Use of Reverse Mentoring in the Mental Health Manifesto project- “She was amazing, she blew my mind!”
Over the past eight months Talia, the Volunteer Manager of the Youth Action Academy (YAA) has been coproducing a ‘Reverse Mentoring’ session. This involves the young people of the Academy talking to the staff working on the Mental Health Manifesto (MHM) project about their experience of certain topics. All of the Youth Action Academy members are from single parent households and so have a unique perspective to share with us.
What is Reverse Mentoring?
We spend a lot of time, as adults with our life experiences, thinking we know best. This leads us to guide those that are younger and less experienced in ‘the ways of the world’. How often do we ask for their opinions and guidance on issues pertinent to them? Reverse Mentoring does this by asking (in this case) young people to talk about subjects from their perspective to help us learn more about how they navigate the world. This helps us as adults and staff to understand better how to support them in doing this.
What we did
In the first YAA session, the concept of Reverse Mentoring was introduced as a long-term goal. Support was then put in place over the months to help support the young people by getting to know them and understanding what they needed in order to put on a Reverse Mentoring session. This included coproducing the format of the session, choosing the topics (with frequent discussion of them to help increase comfortable in talking about them) and a mentor training session. Among the topics chosen by the YAA and discussed in the session were; mental health, social media and school.
Why is it helpful?
Our young people are insightful, clever and worth listening to. They have a unique perspective that we, with more years under our belt, have either forgotten or did not have due to living in an ever-changing world. It is helpful to broaden our vision and take into account the perspective of young people. This creates a more rounded picture of the world and through this, broadens our horizons, deepens our understanding and increases our connections to young people.
Why in particular are MHM doing it?
This piece of work incorporates all three aims of the MHM project, helping young people from single parent households to; Learn and Grow (building healthy relationships); build qualities of Leadership and Ownership (empowering young people through coproduction); Inform and Influence (developing communication and influencing skills).
What we found
There were three key messages that came from the one-to-one discussions for us, as adults, to be mindful of when with young people from single parent households:
Added responsibility
The young people talked about the additional responsibility that comes with being an older sibling in a single parent household. Older children often look out for and care for their younger siblings, as well as doing this for their single parent/s. This can have an impact on their energy and stress levels alongside their interactions with their peers.
Icebergs and masking
Although it is often the case for most young people, that there is more going on under the surface than they show us, coming from a single parent household creates an additional layer. Many hide or ‘mask’ the concerns they have in order to protect themselves and others, which results in them carrying a heavier load than they feel they can share with others who do not have the same home situation.
Unique experiences
Not all single parent households are the same, and not all young people living within them are the same. Each young person is unique and will cope with, respond to and manage situations differently. Therefore, every young person should be seen as an individual, spoken to with respect and with the aim of understanding their unique perspective.
YAA reaction:
I thought the reverse mentoring session went really well. It was interesting to chat about school because I realised both that being in a single parent household affects school experiences more than I thought, and also made me realise the very specific perspective I bring to the table, so was super insightful
It was lovely speaking to (staff) - she was so kind. I hope she found our convo useful. I thought it went well…it’s such a good idea
Staff reaction:
Brilliant! To hear the experiences of the young people. I am older and far removed, it has challenged my way of thinking
My perceptions went out of the window. I came in thinking it was going to be quite negative, I didn’t expect to speak with someone so strong. She was such a positive role model
You should bottle that experience and sell it! I’ve learned so much in such a short space of time. They had so much wisdom, I’m certain I didn't have that insight at their age.
Volunteer Manager:
I’ve noticed it’s so valuable for them (the YAA), quite healing for them… an opportunity to make a difference for other young people in an area that has been quite difficult for them.
To get involved in our Youth Action Academy as a young person from a single parent household then drop an email to talia@singleparentswellbeing.com and find out more about our Mental Health Manifesto- Action for our future project here.