Our Role in Schools: Hannah’s story

Back to impact report 2023-24

Hannah is a former City Year Mentor who served in London from 2023-2024.

“I had a student in Year 11 who at the start of the year did not say a single word to me. At our first mentoring session I got nothing, just a nod of the head at one point. I thought, ok, this is going to be hard but I persisted. I found some common ground with her; TV shows. We bonded over Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. She started opening up to me about her anxiety and how coming to school really brings her a lot of stress. She has a lot going on at home. She told me that in Year 9 and 10 her attendance was below 50%. Towards the end of the year, she did make it in by Period 1, which I’m going to take as a win, and her attendance was above 90% so she did absolutely amazingly. On her last day, she sent me an email.”

‘Thank you for always giving me someone to talk to, supporting me always, giving me the best advice and always trying to understand me, always pushing me to my full potential without putting pressure on me. You’ve made me so much stronger and confident. You’ve guided me through the most stressful year of school. You’ve made me motivated to come in and go to lessons. I credit a lot of the growth and maturing I’ve done this year to you. You’ve made me change my perspective on things, helping me see the positive in negative situations. The help you’ve given me is inspiring. I’ll always remember the help and advice. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.’