Meet Jill Tellier, core member of the Sustainability Mentors team.
Based in France, Jill is a freelance translator specialising in sustainability, and is also a member of the Sustainability Mentors core team. Here she explains why mentoring is important to her and how it is integral to us all meeting our common goals.
I have been living in France since 2009 and have been working in the voluntary and community sector with young people on environmental issues, citizenship and climate change.
After over 10 years of working in environmental education it seemed a natural progression for me to combine my linguistic abilities with my scientific knowledge and educational background, and so since 2020 I have been working as a freelance French to English translator. My translation work specialises in sustainability, and natural and cultural heritage.
Before moving to France, I held various roles within nfp, academia and local government. My work focused on exhibition and content development, strategy and policy particularly within planning, regeneration and local community development.
Through the policy and strategy work I also have developed a particular interest in sustainability indicators. Awareness raising and education concerning sustainability have been a constant throughout my professional life.
I was looking for new opportunities and new ways of working. I wanted to collaborate with people who have similar views. Sustainability Mentors presented a possibility to develop new skills, to expand my knowledge and horizon with like-minded people whilst working to activate change on all levels to deliver sustainability.
The project fitted the bill perfectly in terms of both personal and professional goals.
Sharing knowledge and cooperative working are core values of sustainability for me. Mentoring is a brilliant opportunity to do this, either for personal and/or professional development.
Although a mentor is usually a person with significant experience and a developed skill set, the opportunities to learn from mentees are endless.
Helping someone find their own answers to issues or problems is such a boost to confidence, and the fact that mentees are working to improve their impact on delivering sustainability is fantastic. We are all working towards common goals.
Be open and honest. Sometimes we don’t have all the information or answers to a particular problem or situation. The mentoring process is as much a chance to learn about ourselves as it is to help someone else.
Jump in with both feet! But, realistically, each and every sector needs to adapt and transition in a sustainable way, so alongside key skills within a particular profession, transversal skills such as problem solving, project management, creativity are all extremely useful. And, of course, optimism and sheer determination!
For me personally, it is to make a difference, no matter how small. Aligning my values to my work is essential, and though sometimes it takes a while to bring projects and ideas to fruition.
The bottom line is: ‘have I made a difference?’.
Having clear ideas and an open mind are key. Although in some senses they might be seen as counter productive, they are actually complementary. Knowing what you want to do, with clear objectives, but still open to improvement and change.
I am inspired by the people I meet every day.
The teacher who goes the extra mile to really explain climate change, the local councillor who sets up a tree-planting project with schools, the neighbourhood group who have developed an allotment giving free access to composting facilities, the community group creating a scheme for reducing bottled water consumption, and the motivated individuals who come together to campaign for safer cycle routes…the list goes on!