Rewriting Stories: Celebrating National Mentoring Day at RestorativU
Every mentoring relationship starts with a story. Sometimes it begins in a place of harm or loss, and sometimes it begins with hope. But what makes it powerful is the space it opens for change.
At RestorativU, this idea lies at the heart of what we call restorative mentoring. It’s not just about advice or guidance; it’s about rebuilding trust and dignity, creating space for reflection and accountability, and helping people reconnect with the communities around them.
This National Mentoring Day, we’re celebrating the people who make that possible: mentors who turn experience into empathy, and young people who show, every day, that transformation is real.
For Colin, one of the mentors we work with, mentoring is first and foremost a collaboration. “It’s a privilege to share my knowledge and experience with those who need it the most,” he says. “The story of mentoring is a collaboration. It brings together the harmer and the harmed, giving them a chance to communicate in a therapeutic way.”
For him, mentoring is not just a process of guidance but of repair. Through dialogue and reflection, both sides can begin to see each other in a different light. And thanks to RestorativU’s digital tools, mentors like Colin can track their progress, notice patterns, and strengthen their practice over time.
“For young people it’s about peace of mind. Knowing they’ve got a trusted circle of adults they can rely on. I believe every young person deserves a chance to rewrite their story.”
That idea is what drives Tyler, another mentor at RestorativU. His journey into restorative mentoring began from a place of lived experience. “I know what it’s like to grow up around gangs, drugs, and crime,” he says. “For years, that was my life. But today, I’m rewriting my story.”
Tyler’s work now focuses on helping young people escape the same cycles he once believed were impossible to break. He understands better than anyone that trust isn’t given easily. “One young man I worked with barely spoke for months,” he recalls. “I started sharing my own past, my own pain. Slowly, the walls came down. For the first time, he spoke about his trauma. For the first time, he felt heard.”
That moment — a conversation between two people who have both known difficult times — is the essence of it all. The young man Tyler worked with is now employed, hopeful, and rebuilding his life. “This work isn’t just a job for me,” Tyler says.
“It’s healing. I want my son to see that no matter what life throws at you, you can rise stronger and be better. I’ll keep giving young people the chance I wish I’d had when I was younger.”
These stories remind us why RestorativU exists. Our tools are designed not to replace human relationships but to strengthen them. They help mentors and organisations track progress, manage cases securely, and record the real impact of their work, while keeping restorative values at the core.
By using technology thoughtfully, mentors can spend less time buried in paperwork and more time connecting with the people who matter most. They can see the bigger picture, measure change, and learn from each encounter. At RestorativU, we call this Restorative Equity: making sure that those most affected by harm are at the centre of the solution. Technology becomes a bridge — not a barrier — between people, helping them see that accountability, empathy, and transformation are possible.
National Mentoring Day is an opportunity to reflect on the power of that work. Mentoring changes lives — not only for those being mentored, but for those who mentor as well. It’s about learning to listen, to hold space, and to rebuild trust where it was once lost. We’re proud to work with mentors like Colin and Tyler, whose honesty, compassion, and resilience embody the best of what restorative mentoring can be. Their stories show that change is not an abstract idea; it’s something that happens one conversation at a time.
Technology can’t create that connection, but it can help sustain it, amplify it, and make it possible for more people to experience it. That’s the work we’re committed to at RestorativU: bringing restorative mentoring to the mainstream, responsibly and respectfully, so that more young people have the chance to rewrite their stories and shape a different future.
Because in the end, every restorative story begins the same way: with someone who chooses to listen.