Parent Spotlight – My son has found confidence in making a decision about his future!

Parent Spotlight – My son has found confidence in making a decision about his future!

by GT Scholars

We had the pleasure of interviewing one of the parents whose son joined our Inspiring Future Leaders mentorship and leadership programme. Crystal talks about how the programme has helped her son build confidence and build better relationships with his teachers, parents and friends! If you want to read more about Cinaj’s experience on the Inspiring Future Leaders programme, head on over to his interview here.

Have you or Cinaj ever attended any programmes like the Inspiring Future Leaders Programme before?

I’ve put him in a lot of different programmes. This one was quite interesting because it was all males. And it was catered to young males of his age level. So I was really happy that he could take part.

How did you hear about this programme?

There was an email from one of his teachers at the school asking if they wanted to sign up or if they would be interested and it had a little bit of background information attached. 

Why did you decide to apply?

I thought that would be a good idea as he was lacking a little bit of self-confidence at the time. During the lockdown, he became a little bit inward to himself and he didn’t want to do anything. So it was a nice way that he could interact with other people in a fun way. So I thought it would be something different for him to try, and to get himself out there and meet new people in a structured environment.

What were you hoping your child would achieve during this programme?

I didn’t have any expectations because we got a weekly overview about what it would entail, but it ended up being much more than I thought it would be. So I went in with an open mind. Cinaj went in with an open mind as well and was just eager to learn exactly what was to be taught each week. 

In which areas do you feel your child experienced the most growth during the programme?

The cooking session was really good for him. He talked a lot about finance after the two finance sessions. After that, he started talking about coding a bit more and showing interest in the IT industry. He got impacted by what happened in the sessions and got quite excited about those areas.

So this was good growth across the board. He became more aware of the things he was doing and seeing, and started writing them down so that he could remember what he wanted to do. He would make a plan and ask, “At this time, can I go on the computer to do a little bit of coding?” It gave him a bit more organisational skills as well.

Which workshops did you feel helped your child the most? And why?

There aren’t any specifically. I think they all had their own personal benefits, which was a good thing because each week the sessions had something different that they focused on. And although the sessions recapped the previous week’s session in small details, there was always something new. So, my son was getting new information every week.

As a parent, how did you find interacting with your child’s mentor?

I spoke to Hannah a few times. I kind of let them have their individual sessions. She seemed very confident in the topics that she covered. Although this was her first time, she adapted very well to all the questions that Cinaj had. Even after the sessions, she would message me with links to resources on art or web development that Cinaj could try, depending on whatever they spoke about. So even though we had that half-hour mentoring session, she was still working after the session to help him. I really enjoyed that! So the mentorship support wasn’t just for 30 minutes or an hour. Hannah put time into it on the days she didn’t have mentoring sessions with him. 

Do you feel like the mentorship had a positive impact on your child?

Hannah was a good mentor overall. She brought out the IT side of him. After the sessions, he would always ask to get on the computer and say he wanted to do that. So he spent a lot of time doing a bit of coding. He’s built a website now or a makeshift website. So she’s pushed him to do better for himself and helped him decide if this is something that he wants to do. Hannah would say, “Here are some of the resources for his age level.” We’ve explored those resources here and there. So he’s taking it a bit more seriously for himself to see if tech is something he wants to do.

Have you noticed an improvement in Cinaj’s confidence in making decisions for his future?

Yes. So he has decided that he wants to do IT, as opposed to him coming to me and saying, “What do you think I should do when I get older?” So I think he has found his stepping stones a bit. He knows he wants to be in an IT Department or whatever department within that subcategory. But he has found his way in that. I’m quite happy that he has found a bit more confidence in making a decision about his future, even though he is quite young.

Have you noticed an increase in Cinaj’s motivation?

Yes, he is much more motivated. I’m trying to be as supportive as I can within reason. That is why I’ve tried to put him in two different programmes so he can have the opportunity to see if these passions are what he likes and to make the decision for himself at the end of the day.

Have you noticed a further improvement in Cinaj’s relationships with his friends, teachers, family, or you?

Nothing major. He does talk about his future a bit more. He’s got his stepping stones going now and he’s got an idea of where he wants to be. So he’s come a long way in just these couple of weeks of the programme. He’s talking more about his future and what he wants to do. So it’s been a good improvement from that side. 

Did you feel that GT Scholars were supportive throughout the term?

Yes. I didn’t have any major issues. But any questions or concerns I had were answered right away. I didn’t have to wait for ages to get a response. So I feel they were very supportive. If anyone had any questions, they immediately jumped on the questions in the online sessions. So it was really good feedback from the mentors in the programme.

Would you sign your child up for any of our programmes in the future?

I would be happy to sign him up. It would be his decision ultimately. But for myself, I prefer to put him in a lot of different programmes to get his mind going because he is still quite young and also, to see what options there are out there. So I would be happy to put him in the programmes.

What would you say to other parents thinking about signing their children up for the programme?

I would encourage them to join. It was a good experience for the kids. It’s very interactive. It’s fun! We had good laughs. You get to see a change in your child. Their confidence will grow. They will be happy to be in the sessions when they meet every week. It was a very good experience. I had to make sure he was on all the time. He was quite happy when he came off and he had his notes written. So I advise any parent to sign their children up. It’s a good experience. I don’t know what else to say besides that it is a very good programme.

Rate your overall experience with GT Scholars on a scale of 1 – 10.

With 10 being the highest, I would rate it a 9. That was because I felt that the programme should have been a little bit longer, although they packed a lot into such a short period of time. Obviously, you can’t teach them everything, but it’s a good experience for young men and it’s hard to find programmes that cater to young men to keep them occupied. So to have him busy for that time was really good at getting his mind going.

Do you have any final comments or thoughts that you’d like to add?

The sessions that I sat in were really enjoyable. They were quite interactive. It wasn’t just someone speaking to you. You couldn’t just sit there listening, but you had to answer questions and write things down. There is nothing more to say. It was such a good programme.

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