Participating in the Plusone Mentoring Program at the Greater Moncton YMCA, is a rewarding experience, according to Melissa Benoit.
She’s been a mentor for months, helping her young mentee, who had been struggling with school life.
Benoit says there’s been tremendous improvement since they started the program together.
“Now, this mentee is doing so well, is doing well in school, is doing well with the teachers, and also involved in extracurricular [activities] at school and here at the Y,” says Benoit.
She says they spend two hours of one on one time together each week.
“They may not get that at home, some of the mentees may, but some of them don’t,” says Benoit. “Imagine just how special that is, to just know that somebody is taking two hours a week to spend that time just with you.”
Benoit says each week, their time is spent in ways ranging from physical activities at the Y or outside, but that’s not all they do.
“Sometimes it’s two hours of just chatting, just talking about your week, their life, whatever it may be, sometimes it’s a deep conversation, [and] sometimes it’s as simple as, you know, what’s in fashion, but it’s really neat,” says Benoit.
Benoit says two hours may not seem like a lot, but for some of these youth, it is the only one on one time they get with someone genuinely interested in their lives.
