Mentor Stories - Celia Brown

Celia Brown is a Business Support Assistant in the Chief Executive's Department; she has been an MCR Pathways mentor for over five years. Celia says, "I was inspired to get involved with MCR Pathways after watching mentored young people speak at an event. They spoke about the impact mentoring had on them and how it had changed their lives, I was blown away.

"I've been lucky enough to mentor four young people and play a part in their story. My last young person had a real passion for baking and cooking, I managed to get her an interview for a baking job in a café through someone I knew. She worked there for a while before moving on to college and is still a keen baker. She recently made cakes for a party I was hosting, they were incredible. It was very rewarding to  let her know there were opportunities out there and encourage her to take them.

"On a personal level, I've gained a lot of confidence and new skills from mentoring. It also presented the opportunity for me to work in a three-year temporary post on the 'Talent Taster' programme for Education Services. The programme was about giving young people a chance to try out a work, college or university placement in bitesize sessions and I'm incredibly proud to have been involved with it.

""I think to be a good mentor you just need to be that person who always turns up, a lot of the young people have already been let down so many times before. You're not there to solve their problems you're just there to listen to them, it really is as simple as that."