Communication, Mentoring & Child Safety

This week I attending a training session in preparation for my volunteer work as a Big Sister and learned a lot about Communication, Mentoring & Child Safety... here are some things I learned

M - Make it special
E - Encourage and build self esteem
N - Never say never - model positive behaviour / attitudes
T - Teachable moments - look for them and act accordingly
O - Open new doors - new ideas, skills, dreams
R - Reliable - be there and do what you say you will do
I - Instill a sense of wonder, motivate and stimulate thought
N - Notice their individuality and make comments
G - Go for it and have fun!

Active Listening
F.E.L.O.R.
F - Face the person
E - Eye contact
L - Listen
O - Open posture
R - Respond

"I" Messages
Neutral description of your behaviour - "When you..."
Feelings of Emotions - "I feel..."
Effect or Reason - "Because..."
What you would lke from them instead - "So I need..."

We did a role play, this is an example

Q: WHAT IF you arranged to meet your adolescent-aged Little Sister at the beach at 5pm but it is now 5.30pm and she is half an hour late?

A: When you are late, I feel worried and let down as I don't feel the friendship is important to you. So I need you to call if you are going to be late and make an effort to be on time.

We also covered the following topics
Building Self Esteem
Effective Mentoring
Setting Boundaries
Saviour Syndrome
Good Role Modelling
Suspcisions of child abuse and how to report it
Child Safety