Flemington   Kensington   Community   Mentoring   Program

Derek

I participated in the FNH Mentoring Program for two main reasons:
To engage with a young person in the community and to pass on some of my skills to someone who might not be in touch with people from my background.

I didn't expect to be teed up with a 19 year old Sudanese refugee who had only been in Australia for seven months. But this has proven to be an extremely rewarding and insightful process.

There was little structure over the months I have met up with the young man I mentor. But over the course of this period I have provided support and encouragement in him studying, obtaining his learner's permit and entering the work force. I also introduced him to my family, my house and some of my way of life. We have been to the soccer together and shared his first experience of Australian Rules Football. I have been lucky t meet some of his family and join in local Sudanese community activities, including singing and dancing.

As someone who migrated to Australia as a teenager, this experience has provoked memories of rituals and difficulties in settling into a new environment. I have gained further appreciation of the enormous obstacles faced by young refugees, who have already dealt with significant trauma and hardship. Despite the vitality, adaptability and resourcefulness shown by the young man I mentor, the program has highlighted to me the invaluable advantages in gaining access to even basic local knowledge. It has also demonstrated the mutual benefits of sharing cultural experiences. I really am not sure who benefited more from the program.

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