- How did you meet?
Josh: "I was referred to the project by my school two years ago. I was having some problems at home and not getting on well in lessons, so the school thought the Smash project might be able to help. I went along to an event and met them and thought I'd give it a try."
Wendy: "My children have grown up and I wanted to help other young people, so I became a volunteer mentor three years ago. I met Josh here and we began working together."
- What did you do during the sessions?
Wendy: "The first few sessions were just about getting to know each other and finding out about what Josh would like to do. At first we would meet up at his house and discussed anything concerning him, from school to home life. We would then meet at other places, like the Smash offices or other venues."
Josh: "We'd go to places like McDonald's or cafes and have a chat. Wendy is really easy to talk to so I felt I could tell her anything. We even went on trips to places like Bath and have been to the cinema together."
- How did the sessions help?
Josh: "When I first met Wendy, all I wanted to do was watch TV. I wasn't interested in school work. But talking to her each week made me think about my future and become aware of the importance of education. I started trying harder and getting better results. Wendy helped put me back on the straight and narrow - I ended up getting 10 grade A* to C GCSEs and going on to study A-levels."
Wendy: "Working with Josh was very rewarding for me too. I always knew he had the potential to do well and it was just about giving him a bit of extra support."
- What's next?
Josh: "I'm going to finish my A-levels and then I hope to become a secondary school teacher."
Wendy: "I've finished working with Josh and now I'm mentoring other young people. We still keep in contact, though, and we have developed a strong friendship."
