber International in Sri Lanka, I was appointed Director Individual in 1996 and here I started my ministry of personal development supporting others, running parallel as my second job. https://jci.cc/
Between 2005 and 2008 my family took part in the assisted lodgings, pilot scheme with Step by Step in Hampshire. We hosted care leavers aged between 16 to 25, proactively supporting these young adults in education, personal and career development. It was a role that often required little more than simple empathy and listening skills. Many of them have moved onto post-graduate education and found successful careers.
And here are some of their stories…