PLC Teenage Mentoring…
Teenage years can be challenging for both young people and their parents/guardians…It’s easy to look at teenager’s today and accuse them of being oversensitive, babied and lacking knowledge of the, ‘Real world.’ Probably a fair analysis and I say this through years of experience working with ‘em, but I tell you what, I would rather have been a teenager 30 years ago than I ever would today, FACT!!!
Think about the, ‘Real World,’ challenges they have to navigate now. Every silly decision or mishap they make becomes public property. Their life choices, forever documented on public platforms for the rest of eternity. They are, ‘Influenced’ on a daily basis, from the minute they open their eyes until they lay their weary heads to sleep, with unhealthy expectations. Bombarded with images of how they should look, what they should wear, who they should follow, what they should be when they grow up and that’s not even touching on the Internet’s take on intimacy or the terrible results of cyber bullying. The relentlessness and draining nature of never-ending exposure can be too much for both young people and their parents to bear. It can be overwhelming, that’s where PLC come in...
What is a Mentor?
A Mentor is an un-related adult who works closely with a young person to build a healthy relationship offering emotional support and life skills within a structured environment. A Mentor will help young people deal with all challenging areas they are facing. Job interviews, choosing courses, Colleges and/or Universities. Life transitions, stressful changes at home or within the education system. Issues with friends, break-ups, becoming an adult. Mentoring is centred around personal and/or professional growth and future focused positivity for the Mentee. Like Coaching it is a guided safe space for a young person to explore, vocalise and make sense of their own mind. As with Coaching, this remains confidential unless we feel the young person is either a danger to themselves or others, or is in a harmful situation where external bodies will be notified.
Why trust me?
Throughout my career I specialised in mentoring teens in various capacities. I was Youth Mentor at Contact Theatre for 15 years before moving to the Royal Exchange as Creative Associate producing all, ‘Family Friendly’ activity and curating the, ‘Truth about Youth’, Festival with the Co-Operative. I created the ‘Young Leaders’ programme at the Royal Exchange Theatre. Similarly, the Television Workshop was a youth-based company working with children from the ages of 5 up to and including 21. I was Coach and Mentor to over 90 young people for 10 years, some of whom I am still friends with to this day. Plus, I prefer teenagers to grown-ups, we share the same sense of humour and love taking the mick out of each other...
