Imogen* does not take her work as a volunteer with Le Chéile Mentoring for granted; for her, it’s a privilege.
“I am grateful each and every time I get the call from my mentoring coordinator or the restorative justice team to work with a parent or take part in a victim empathy programme. I wish a service like this had existed for me when I needed community and support.”
A close family member of Imogen’s has been in and out of prison and has struggled with addiction for years. She is keenly aware of the reverberations that extend out to the wider family and beyond.
“For me, volunteering with Le Chéile Mentoring is both personal and professional. I was training as a youth and community worker when I first heard about the programme, and I became a volunteer around 2018. My interest in restorative practices and trauma-informed work started with my studies, but in truth, it came from my lived experience.”
As an organisation, Le Chéile Mentoring knows the impacts of having a family member experiencing addiction and engaging in offending behaviour.
Imogen says: “The stigma, the isolation, the fear — it shapes everything. At the time our family was experiencing these issues, there weren’t the kinds of supports we needed. If Le Chéile Mentoring had been around when my family member was at risk of going down the wrong path, it might have made a real difference.”
“That’s why I do this work. I’ve trained as a parent mentor and a young person mentor, and I also volunteer in the Victim Empathy Programme.”
The Victim Empathy programme is a restorative justice (RJ) initiative that aims to help individuals, particularly young people who have offended, understand the impact of their actions on victims. These programs often involve one-on-one meetings, RJ processes, and educational resources designed to foster empathy and encourage offenders to take responsibility for their actions. Typically, our volunteers who have been the victims of crime themselves would volunteer to take part in these initiatives.
“I’ve experienced crime as a victim myself, and I’ve also walked through it as a parent. I don’t share those details with the people I support, but sometimes they ask, “Have you gone through something like this?” When I say “yes,” without going into detail, they visibly relax. There’s something in the shared understanding that helps people feel seen.”
“What I try to bring to my mentoring is compassion, listening, and a trauma-informed approach. I always say to the person I’m meeting: “This is your time. We’ll do what works for you. We can have a chat, grab a bite to eat, just talk.” Sometimes, that’s all someone needs — a safe space.”
Imogen has also been involved in restorative justice meetings. Restorative justice meetings, formerly known as conferences, are structured dialogues involving a victim (or a proxy participant who has been the victim of a crime) and the person who caused harm. These meetings are facilitated by a trained professional and aim to address the harm caused by a crime and create a plan for reparation. Participation is voluntary, and the focus is on repairing the harm and holding the offender accountable in a meaningful way.
“Those can be incredibly powerful. I’ve seen young people come in nervous, even defensive, and walk away grateful — not because they’re excused, but because they weren’t judged. Some have written letters of apology, paid compensation, or simply said, “I’m sorry.” One young man told the project coordinator after his conference that it changed his life. He got a job, stopped drinking, and said, “I’ll never forget that meeting.””
“Volunteering with Le Chéile has helped me grow and develop, too. But the work isn’t always easy. Society is changing. There’s more complexity — drugs, weapons, cultural issues — and I believe mentors will eventually need more support and ongoing training to meet people where they are.”
“Still, I think Le Chéile Mentoring is fantastic. The training, the respect, the ethos — it all matters. Restorative justice works. It’s not just a concept. When people come together — the young person, the victim, the mentors, the wider community — real healing can happen.”
*Names have been changed to safeguard the anonymity of our mentors and clients.
