Melissa Hands, now 18 years old, began on the Hackney Schools’ Mentoring Programme with a Met Police Business mentor Isobel Baylis in 2005 when Melissa was studying for her GCSE’s at Our Lady’s Convent School in Hackney. When they met Melissa was a very shy, quiet, girl who lacked confidence, but four years on she has transformed into a chatty, confident and articulate young woman. Academically, mentor Isobel could see from early on that they were not that well matched. Isobel describes herself as “not a Maths or Science person” whereas these were her mentee Melissa’s best subjects, but it was not academic support that Melissa was really in need of.

Four years since they first met and three years after the mentoring programme officially ended for Melissa and her fellow Year 10 students, Isobel and Melissa are still meeting, but are now more like friends than mentor and mentee. Isobel notes that a real change has occurred in Melissa and that she has transformed from a very shy, quiet, girl who lacked confidence to a chatty, confident and articulate young woman. Melissa did very well at her GSCE’s and in August 2009 Melissa achieved the 4 A’s at A-level she needed to start her degree in Natural Sciences at Cambridge University.

Melissa is clear about the key things that she got out of mentoring; “having the confidence to open up my sixth form options, speak with adults and speak in public”; the latter of which Melissa made really clear when she bravely and calmly addressed 250 students, teachers and mentors at the HSMP annual recognition event, telling all about her experience of mentoring and her academic successes at Our Lady’s and beyond. As mentoring is rarely a one-way street, Isobel also tells of how she got a lot from the opportunity; “I was interested in young people and was keen to help bridge the gap between what kids hear from their friends and from their parents – to be a neutral party. I wish I had had the opportunity to have a mentor at Melissa’s age, as teenagers are under so much pressure. I am very proud of Melissa and think I have been able to help and contribute to the progress she has made”.