Often in youth work you don't always see the difference your time effort and energy makes to a young person's life, until you hear stories like this... "I recently met Dave in the YMCA gym, where we had a good catch up about life, school and GCSEs. He had mentored me during year 8 at St Gregorys Catholic College, which was a huge help at that time. It allowed me to take my mind off the stress at school and some of my personal problems at home. Although the sessions involved doing something quite simple such as playing cards and basketball, they made me enjoy going to school more and I had something to look forward to on weekdays. Dave also really helped to encourage me to work harder in class and try to avoid messing around but also encouraged me that this didnt mean changing my personality. Mentoring can make a real difference to a young persons life as I know from personal experience. I am now at Bath College studying a diploma in Business studies."