“So, what’s your favourite thing to cook?” I ask my mentee. “Scrambled eggs!” he replies, “I can’t really cook anything else”. “So, what do you like to eat?” I ask. “Spaghetti, sausage, tomatoes, corn…” “That’s a lot!” I interrupt. A few days later, we visit the the Biscuit Mill and go through all the various food groups followed by a tour of the food section. To my mentee’s disbelief there are hundreds of different foods from places all around the world. Each stand has its own style of making food. Every flavour more delicious than the next. People are thrilled by the fact that he is interested in their cuisines and offer him tasters to fall in love with. Later that day we cook some vegetables from the market and he assures me that he is going to teach himself how to cook meals from his own culture.

Would you like to spend one hour a week making a difference in the life of a young person? Request an application form for the SAYes Youth mentoring programme on our home page. This year we will be trialling a remote mentoring programme until it’s safe to meet in person again.