Day: June 26, 2024

Feeling anxious and lost in the crowd, Christian* was struggling to engage at school. He found it hard to concentrate, would sit alone at lunch and often refused to go to class. Sadly, his little world had been turned upside down after experiencing family violence and neglect.

Christian was referred to our mentoring program last year to help with his delayed learning due to long-term absence from school and his traumatic start to life. With support from his dad and his school psychologist, we created a circle of trust for Christian where he could receive the support he needed to thrive – and simply enjoy being a kid.

We matched Christian with a kind and patient volunteer mentor to help with his schoolwork and provide him with emotional support. Christian was very keen to join our mentoring program in the hope that it would make his time at school a little easier and less stressful.

Fast forward 10 months and Christian is flourishing! His mentor visits each week for 1 ½ hours and they go through any specific homework he may have, such as spelling, pronunciation, and sight words that the teacher sends home. Christian’s reading has significantly improved, and he has become more confident in tackling math problems. Christian has reported that he gets along well with his mentor and likes doing the sessions with him. He said that he “feels a little more comfortable at school reading in class.”

His mentor has been making the sessions fun and interesting, using games and activities to develop trust and friendship with Christian. He has also found that breaking up the schoolwork helps with Christian’s focus, so they spend some time playing outside.

Our mentoring program has also provided Christian with a Chromebook so he can access the internet and online schoolwork from home. This has been extremely positive, and his mentor has said that they use the Chromebook at every session.

We are so proud of Christian and the progress he has made on his path to healing. Together with his mentor, they are hoping to increase the number of days that they meet so Christian can continue to develop his love of learning and possess the tools to reach his full potential at school.

*Names changed to protect privacy