Our Hero of the month for November: Paul Sullivan, Yorkshire

Paul Sullivan is a Police Community Engagement Officer from West Yorkshire Police, and is in his third year of mentoring in Mosaic’s Secondary School Programme. He is currently working with the team at Belle Vue Girls’ School in Bradford. Within the team, Paul takes the lead on planning and delivering some of the mentoring sessions. Yorkshire Regional Manager, Nabila Ayub commented: “After a very successful 2012/13, Paul has stepped up when leadership has been required in his team; he’s never phased by the inevitable hiccups at the very beginning of the academic year, and has attended every single session without fail and supported the rest of his team of mentors when they’ve needed a push. Paul has been so encouraging of his mentee’s and has really supported the link teacher at the school, as well as the students he mentors.”

How long have you been volunteering as a Mosaic mentor for?
I am into my fourth year.

What motivated you to want to become a mentor?
I am personally and professionally involved in trying to enhance resilience in community relations. Living parallel lives is a reality in Bradford. By working with young people who are generally Muslim and Asian I hope to engender a more realistic idea of what a white Christian is like.

Please tell us about a particular rewarding or special experience you have had as a mentor
The feedback I received from 3 female students I had worked with was particularly rewarding. During my second year, students gave feedback that mentors coming into school was the highlight of the week.

What have you found challenging about mentoring?
Lack of appreciation for education among students has varied between individuals and schools. It has been hard to deal with on occasions.

And what do you do when you’re not volunteering?
I am writing (working title Blood Red Moon) about the odyssey of the Shroud of Turin (from it’s weaving in the desert oasis of Palmyra) and Head Cloth of Oviedo from Jerusalem to those respective cities. This is firstly for my children and secondly, to show there is no contradiction between science and faith, in fact scientific research corroborates Gospel accounts in every tiny detail.

Goodwill Walk is an event I organise on Good Friday each year between Bingley and Ilkley. I am a catechist in my Church youth group – NetOne. I work as a Police Community Engagement Officer.

Would you recommend being a Mosaic mentor to others?

Yes!

What makes a good mentor?

Passion.

Would you like to be a mentor like Paul? 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.