Mentoring

When Keith first told us we would be mentoring the Cert IV Public Relations students, I honestly had reservations. I don't know how we would have reacted when we were Cert IV sudents ourselves. Would we have felt intimidated?

The first week was interesting. We were down to only 4 students in the Diploma class. We had no idea how we were going to tackle the situation, as we wandered down to Heather's room, a place where we had spent hours last semester.

I remember us encountering a room full of faces, glaring at us, measuring us up. It was all quite daunting.

We decided to break up in to two groups. I was with Alana in a group of about 8 students, from one half of the classroom.

Our group joined us in the cafetaria, at the table we had shared as a bigger group last semester. It had always felt like 'our table' and now we were sharing it with the novices. Did they have any idea who had sat there before them, their stories, their tears?

We exchanged names and experiences, ambitions and expectations. The group was surprisingly sponge-like in their eagerness, which was very encouraging. We were impressed!

We discussed the need to be organised and time conscious, the level of work that was expected, and why it was worthwhile going through to the Diploma.

My group is now down to four. I have young Keiran, who would love to work in the fashion industry. I love his energy, his sense of humour and his youthful ambition. You can just tell he will do well in whatever he decides to do.

Shae is beautiful. She has one of those smiles that lights up a room. She has maturity and sensibility, but I wouldn't confuse that with 'boring'. She seems like a lot of fun, and forever happy - just perfect for working with people!

Hartley is the only other male in the class. When I first met Hartley I was surprised he had chosen Public Relations as his course. He was quieter than the others and, for want of another word, a 'bloke'.

Over the weeks, I have seen more and more of Hartley. He is like an onion - you have to pull back the layers. I have noticed he has become more and more confident and is getting a voice. In that way, he reminds me of Jayde in her early weeks, and look at her now!

Lastly we have Wendy. When I first met Wendy I was like, "Who the hell is this girl and can someone sedate her??" She's like her own little tornado. There's not much to her small frame and stature, but she has the energy of a newly woken puppy!

Underneath all of this energy, is a kind and spirited young lady. She has passion and wants to go far. Over time she will learn how to direct it.

I love my little group. I love their attitude, their passion, their desire to do well. They work well as a team. I am impressed by their commitment to their assignments, how they have formed a 'study group', and how they are eager to gain what they can from the Diploma students.

I feel like they are not wasting my time. I can see where they have applied our ideas and advice. I probably come across as a 'mother' to them, but they treat me with respect and I am excited to see where they continue in their journies.