Robert was 11 and about to make the transition to secondary school when his social worker contacted Solidarity Sports. Concerned for his wellbeing, she explained that he was getting into a lot of trouble at school and at home. He spent a great deal of time on the streets and was known to have broken windows and doors. He had recently even tried to set fire to his grandmother’s house. Robert has 2 older siblings and 2 younger ones; their relationship is very tense. His Mum keeps the curtains drawn day and night, she has many allergies and finds it challenging to leave home.

Carlos had volunteered at Solidarity Sports for a year when he expressed his interest in becoming a mentor. He was mentored himself during his teens and identified the experience as a turning point in his life. He understood well what feeling isolated meant to a child and recognised the anger and despair that go with it. His honest, playful and sensitive personality encourages children to open up to him.

Carlos was paired with Robert and mentored him for a year.

Together, each week, they explored a broad variety of activities, including trampolining, mini-golf and go-carting. Carlos soon realised that the most meaningful trips to Robert were walking

his dogs in the park - he seemed to prefer animals to people. During those walks Robert would relax, open up and talk about his frustrations and fears. He described difficult moments in his life such as when his family filmed him being very angry and all laughed at his behaviour. Robert asked Carlos a lot of questions about race and identity, drugs and death. He did not see the point of school where they labelled his behaviour using words such as ADHD and autism. He felt Carlos’ empathy showed a lot of interest in his replies and anecdotes. Yet, at the end of each trip, Robert’s mood would suddenly change, he often would rush to his bedroom and lock himself in.

As the mentoring relationship consolidated, the trust grew. One day Robert took Carlos to an abandoned “secret” area where his friends smoked weed and talked about being arrested by the police as a badge of honour. To begin with, his friends were suspicious (few adults ventured in that area), but soon they became chatty and talked openly about their parents, schools and lives. Some showed an interest in being mentored by Carlos.

Each week, Robert looked forward to his outings with Carlos. Gradually, he stopped going to the “secret” area. He appears to have understood that there is another world for him to discover and that the future holds hope. Although mentoring has not changed Robert’s negative attitude towards home/school, it has offered an alternative space in which he feels safe and not judged.

Carlos encouraged Robert to join the main Solidarity Sports group during school holidays. There, he seems to be motivated and less angry than at home. He knows that the staff listen to and value his opinions and feelings. School and home are still difficult places for him but his friendship with Carlos has had a real impact in the way he sees the world.

Carlos believes he has also been changed positively by the mentoring. He recognised a lot of himself as a child in Robert; there were some frustrating occasions when he had to carefully control his emotions, but many rewarding times too. He is presently studying at university and working part-time.