At LOOK we believe that nobody should have to cope alone. By creating community and connection amongst visually impaired young people and their families, we aim to boost confidence and increase access to social, employment and education opportunities.
Our peer-mentoring programme is a key element in how we support VI young people, we want to take this opportunity to thank our incredible mentor team for all of their hard work and dedication.
This month we celebrate Gemma as our July Mentor of the Month.
A message from Elin, LOOK’s Volunteer Development Coordinator.
“So much of mentoring is as much about sharing your experiences as a mentor, as it is about listening to your mentee.
We know that recently Gemma has been working on reflecting on what is important to her and she has started to share this with her mentees.
Gemma when coming across challenges, you have been able to work through these and you always check in with the staff members here at LOOK.
We want to commend you for your fantastic attitude in taking on feedback and acting on suggestions and support from the LOOK team.
As one of your partnerships comes to a close, we know that you are ready and excited to start a brand new mentoring partnership with a new mentee.
We know that we are stronger for having you as part of our mentor team and LOOK family, so thank you, Gemma!”
A word from Gemma’s mentee, Sophie.
“Gemma, you have been an inspirational Mentor to me.
You have given me the confidence to believe in myself. Your guidance and advice have opened so many pathways on my journey.
It’s been a happy and fun time talking to you and I wish you all the best in the future.”
A message from Gemma’s mentee, Nicole.
“Gemma is nice and she’s helped me a lot and it’s good speaking to someone who understands about vision impairment.”
Meet Gemma
“Hi I’m Gemma, I’ve been mentoring since Spring of 2019.
I first got involved with LOOK through a fashion event held at John Lewis and that’s when I found out about mentoring.
I wanted to become a mentor because I like the purpose of it and what the project stands for. Having a VI myself I know how hard it can be at certain stages of your life and I wanted to do something to, not only build my confidence but also help other people out and for them not to feel on their own.
My tips to other mentors would be to always listen and encourage your mentees. There’s no such thing as a silly question.
Have confidence in your own abilities as a mentor.
