A FEW months ago I was asked by the good folk who run Derbyshire YMCA if I would consider joining a mentoring scheme.
And I have to say it has led to two of the most eye-opening months of my life.
Many years ago, my parents fostered a teenage girl after taking her and her brother for weekends from the local children's home.
Now that my children are grown up, I felt that I would want to follow suit and work with young people in some capacity.
In addition, I have long admired my wife's voluntary work with the disabled, so I felt an additional need to contribute to society.
Actually, I have gained so much more than I have given, through this relatively small voluntary commitment.
I have been stunned by how much I have learned about today's young people through working with the YMCA.
So what do I actually do?
Simple. Every week, I make an appointment with my mentee – a former YMCA resident – and he tells me about his life.
Why? Because up until a few weeks ago he was estranged from his family.
Over the past few years, he had been involved in drugs and crime and had been to prison.
His turning point came when drug dealers threatened his life. It was then that he realised he needed a different path and was offered it through the brilliant folk at the YMCA.
They advised him about the possibility of a catering apprenticeship with a city charity and also, after he had showed signs of maturity, they acted as a glue for him to find accommodation of his own.
He is hugely grateful for their help and regularly volunteers on different projects at the YMCA because he feels he should give something back. But, because of his family circumstances, he needed a role model to make sure he kept going in the right direction.
In my own small way, I like to think I have offered some sound advice to help him but at the same time he has, without trying, challenged some of my preconceptions.
Before I met this young man, I had scant regard for drug-takers and criminals. My view was black and white. They should be locked up until they were rehabilitated.
However, I now recognise that this would not address the problem.
The fact is that my mentee was kicked out of his home after a row with his step-father at the age of 16.
He was homeless and hopeless. No surprise, therefore, that he was easy prey for the criminal gangs.
Indeed, his friends at that time are the very people he now needs to avoid to prevent him drifting into the old spiral.
Have a think about that. A young man, trying to rebuild his life, estranged from his family, without friends and with little money. I have learned a lot from his courage.
Government cuts in funding and consequent council cuts to the YMCA have meant less money for support workers for people such as him.
But, surely, if spending in this direction is stopped, the taxpayers will have to foot the bill when more young people end up in jail?
Or we will need more and more volunteers to help.
