The Path to Evolve
One of our longest serving Health Mentors, Jeevan Chagger, joined Evolve in 2013 during his time at college and became fully employed as a Health Mentor in 2015.
His Evolve journey was a somewhat unexpected one. Jeevan had initially applied for University to do medicine but decided to take a gap year. He claims to still be on that same gap year almost a decade later! For Jeevan, helping young people in education to achieve their best and feel valued was an easy choice.
Highlights of being a Health Mentor
No two days are the same. By its very nature, the job involves a high degree of flexibility. It takes a special type of person to be able to adapt and it is this challenge that Jeevan likes so much about the job. He loves that he can see the fruits of his work and how the young people use and develop their new skills over time.
Challenges of being a Health Mentor
For Jeevan, the hardest part of the job is having to leave a school or reaching the end of an academic year, as the impact he has made over the year hits home. He also struggles with the idea that he isn’t able to support every young person who may need support beyond his own caseload. Helping and supporting people comes naturally to Jeevan and having to say no isn’t something that he likes doing.
Significant Achievements
Having been a Health Mentor for as long as he has, Jeevan has had many notable achievements and milestones. At his first school, he embarked on a two-year journey with a mentee with autism, ADHD, and behavioural problems. Through dedicated guidance and support, Jeevan helped his mentee to navigate self-regulation techniques, and successfully integrate into the community, something that was assumed to be impossible by colleagues at the outset. He even joined a football club in his local area.
At another school, Jeevan’s proactive approach saw him initiate and coach a hockey club, marking the school’s first entry into competition for years. Their victory at school level propelled them to regional finals, where they were able to showcase their talent across the county. Many of the students involved still play hockey and Jeevan’s passion for the sport has clearly had a lasting impact on them.
Jeevan’s commitment to empowering his mentees has seen him make waves in facilitating transitions from special schools to mainstream schools. He is now also supporting students to complete the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
After years of hard work and positive impact, Jeevan was awarded Evolve’s National Health Mentor of the Year in 2019, a testament to the commitment and passion he has for his work. A natural next step for Jeevan was passing on his valuable knowledge and skills to the next generation of Health Mentors by starting to deliver the Health Mentor Development Programme in 2023.
Jeevan’s accomplishments stand as a testament to the profound impact that dedicated mentorship can have on the lives of children and young people, and the ripple effect into their local communities.
Why Health Mentors are so Important
A Health Mentor is someone who can offer support to a school community with the opportunity to embed practices that can be sustained beyond the lifetime of our support. A Health Mentor offers schools flexibility and capacity to support pupils who need help and are also emotionally available to support the teaching workforce too.
