Huge congratulations to Claire who is our January Mentor of the Month.
Claire is always so willing to learn and reach out for help to ensure that she is doing the very best by her mentee. From her excellent mentoring to contributions to our online events, you are a very valued member of our team – thank you so much, Claire!
A message from Shani, LOOK’s Mentor Project Officer.
Congratulations to you Claire for your well-deserved award of Mentor of the Month!
I have had the privilege of managing Claire and Maisie’s mentor relationship over the past year and have witnessed the growth between them and their relationship, with Claire maintaining a positive attitude and understanding while sharing her own personal experiences.
Claire is kind and caring and has always remained passionate and focused within her mentoring. We are very grateful for all your dedication to the project!
A word from Claire’s mentee, Maisie.
“Claire has helped me become more confident in using public transport on my own. I really enjoy talking to her.”
Meet Claire
“Hi everyone, I’m Claire and I’d like to thank LOOK for nominating me, it was a lovely surprise!
I’ve been visually impaired since birth and work as a technical translator for a software company. In my spare time, I enjoy rock climbing, reading and attending audio described plays or museum tours.
I have been a mentor since 2019 after discovering LOOK through a relaxing Wellbeing weekend earlier that year. I found the mentor training weekend in April 2019 very useful, to share perspectives and experiences on different topics or situations with fellow visually impaired mentors.
I wanted to become a mentor as lots of people have supported me throughout my life and I wanted to give back the help I’d received to other young visually impaired people.
I was keen to share tips and tricks that I had learnt along the way and wanted to help young people grow and increase their self-confidence. Encouraging them to learn skills such as adapted technology, mobility training with a white cane or strategies to take public transport independently.
I would really recommend other VI people join the LOOK community. Everyone has been so supportive and friendly and I have developed my own skills and self-confidence through other LOOK activities, such as participating in University panels or Q&A discussions on languages.
Top Tips for Mentors…
I would suggest new mentors reflect on their own experiences as a teenager.
It can take time to build a rapport with your mentee, take things step-by-step and get to know your mentee, by chatting about common interests or hobbies. Listen to what they have to say and you will both learn from each other!”
