I was mentoring a young man – a student. He was feeling wretched. He said he was lazy and stupid.
Two years ago he failed his school exams and was unable to go into sixth form. Then all of his friends in the neighbourhood left town to go to University and he was left behind at the local technical college doing a foundation course.
He is also working two serving jobs alongside college and, although still living at home, has little parental support. He has managed to avoid going down the drugs and alcohol route – which are on constant offer in his environment. He is saving up for a motorbike so he can get to work and college more easily. But it all seems hopeless and dull.
He wants to be a film editor. He is intelligent, full of ideas and potential. He has an inner light but is hiding it.
We talked about his interests and dreams; about how everyone does not have to take the same route to get to a destination. We discussed how sometimes the road less travelled can give us unexpected wisdom and take us to places that are even better than our original planned goal.
I shared with him that I had dropped out of college during the first term when I was his age. I got a dull office job, got married, had a baby and did not start my university journey until I was 27 -the year my daughter was born. It was part-time, via the Open University, and it took me 12 years to graduate with an honours degree. And that was just the start of my studies. I told him that my journey, like his, was completely different from many of my friends. And that I recognise that feeling of being ‘left behind’.
He said no-one ever understood how he felt before. We made a plan to help him catch up with his studies and to reduce the hours he works on his two jobs so that he can focus on moving closer to his dream career.
I told him that sometimes courage is that small voice inside that says “I will try again”.
Young people need coaches too. To have someone from outside their personal environment to brainstorm their ideas. To help them believe in themselves and in the brightness of their own unique light.