“I did it to pay back. But I got so much back in return.”
When Dougie Taylor was first in recovery from alcohol addiction, he received support from local organisations. His experiences with these groups made him want to ‘give back’, in his words.
He was introduced to Wirral Youth Justice Service, then known as Wirral Youth Offending Team, and told he could make a good mentor.
Dougie, who lives in Greasby, said:
In September it will be 16 years I’ve been with the service. When I first reached out to them, they said ‘we’ll call you back in a year’, as they needed me to be dry from alcohol for at least a year.
The following year, another year of sobriety under my belt, I answered the call, got trained up and it all started from there.
Dougie, now 64, started mentoring children who passed through the youth justice service, giving them support and being a role model. As someone who had turned his own life around, he was well placed to help these children – one who was as young as four.
Dougie, who grew up on the Ford estate (now the Beechwood), said:
I have always had a good rapport with the kids, I’m just myself - I don’t lie, I don’t pretend to know things I don’t know, I’m just real.
I wouldn’t pretend to know what music the kids are listening to - but I’d go home and listen to it on Spotify and come back whistling it the next time I saw them – and that’s how we’d build connection. They can see you showing an interest, not just lip service.
Mentoring involves spending time, usually around three hours a week, with a young person who may have committed an offence, or been put on an intervention programme.
Dougie said:
You normally spend 12 weeks with them. We’ll do different things. I take them on the bus over to Liverpool, to museums and the galleries, or to West Kirby to walk around the marine lake.
A lot of these kids have never been to these places, even though they only live a few miles down the road. I never judge why, every family is different. But mentoring is about opening up the world to these kids and showing them another way of life, that they can choose with the right guidance. They get a taste of that peaceful life and they start talking.
Over the years, Dougie has supported more than 50 children through a mixture of mentoring and sessional work with bigger groups. The impact of his mentoring is massive.
Dougie said:
I still see mums today who recognise me, and let on, and tell me how their kids are doing. There was a lad who I mentored in Tranmere, I bumped into his mum, her son comes running over, he was about 18 or 19 at this point, and gives me a massive hug. It knocked me off my feet. He’s got a steady job now, he’s in a loving relationship – he’s turned it around.
For Dougie, it’s important to be non-judgemental when working with young offenders.
Dougie said:
I never judge these youngsters. Whatever they’ve done, whatever they’ve been like. They’re still kids at the end of the day. People don’t realise, as soon as you take a youngster out of their comfort zone, they’re totally lost and they look to you to look after them. They go quiet as a mouse.
And as well as improving the lives of many young people, mentoring has been hugely positive for Dougie too.
Dougie said:
If I’d known about this earlier on, I would’ve done it. Every kid, every human being is different – everyone judges people at some time in their life. It’s improved my own confidence and self worth and being myself, it’s boosted me up to the hilt.
You face challenges, sure. But you can really make a difference. If you’ve got a few spare hours a week, it could be for you. I did it to pay back. But I got so much back in return.
To learn more, and register your interest in being a mentor, visit: Wirral Youth Justice Service | wirral.gov.uk.
