Mentor Stories - John Hampson

John Hampson is a Social Care Worker in Social Work Service's Community Homelessness Team. He became a mentor with MCR Pathways five years ago, after first reading about it in the Staff News and deciding that he would like to get involved.

John said "Having read about mentoring, I thought that I had some skills which would make me a good mentor for a young person. My manager at the time was Alison, she was very supportive and didn't need convinced to allow me to sign up. Once I expressed my initial interest, she encouraged me to get involved.

"I'm now in the early stages of mentoring my third young person, I am just starting to gain their trust. The key is to go at their speed and not force anything, allow them to lead the conversation and provide an ear to listen to as and when they want it.

"I know from my previous experience it will pay off. The bond gets stronger as the weeks go by. You develop a vested interest in your young person and your visits soon become a part of each other's weekly routines.

"Mentoring has given me another opportunity to develop my people skills which are so important to my job. It offers a real-life experience that no amount of training can compare with.

"I would say even if you're only 10% considering it, then go along to an information session and find out more. A lot of people have the skills to be a great mentor without even realising that they do."

Alison Watson, Case Work Manager was John's line manager when he first started mentoring, she said "When John first approached me about mentoring, I didn't need convinced. I knew we could make it work alongside his day job and that he'd be a great mentor; John is such an optimistic and approachable person.

"The young people get a lot out of having a mentor, but I know from John's experience that mentors get a lot out of it too. Working in a high-pressure environment, this is something that John looks forward to each week and his confidence as a mentor has really grown over the years.

"He has inspired others in the team including myself to start our own mentoring journeys as we can see first-hand how rewarding an experience it has been for him."

Rose McDowell, Senior Homelessness Worker is John's current manager, she said "Mentoring has been such a positive experience for John, he's so friendly and easy to talk to so I know young people will benefit from having John in their lives."

"His job can be full on so mentoring gives him something else to focus on for an hour each week. I know he looks forward to meeting his young person and chatting about something other than work."