Louise is one of the YWCA Canberra Clubhouse’s Work Experience mentors. Louise is completing her and completed her 80 hour placement with the YWCA Canberra Youth Engagement Team and Clubhouse. It was a pleasure having Louise with us and we caught up with her to chat about her experience at the YWCA Canberra Clubhouse.

How did you connect with the Clubhouse?
I connected with the Clubhouse through my 80 hours of Industry Placement this year in order to complete my Certificate Iv in Youth Work and Community Services. I feel as though I also connected emotionally in a positive manner with the Clubhouse, as it made me so extremely happy that there is such a supportive, fun, relaxed and amazingly run environment and venue for young people to spend time after school, knowing they are safe and are free to be themselves.

What kind of activities have you mentored or assisted with in your time at the Clubhouse?
I was involved in the Clubhouse through a supportive role, this meant that i was there on days in which the young people were able to use the space freely and to utilise whatever equipment, people and activities they wanted. This allowed me to engage with the young people in a relaxed and in-formal setting when they were participating in an activity of their choosing, allowing rapport to be built easily and we could support and assist the young people with whatever they asked us as they felt comfortable int he setting in which they were in. This included playing board games, chatting, listening and playing to music etc.

What have you found most rewarding about being a mentor at the Clubhouse?
I found that the clubhouse users, such as the young people made it a rewarding experience. By being a mentor I was able to converse with young people without feeling as though I was working, which meant both the young people and I felt comfortable, and felt free to talk. Seeing the young people enjoying, utilising and engaging in the space, laughing, involving others in their activities etc made the role as a mentor so extremely rewarding. The YWCA Clubhouse staff should be applauded for such an amazing space which has been set up for the benefit of those young people who use it.