Volunteers Week: West Sussex Mentors Share How They Have Positively Influenced Young Lives
To mark Volunteers’ Week this week (1st-7th June), two volunteers share how mentoring with Big Brothers Big Sisters has changed their lives and those of the children they mentor by building confidence, resilience, and encouraging healthy relationships.
Aimée Hiett and Francesca Erdelyi both volunteer as mentors with the West Sussex based one-to-one mentoring programme, supporting children and young people that are in living with kinship carers through friendship, kindness and positive role modelling.
Aimée, who mentors a teenage boy, said she had been searching for the right volunteering opportunity for some time.
“I wanted something I could really relate to. I’m the eldest of four siblings and was always known as the ‘mother hen’ so mentoring felt like a natural fit.”
She said the experience has been life-changing for her as well as the young person she supports.
“The connection goes both ways. I like to think I offer encouragement, but I get so much joy back. The small wins we celebrate together make it one of the most rewarding parts of my life.”
Francesca, who has been matched with her ‘little’ for nearly two years, works professionally with families and young people in West Sussex and understood the impact mentoring could have.
“I’ve seen first-hand how important early support and positive relationships are. Being a mentor gives you the chance to offer a listening ear, stability and encouragement in a very simple but meaningful way.”
She added that mentoring does not need to involve expensive activities; “some of our best moments have been going for walks, chatting over hot chocolate or playing games at home. It’s about showing up and building trust.”
Both would encourage anyone that is thinking about volunteering as a mentor to take the leap and get involved to make a real difference to a child’s life.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is an international charity; although it is relatively new in the UK it is well established in the US and other parts of the world. The charity matches caring adult mentors with children in West Sussex who, for whatever reason, are no longer able to live with their birth parents, helping them to thrive in a safe and supportive environment.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters can find out more by visiting the volunteering page on our website or emailing Graham Meheux, Mentors Coordinator.
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