Paul Segal – Business and Progression Mentor
What motivated you to volunteer with The Trust?
When I sold my business in 2006, I was keen to pass on my
business experience and know-how to help others develop their
careers and businesses. I had heard of the excellent work The
Prince’s Trust was doing but had no idea that they were
looking for volunteers with my kind of experience.
I saw an advertisement in the Guardian for Reach which is an
organisation that puts volunteers in touch with charities seeking
volunteers and one of the options that appealed to me was The
Prince's Trust.
Tell us about the key role/s you've held during your time with
The Prince's Trust
I applied and attended a training course for business mentors
which was interesting and stimulating and was delighted to meet
other successful business people who were similarly committed to
helping young people.
I was approached to meet a young hairdresser who was seeking a
loan from The Prince's Trust to provide her with a relatively small
loan to provide cashflow for her new hairdressing business in East
Grinstead.
I was later approached by The Prince's Trust to visit a Team
Presentation and was knocked out, to use the vernacular, with the
self- confessed progress that the young people had made on the 12
week programmes taking them from difficult periods in their lives
to increased confidence and a better sense of belonging and also an
idea of how they might fit into and contribute to society.
What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome
them?
The biggest challenge that I faced with all of the mentees with
whom I was paired was being confident that they would turn up to
arranged meetings or at least phone or text to postpone or cancel.
This can be frustrating but I had to console myself with the
thought that this went with the territory and tried not to take it
too personally.
What was the most positive experience you had while
volunteering?
Having said this, what I have found most exciting is those young
people that really have even a small spark of motivation have found
themselves work and/or education and certainly Sophie the
hairdresser has been able to start building a secure and long term
business based on her own high quality skills and self
reliance.
One mentee found work with Halfords repairing and preparing
pushbikes. There was a real buzz about him when he told me he had
sold the most expensive bike in the shop!
Another mentee found a job as a scaffolder and as a result was
able to find alternative accommodation other than his mother’s
front room sofa.
Do you have any advice or guidance for new volunteers?
This is really worthwhile work. Like all work,
it has its frustrations and disappointments. But like most
worthwhile work the ups remain and, if you let them go, the
difficulties fade leaving with you with a great sense of optimism
and privilege in having the time and opportunity to support these
amazing young people.