Community Market Excursion
Leanne, Strong & Capable member & chair of the board.
Our Peer Mentoring Program Coordinator, Clair caught up with Leanne to learn how she found the experience. Here’s what Leanne had to say:
Clair: How were you feeling about participating in the Peer Mentoring activity?
Leanne: I was really looking forward to getting out and about and joining the rest of the world – I’ve been in a bit of a rut. A bit nervous about meeting someone new, but feeling quite happy that we were going to do something that we BOTH wanted to do.
Clair: How long had it been since you had visited a community market & what had been stopping you from going?
Leanne: I didn’t realise I had stopped going to things like the market. It’s not as much fun on your own, and almost felt like a task without the company of someone else who wanted to be there.
Clair: How did you feel while you were participating in the activity?
Leanne: It had been a while since I had been to something like this – so I felt a bit awkward. It was great to have the distraction of someone to turn to and talk about the things for sale, and someone to point out things I hadn’t noticed. I didn’t feel quite so conspicuous, or like I was standing out – as you can when you are on your own. I felt more confident and it was so good to join the community.
Clair: Do you feel like this is something you want to do again, has it inspired you to find a regular way to build this activity into your routine or even try something new?
Leanne: I love the idea of trying new things as a bit of an experiment. I have realised that I need to schedule more fun into my life!
It’s not part of my routine yet, but has reminded me how good it is to get out and explore and interrupt the cycle of staying home (it’s a trap!)
Clair: Anything else you’d like to add?
Leanne: I’m really glad that I gave it a go, and I felt great afterwards. It gave me the chance to join in conversations about what we did over the weekend. Usually I don’t have much to add.
The planning ahead part was a positive experience too, something to look forward to.
Peer Mentoring Program Coordinator Comment
If you or someone you know might be interested in participating in the Peer Mentoring Program, don’t hesitate to reach out.
