One Student at a Time: The Impact of Mentoring

Xhoana, a City Year mentor, reflects on why she serves in a London school and the impact of mentoring on one of her students. Her story captures how consistent encouragement and belief can help a young person grow in confidence, discover their interests, and begin to see their own potential.

Education is power. It can change the world.

I serve because I strongly believe every child deserves access to education, regardless of their background or the challenges they face. Today’s students will shape the future—but to believe that, they sometimes need encouragement and support from a trusted adult, like a mentor.

Having someone who listens, supports them, and believes in them can have a powerful impact on their self-esteem. It helps them work harder, believe in themselves, and see failure as an opportunity to learn. By having a mentor’s support, a quiet child can find their voice and speak fearlessly, discover who they are, and feel confident enough to pursue their goals.

I want to help students believe they can achieve anything they set their minds to. As Malala Yousafzai said, if you have a pen, a paper and a teacher, you have everything you need to change the world.

When I first met Rachel (not her real name), she was very shy and lacked confidence. In our one-to-one mentoring sessions, she struggled to express herself and often corrected herself for the mistakes she was making while speaking. In class, she rarely raised her hand unless a teacher called on her. She had a small circle of friends and felt she didn’t have any real interests—or that they weren’t anything special.

At first, Rachel didn’t have any goals. But through our conversations, she began to identify her interests and areas where she wanted to grow. She enjoys watching series, cooking, and crafting things out of paper. She also wanted to reconnect with her roots by being able to speak her mother tongue. Together, we set a goal to boost her creativity.

So this is the goal we set: each weekend, Rachel would spend up to two hours finding inspiration for crafts online and creating something of her own. She also began spending more time in the kitchen with her mother and sister to assist and help when needed. She was initially worried about making mistakes in cooking, but we talked about how mistakes are part of learning—and that she had her family support around her to try again.

Her interest in arts and crafts also opened up new social opportunities. I invited her to the school’s crochet club, which I run with other mentors every Thursday. There, she spent time drawing, learning to crochet, and connecting with other students. These activities made her spend her time productively and this was one of her goals. Over time, she became more comfortable socialising beyond her usual friendship group and speaking with staff members.

Rachel has also made significant progress in her behaviour. She shared that in Years 7 and 8 she often received detentions and got into arguments with other students. Now, she hasn’t had any detentions and is better able to manage her emotions and think before reacting. Through our work together using DESSA strategies—especially focusing on managing emotions, exploring interests, understanding herself, and shifting her mindset—she has grown in confidence and commitment to her goals.

Seeing her value my advice has been incredibly rewarding. One of the most meaningful moments for me was when she made me a paper flower as a gift. This gesture made me extremely happy because it showed not only her creativity and progress, but also that she appreciates the mentoring I do for her.

I’m so proud of the progress Rachel has made. We’ve built a strong, trusting relationship, and I’m excited to continue supporting her as she works towards her goals.