The Baytree Centre near Brixton is JAGS’ latest partner in community action.  A centre for inner city girls aged 6-19 and older immigrant women, Baytree provides valuable services to members of the community through mentoring schemes, adult literacy classes and a variety of activities. Recently, the sixth form received a request for volunteers for a pilot mentoring scheme for Y6 girls to which several girls responded.

The purpose of this mentoring scheme is to answer any fears and doubts Year 6 girls may have about secondary school. This may sound very simple but it still required training. The training sessions were fun and engaging. They helped us identify and improve upon the skills necessary for dealing with young children.  For example, in one exercise we singled out our negative listening habits and in another we enacted out different situations and discussed the ‘’good’’ and ‘’bad’’ ways in which to deal with them.

Almost every girl signed up for at least two mentoring sessions and some even three. Upon arrival, the Volunteer Service co-ordinator Una Fahey would give us a tour around the centre before placing us with a youth activity or a girl. I was assigned to the cookery club first and thoroughly enjoyed helping make apple crumble although some of the girls were more interested in eating the apples rather than peeling them.  Afterwards I met my mentee for the day and tried to engage her in conversation. It was far from easy. However with the training I had received I managed to bring her out of her shell and suddenly she bombarded with me questions such as ‘’what’s the food like?’’ and ‘’what kind of shoes should I wear?’’

Although this is a pilot scheme, opportunities exist next term to be part of their permanent scheme PEACH  which will give the Sixth form girls an opportunity to set up or join some of the centre’s clubs and mentor  girls once a week.  Hopefully JAGS girls will embrace this chance to further make a difference in the lives of the community whiles widening their perspectives and building their characters with transferable skills.  

Ni’Mat Raheem-Parry, Year 12

8 July 2011