Riverside community engagement officer Wendy Mason is a volunteer mentor in Kent, and an advocate of how volunteering can really make a difference in communities. 

“Riverside is part of the Kent Housing Group (KHG), a forum of social housing providers in Kent working collaboratively to maximise employment opportunities for the communities they serve. There are currently 30 members. KHG Employment Support Protocol is to help young residents into employment, and with this in mind has teamed up with the Princes Trust Talent Match programme.”

“For some time I had been looking for a volunteering opportunity that had the potential to make a real difference.”

“Talent Match is designed to help young people aged 18-25yrs to gain/re-enter employment by using volunteer mentors. Mentors are matched with one or two mentees aged between 18 and 25 years to provide support and guidance to help them achieve their goals. This could be confidence building, accessing training, life skills or gaining employment.”

“For some time I had been looking for a volunteering opportunity that had the potential to make a real difference. Talent Match proved to be that opportunity so when I saw the email asking for volunteers I jumped at the opportunity. I attended a briefing session, followed by a successful interview, then completed a two-day training course on Youth Mentoring; leaving me well-equipped to undertake this new and challenging role.”

“The journey so far has not been all plain sailing. I have been paired with six potential mentees, four of whom did not show for our initial meet and greet. However, I was successfully paired with Paul. We worked together for a couple of months, but due to personal circumstances he was unable to further engage. Next I worked with a young lady called Sian. First we worked on overcoming some personal issues to help Sian gain employment, and she is participating in the Team Programme with Princes Trust; which is a big step for Sian, as she is not comfortable in new surroundings, in groups, or staying away from home. As this programme involved all of these and more, Sian’s confidence grew every time we met. Then on week one of a two week work placement, Sian had already been offered a job!”

“Seeing Sian’s progress really made my experience worthwhile, and if you have the Talent Match Programme in an area near you, I strongly recommend that you give it a go and make a difference.”

Riverside is a champion of the positive impacts of volunteering, often helping make people more confident, employable and happy.