Con is a volunteer mentor based in Limerick. He previously worked as a guidance counsellor and saw the mentor role as an opportunity to support young people to redirect themselves in a postive direction.

What three words would you use to describe yourself ?

Persistent, empathetic,  humorous

What has been your volunteering highlight and how has volunteering impacted you?

My highlight has to be my first mentoring role. In spite of the training, there was lots of trepidation and a fear of ‘getting it wrong’. I found the matching to be excellent  and while there was lots of serious stuff  along the way had great fun. In terms of how volunteering has impacted me , I feel that I get more from it than  I give, it gives a great sense of satisfaction and I have met lots of interesting people on the team.

What would you say to someone who is considering becoming a volunteer mentor?

Firstly contact Le Cheile and get a full understanding of what the role involves because its not for everyone. Secondly, its hugely rewarding, you’ll meet a huge variety of great people on the team and beside all the serious stuff its great fun.

What does being a mentor mean to you?

I see it as using my life experiences to help a mentee in making good decisions for their future. While I can provide a consistent support structure the mentee has to decide their direction. I’m reminded of the phrase from the training, ‘one good adult’ is all it takes. Irrespective of the outcome the mentee will know there was consistently someone in their corner rooting for them.

What are the key skills or personal attributes needed to be a good mentor?

Besides all the usual buzz words I think honesty, integrity and being a good listener because without these you’ll be ‘found out’ by your mentee who needs to trust you.

Want to know more about volunteering with Le Cheile Mentoring? 

If you would like to find out more about volunteer mentoring, please explore our website and fill out our online application form. You can also contact our National Volunteer Coordinator, Maxine on 0872016801 or maxine@lecheile.ie.