The Blogger: Me and My Experience

I had a conversation with a very good friend of mine yesterday evening and she suggested I talk to you about me. So here goes…

SLXLM

I am the founder of JUT, who is also a wife to a lovely and supportive husband and a mother of two teenagers and one 8 year old. I absolutely love my family…we could literally sit in the living room and pile on jokes after jokes, after jokes. Ok, I’ve digressed – back to ‘me’.

My Very Short Summary

I am the daughter of an Evangelical Preacher, (who is now resting peacefully with His Maker) and the second born, out of five children. My siblings and I were raised in a church in London. Growing up, our house was constantly filled with people, mainly family and church members. Despite our constant sharing of different rooms, facilities and food and despite the increase in noise and errands that we were sent on as children, it was still ok though. I loved the fact that there were always other children around; I think that’s where I developed a natural love and care for children. I was the big sister you see, so played my part in looking after a few of them, including my cousins who have now grown into beautiful adults.

Early Experience with a ‘Mentor’ (Well Sort of)

I remember a period in my early teens where I longed for a ‘friend’. Let’s stay on track people, it’s not what you think. No, the friend I wished to have was someone who was not old enough to be a parent or auntie, but someone who would understand me, the current times, the type of pressures that were around and therefore offer me some guidance and insights on school and life. I did not know the word for it then, but looking back, I realised I wanted a mentor. I remember approaching (in not so many words) someone I knew and felt was appropriate, to be that ‘friend’. I also remember the rejection I felt when I was kept at arm’s length because I was seen as too young and immature. Incidentally, many years later, I met this woman again and one of the conversations we had, was about her saying that she hoped her and I could be friends. How did I respond? Well, I smiled of course.

Recent Mentoring Experience

I established a mentoring scheme at a NHS Trust in which I worked for 19 years.

I have set up and facilitated group mentoring schemes, including one at my wonderful church King’s Chapel in Woolwich – Big Shout Out!!

Mentored various teenagers and adults on a one to one basis and absolutely enjoy sharing in their experiences and seeing their all-round growth.

My mentoring experience also includes my receiving formal mentoring. Over the years, I have experienced formal mentoring, as well as various informal types of mentoring . Perhaps I will write a follow up blog another time to expand on this. For now, I will just say that I did not get what I was looking for as a mentee in my first mentoring experience, so I ended it. However, my current mentoring experience provides me with exactly what I need to empower, inspire, encourage myself and others and facilitate growth in different areas of my life. Hence it is extremely important to choose wisely when deciding on a mentor.

Ok, so that’s enough about me for today. Thank you for reading. Please feel free to share your thoughts below.