menteeship

Imagine,

that you are sitting in Axladitsa, and that there is a very special moment, where you suddenly feel a part of you connect across a generation and experience their perspective intimately... that you really feel that you could be standing in their shoes...sitting in their chair.. breathing the same breath of air with them

Here is to moments like that to come.

Meanwhile, a small story, yesterday George Por visited our little space 'The Hive' in South London (community project and freelance collaboration space) and met Dennis, a 17year old young man from Ghana. He is considered "at risk" by the local council and has been involved with one of the projects that, through peer support and mentoring help other young people not to enter gangs. He is emerging as one of the young peer leaders. I introduced George to Dennis.

I said to Dennis .. this is George who is a mentor to me. I noticed Dennis' surprise and realised how he saw many of us as all very wise people who are constantly offereing uninvited pieces of advice.. there is a wonderful sense of trust and relationship. It occurred to me that he had not thought about us ourselves having mentors..

I shared this with George afterwards who then asked me whether I might have told Dennis that I also mentor George. i.e that the relationship is bothways... and i thought about it. He said that by doing that, I might acknowledge how Dennis is also a mentor to me.

i dont think i tell Dennis enough about what I am learning from him. I am so keen to protect him and support him as he grows into the amazing leader he is already showing himself to be.

Thank you for George for waking me up, in the middle of my work to the fact that I am a mentee as much as a mentor of the younger generation. I look forward to my next interaction with Dennis.