Our B!G mentor this week is Gillian Reidy, designer and business owner of Penhouse Design. Gillian joined The B!G Idea as a mentor in 2021 and has been a strong supporter of the programme and its impact on young people ever since.
“I think creativity is a skill that needs to be recognised and developed as early as possible. Many young people already have it, but they may not realise it. If students recognise their creativity early and understand what it is, they will draw on it throughout their lives. It becomes something they can always rely on when solving problems or facing new challenges.”
“To me, mentoring is about guiding people and encouraging them to think differently. It’s about drawing on your own knowledge and experience and using that to help younger people who may not yet have that experience. You help them look at things from new perspectives and support them as they develop their ideas.”
“The projects were sent to us, and I read through each one carefully to understand what the students were trying to achieve. I didn’t rush to respond straight away. Instead, I took time to reflect and think about their ideas. Then I came back and shared feedback — asking questions like ‘Have they thought about this?’ or ‘Could they explore that?’ The goal was to encourage them to push their ideas further rather than settle on the first solution.”
“It’s lovely to feel that you can be useful to younger people. If anything I share helps them, that’s already a positive. It also made me realise that creativity hasn’t always been fully acknowledged in schools. Creative subjects like art or music are recognised, but creativity as a broader skill across all subjects isn’t always highlighted. Through mentoring, I became much more aware of how important that is.”
“I realised how valuable professional input can be for students at that age. They’re just starting out, and sometimes a small suggestion can help them think differently. It’s nice to support them at that stage and help guide their thinking in new directions.”
“No question. When I first saw the programme, I thought, why hasn’t this been done before? It’s such an amazing idea. That age group is fantastic, and anything that helps foster creativity and new skills is brilliant. I think it’s an incredible programme.”
“Yes, absolutely. The process felt straightforward and simple. It was very easy to get involved and very enjoyable. I almost felt like I could have done more because it was such a positive experience.”
“Definitely. When you’ve been working in your field for a long time, you forget how much you’ve learned. You take certain knowledge for granted. It’s lovely when a student says, ‘I never thought of that.’ Sharing experience can really help them see things differently. Mentoring is a very rewarding experience.”
