Mentoring in Wandsworth

Jude Taylor, a member at Everyday Southfields, explains how she got into mentoring and why she’s still passionate about helping make a difference to those seeking asylum in London.

It was whilst studying at university in Manchester that I first came into
contact with people seeking refuge and asylum in the UK.
During my first term of uni I began looking for a church. I confess; I
looked around a lot of churches! I discovered an array of different expressions
of worship, styles and approaches to church!
However, I’d arrived at uni in a state of ‘reverse culture shock’. I’d just
spent 5 months in Zimbabwe where I had witnessed for the first time the
crippling impact of poverty and corruption; I was now at uni where you didn’t
need to queue for bread, but instead students queued to spend the remaining
money on their food allowance card on boxes of crisps they didn’t need, but
felt compelled to buy as the money didn’t carry over onto the next week!
So whilst reflecting on my experiences and grappling with the injustice of
these unequal worlds, I was keen to get involved in a church which was engaged
with serving the vulnerable and marginalised…The church that I committed to mentioned
in their notices that they were looking for hosts to house destitute asylum
seekers. I decided this was a church I wanted to be a part of!
I discovered there were members of the church who were involved in charities
(Boaz Trust and the Mustard Tree), which were supporting asylum seekers and refugees living in Manchester.
I began volunteering with these charities and met people from a number of
nations – including Zimbabwe, so I was able to empathise with some of their
reasons for fleeing. (I love the journey that God brings us on to use our
experiences to relate to others).
Whilst volunteering with these charities I conducted research for my degree
into the support available to asylum seekers. I carried out interviews with
people who were applying for asylum in the UK, exploring their reasons for
fleeing, to the levels of support they were accessing in the UK. One of my key
findings was that many were heavily reliant upon faith groups (especially
churches) and charities for support; not only for material needs, but also for
their source of community and pathway to integration.
When I moved to London, I was keen to find opportunities to support refugees
and asylum seekers. This led me to research charities that mentor young people
from refugee backgrounds. I now volunteer with a project which provides educational
support to refugee families living in and around Wandsworth.
So what do I do? For 2 years I have been mentoring a young girl, spending 1
hour a week at her home, helping her with her homework. She is an only child,
and her mother who is originally from Somalia has never received an education
herself. My role is to provide encouragement and support in her studies, I’m
not a tutor, and so I feel free not to have all the answers! (It can be
challenging helping with Maths homework when it was my worst subject at
school!) However, I love the opportunities mentoring brings, to support her and
build relationship. It’s also led to some interesting conversations about
culture, her Muslim faith, and my faith as a Christian.
I believe that mentoring is at the heart of the Great Commission – Jesus
calls us to go and make disciples of all the nations! It’s often said that we
don’t need to go far to meet people from other nations. London is a diverse,
multi-cultural city. It can be a lonely place, but through serving others in
our community we can build relationships and follow God’s command to:
Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one
who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless
or the widow…” Jeremiah 22:3
If you’re interested in mentoring, (and I would say anyone can be a mentor
to someone!) but are particularly interested in working with young people, then
I would highly recommend the XL-Mentoring course run by a Christian
youth work charity called XLP. They provide plenty of
practical tips and resources on how to mentor young people.

For more information on the project Jude volunteers on in Wandsworth, please email difference@everyday.org.uk