Ella has been working with LUL for a year since
the beginning of her S3 year. She quickly formed a bond with her mentor and opened up about a wide variety of interests. She has explored topics like cooking, sports and crafting, getting stuck into the longer project of designing and building her own doll’s house. Working with her mentor allowed Ella to discover her learning style. She identified that she works best by doing practical tasks, and found LUL sessions to be a refreshing space where she could tailor her own learning to the style that suits her best.
Her mentor has noticed a real growth in confidence and self expression. She notes that at first Ella struggled to get her head around self-led learning, but quickly felt confident actively exploring her own interests in the way that suited her best. The practical activities that Ella undertook, especially with cooking tasks, allowed her creativity and maturity to shine through. Through her LUL sessions, her mentor noticed a significant improvement in Ella’s self-belief and an acknowledgement of her own curiosity as a learner.
Ella has particularly enjoyed the opportunities to go on learning trips around the city. She has visited The Chocolatarium and Edinburgh College’s cookery department, and developed not only a stronger relationship with her mentor but friendships with other mentees. Her mentor has noted that these relationship building skills will be useful for Ella in terms of fitting in across the wider school community.
The relationship between Ella and her mentor has been key to driving her enthusiasm for attending mentoring sessions. Ever since she started with LUL, she has always been excited for her sessions, going out of her way to check with teachers if the meetings are running.
Her Guidance teacher recalled that at the start of term, the first question Ella asked him was:
“When are the mentors coming in?””
Ella has shared her future ambitions with her mentor and is using LUL sessions as a space to explore them. Using her aptitude for practical tasks lends itself well to her future dreams of owning a beauty salon or being a joiner. The continued support of her mentor over Ella’s time at school will be a huge support in helping her achieve her ambitions!