By Liam McNally
For Krystle Sheppard, it was her own experiences growing up which inspired her to sign up as a mentor.
She said her life would be an interesting book to read.
“There was a lot of abuse from a relative and his friends, abusive relationships,” Ms Sheppard said.
“I guess I listened to their words and made them my own.
“That I was useless, that I was worthless.”
She said she owed it to her grandma, uncle and aunt for getting her the help she needed, but she thinks having a program like Sparkways available would have been “amazing”.
Ms Sheppard spoke to Star Weekly from Sunshine Hospital, which she has been in and out of for the last couple of years with diabetic gastroparesis.
Despite these troubles, and being a single mother, she still wants to find the time to give back.
“It’s good to have a distraction from just yourself,” Ms Sheppard said.
“To me sitting there, I feel like I’m wasting time, and if I can help someone it’s a good distraction and I’m doing something good.”
The program connects young people who have been involved with child protection with adult mentors.
The pairs catch up every two weeks for 12 months and do activities based around the young person’s interests, aimed at building confidence and setting goals.
Sparkways mentoring program team leader Fletcher Curnow said Sparkways is currently seeking volunteer mentors in Brimbank.
“Sparkways currently has over 15 young people on the waitlist who need a mentor in the Brimbank and Wyndham areas,” he said.
“These young people have had it tough and have been involved with child protection in the past.
“They now need support from volunteer mentors in the community that they can connect with, do fun activities with and set and achieve meaningful goals that are important to them.”
Mr Curnow said the most rewarding part of the program is watching young people come out of their shell and helping them achieve goals.
