As part of our mentoring month in September, we spoke to Reahana from our specialist partners Fight 4 Change about her role as a mentor to children at the charity’s base in London.
Reahana Gordon is ‘like a cool big sister’ to young people at Fight 4 Change. Her influence as a mentor to young people is so strong because she’s walked in their shoes. Reahana can see the front door of Fight 4 Change’s boxing gym in Lambeth from her bedroom window. Her mum took her there aged seven as a way of "blowing off steam” and burning some energy. The place soon became her second home.
“I had the freedom to come and go as I pleased, train, box and talk to the coaches and counsellors,” she explains. “I had been in and out of a bunch of different sports, but boxing stayed with me. That level of consistency is what kept me there. Rebecca [Donnelly, F4C founder] understood me and constantly tried to build up my skills and confidence.
“I spent the majority of my childhood in the gym. The people there helped raise me. We’re such a family unit. They are so passionate about seeing positive change in young people. If I hadn’t grown up there, I’d probably be doing the same kind of stuff I see other girls in this community taking part in.”
After college, Rebecca offered Reahana the opportunity to be assistant coach and lead F4C’s Lambeth Young Advisers group. She also took part in our recent Empowering Coaching pilot and attended the Howard League Conference in Oxford with her brother Davarel to offer a young person’s perspective on relationships with the police.
Reahana’s mentoring role is especially important to her. As a local girl aged only 22 who has experienced challenges and adversity, participants at F4C knows she understands where they’re coming from.
“I know what signs to look for because I’m still young myself,” she explains. “They might be lacking focus, be a bit quiet or not be making as much eye contact as they usually would. I’ll have a quick conversation just to give them the option of talking or make sure they have something constructive and productive to focus on for the sports session.
“By offering those ways of helping young people manage their anger and develop as a person, I’m doing something good for my community. They are the same mechanisms that helped me when I was younger.
“I don’t always have all the answers but I try to give off that older sibling vibe, like the cool older sister!
“Some of them don’t talk to their parents, others have siblings they don’t really connect with or no siblings around at all – so they really need that kind of interaction.”
Reahana’s experiences mirror those of her mentees, which means she can bring relatability and a sense of close connection to her mentoring role.
“One of the easiest ways to connect with young people is to find a common ground,” she explains. “It doesn’t even have to be something positive. For instance, I know what it’s like not having a father around. I can help that young person figure how and they feel and why. We find something we both like, dislike or that we’re both going through – and we start from there.
“A few words here or there might later turn into me being the person they look for when they come in the gym and want to tell someone something exciting, or sad or to just talk. It just works.”
Read more about Fight 4 Change charity here.