Mosaic is proud to announce that Nusrat Sadiq has been selected for our Hero of the Month Award. Nusrat is a ‘lead mentor’, leading a team of mentors who work with primary school children at Adderley Primary School and Leigh Junior, Infant and Nursery School in the West Midlands.

Nusrat first became involved with Mosaic in her role as Business and Community Learning Coordinator at Washwood Heath Technology College where since 2010 she has been responsible for Mosaic’s core secondary mentoring programme. Having witnessed first-hand the benefit of mentoring, Nusrat became a primary school mentor herself last academic year by supporting Ward End and Adderley Primary Schools. In the autumn term of this academic year, Adderley Primary School and Leigh Junior Infant and Nursery School are benefiting from having Nusrat as a lead mentor.

West Midlands Regional Manager Annalisa Lockett comments: “I am so very pleased that Nusrat has won this award. Working with her is a pleasure and great joy to me as I know that she will do her utmost to ensure young people benefit from our work and engagement. I look forward to many more future partnerships with her.”

Her fellow mentor Saadia Parvaiz comments: “Nusrat is a wonderful role model, not just for the girls and mothers who participate in the programme but also to fellow mentors. This is my first year as a Mosaic mentor and in her role as lead mentor at Leigh Junior School, Nusrat has been very supportive. She ensures that everybody is involved in the programme activities and discussions and if someone is struggling she helps them.”

Zahreen Ashgar, session Leader at Adderley Primary School adds: “It is wonderful to work with her. She is an inspiration to both mothers and daughters and has this incredible dedication and commitment to making a difference to the lives of all our participants. It is an honour and a privilege to have her on board and I am delighted that she has received recognition for her outstanding contribution.”

Congratulations, Nuzrat!

We asked Nuzrat a few questions about herself and her mentoring experiences:

How long have you been volunteering as a Mosaic mentor for?

This is my second year as a Mosaic mentor.

What motivated you to want to become a mentor?

To give back to the community and most importantly, the desire to share what I have learned during my career and personal journey with students from the community I have been brought up with.

I believed I had the skills and the willingness to be a good mentor and help develop a good working relationship that is trusting and honest with younger students then I normally work with. I am a realist – which is a necessary trait for a good mentor – and I have the dexterity to work with individuals to inspire them and help them determine their strengths and what needs to be done to achieve their goals.

My personal journey is one which most of the mothers could relate to, which allows for an instant bond on trust and openness.

Please tell us about a particular rewarding or special experience you have had as a mentor.

As a mentor I have many rewarding experiences in such a short time span, but the one that I will reiterate time and time again will be the ‘Avon Girl’. Her aspiration was to be an Avon Representative – I was shocked. We established the reasons for her choice of career, and over the length of the mentoring programme she began to realise there was more to life then ‘make-up and glamour’.

At the end of the project, her aspiration levels had changed allowing her to think beyond Avon and exploring possibilities in becoming a teacher of hair beauty in a college/salon/her own business or theatre make-up.

We looked at what appealed to her and how she could still do what she wanted but be realistic about a future career in an industry which would financially support her and provide for her future family.

What have you found challenging about mentoring?

The notion of how some of our community has not changed an ounce since my days as a child.

How parents can become a hindrance to young people’s dreams and aspirations due to their own fears, expectations and the lack of knowledge and understanding of the education system in the UK.

And what do you do when you’re not volunteering?

I work in secondary education; I am currently studying my Masters in Education and when I can I contribute to the work of Compact Europe, a local community organisation which works with the youth of today.

Would you recommend being a Mosaic mentor to others?

Most definitely, without a shadow of a doubt. If you want to open the door of opportunity to someone’s life, become a Mosaic mentor.

What makes a good mentor?

• Someone who is dedicated to the cause
• A solution finder
• Relationship management skills
• Believes in themselves, so that they can motivate you to believe in yourself
• A good listener and has a different perspective
• Someone who has the knowledge, life experience or the contacts to signpost you in the right direction.
• Someone who is enthusiastic and confident
• Someone who is easily approachable
• Someone who is willing to help and learn on the journey to mutually benefit all concerned.

Would you like to be a mentor like Nuzrat? We are recruiting more mentors across the UK and we would love to hear from you. Find out more about how you can get involved.