"My career is head work and volunteer work is heart work"

With two decades of volunteering experience under her belt, Lucy Losinno was looking for a new way to help in 2020 when she came across the Community Connections Mentoring program, and decided to give Jesuit Social Services a call.

“I was looking for something in mentoring and it stood out, it just seemed like there was a lot of care and passion in what they do, it’s not just talk, they walk the walk,” she said.

“I just felt like it was the right fit for me, and I felt very welcome straight away.”

“I don’t have my own kids, that’s why I’ve done volunteer work for the last 20 years because I feel like I can look after more kids this way and make more of a difference.”

The program is aimed at providing extended community support to young people involved in the Child Protection system, who reside in residential or home-based care and are soon to be transitioning into independent living.

Lucy and her young person meet weekly, with the activities largely led by the participant.

“We do a lot of walking and talking so we can just debrief, we go through her emotions and how she’s processing her emotions, and we do a lot of mindfulness as well,” she said.

“But we have a lot of fun, you can almost guarantee that there’s going to be both of us belly laughing on our catch-up.”

Community Connections Mentoring Senior Project Officer Kiandra Roelink said the program provides young people leaving out-of-home care with a volunteer Mentor invested in them, a safe person and that they can grow to trust and through this relational work can start to recover from childhood trauma and achieve great things.

“Being a volunteer Mentor provides our young people with a truly special gift; a person who believes in them and a person they trust in. Something money can’t buy,” she said.

“As the Project Officer for the program it is my job to support mentors and the young people to thrive, making sure they have everything they need to have a positive experience in the program.”

If someone needs support and help, Lucy is the first to put her hand up – it’s what she is good at, and what makes her feel good.

“It fulfills me in a way that sometimes my professional job doesn’t. I call it head and heart work. My career is head work and volunteer work is heart work,” she said.

Her current participant is about to reach the end of her 12 months in the program, and Lucy said the learning and inspiration has been a mutual experience.

“Her life is filled with meaning and purpose and passion and in her words, she’s living her dream,” she said.

“I’m there to talk to her and be a safe space to support, to guide, to encourage her, but she’s done the work and it’s been just amazing to see her do it. I think if she could do it, and she’s had way more obstacles than me, it inspires me to do better in my life as well.”

Lucy can’t see herself parting ways with the Jesuit Social Services and the Community Connection Mentoring program anytime soon.

“That’s why I stay on, I love the meaningful work that I do, but the support I get, you really feel like you’ve been cared for and they’re very proactive to our needs, and they really do care,” she said.

Kiandra feels privileged to and work with such wonderful volunteers as Lucy, whose work she says is a true testimony to the human spirit and what can be achieved through developing positive relationships.

“It fills me with such delight and joy to see mentors like Lucy with their young person building a trusting relationship, through which they learn together and enjoy each other’s company,” she said.