We’re delighted to award mentor Nik with our coveted Mentor of the Month accolade!
Working with Nik is always so much fun! Whether at LOOKFest, school workshops or mentor training weekends, we all know that we can depend on Nik to be ready to roll up his sleeves and get the job done – and with a smile on his face, too. His commitment and dedication is reflected in his mentoring and is hugely valued by his mentees.
Nik – we hope you’ll feel our appreciation and gratitude through this feature and feel celebrated as one of our hardest-working mentors!
A word from LOOK Mentor Project Manager, Ruth
‘Nik was the first of the LOOK mentors I ever met. He was part of the team interviewing me for my role at LOOK. From the start I have always been impressed with how Nik balances professionalism, academic skill and warmth in all his communication and mentoring work with LOOK.
Nik has delivered huge amounts to the LOOK community. Many of our mentors will be familiar with him as he has been instrumental in supporting ongoing mentor training sessions. When we have new team members Nik is helpful and informative, spending time with them to discuss the theory of the social and medical models of disability.
Nik is passionate about employment rights and the options and access to support that people with impairments should have, in order to study and work. With this expertise and focus in mind Nik has been integral in supporting LOOK to develop our schools’ workshop: Eye on Work.
Collaborating with Nik for face to face training and events is always fun. Nik is positive and welcoming to all the young people and families we work with. Nik values the time he takes in volunteering and the relationships he can help facilitate.
In his mentoring work Nik is focussed and committed; hearing his mentees’ questions and opening up discussion that will help them chew over ideas and grow in their knowledge of who they are and where this can take them.
Nik embraces the core values of LOOK incredibly well and I am thrilled to see him prosper in his professional life and cannot wait for more face to face opportunities in the future. Thank you, Nik, and here’s to the year ahead!
Meet Nik
‘My name is Nik. I’m a researcher. Besides volunteering, I like going on nature walks with friends, reading, cooking and trying new foods. I found out about the mentoring scheme from a friend who is also a mentor. The scheme sounded interesting so I signed up to be a mentor too.
I have done a lot of volunteering with different organisations. I like volunteering with LOOK because there are a variety of things to get involved with from helping out at events, through facilitating group sessions to one-to-one mentoring. The thing I enjoy most about mentoring is reading about my mentee’s stories and being able to share my own experience.
I think an important aspect of mentoring is that the conversation should be led by the mentee. As a mentor I see myself as a listener who is there to ask the right questions, so I could understand my mentee’s experience and so that they have the space to reflect.’
