The second week in November saw two very new, slightly nervous, excited and keen prison volunteers join their very first mentor's meeting - myself and Jacqueline. At the end of our training we were invited to join the new mentors training in a category B prison to get a feel for how the sessions run and to experience the workings of a prison day.
It was our very first prison visit - set up by Fina, the Shannon Trust prison facilitator at HMP Thameside. We were both recruited to take the place of two retiring volunteers - Sarah and Jackie, who had been working with Shannon Trust for fifteen years! Big shoes to fill wouldn’t you say? Category B prisons, we have learnt from our training, are characterised as 'high churn'.
And so, the scenario was this; the education rooms were not free, Fina booked another classroom and notified the nine new mentors of the room change. I arrived with excitement and great surprise to link up with the wonderful, expert, out-going existing volunteers at the prison. However, the booked room had also been changed and so, loaded up with bags, reading packs and boxes we all dived off to the new location to learn that some of the new mentors had been told the meeting had been cancelled. Sarah, Jackie and Fina apologetically kicked into action. Undaunted they prepared for the meeting and rounded up four of the nine new mentors, who arrived with energy, full of questions, with great spirit clutching their ‘How to be a Shannon Trust Mentor’ booklet. They were genuinely pleased the training had not been cancelled and were keen to get going.
After some incredibly fun icebreaker activities, the mentor training steamed ahead in the capable hands of Jackie, Sarah and Fina who were all completely professional, unphased, open and charming the entire session. The new mentors left the session with Shannon Trust t-shirts, reading packs, tea and coffee sachets, a certificate, positivity and energy, all of them stating that they were excited (if a little daunted) to ‘get going’.
This is what Shannon Trust is all about. This scenario will be going on in prisons up and down the country and will be changing lives. What a great group of people. Well done to the new mentors, the new volunteers, to Fina, and to Sarah and Jackie who have given fifteen years of their time to unlock the power of reading. I can’t wait to get going.
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