We believe mentoring helps young people set aspiring goals and challenge limiting beliefs that hold them back, that is why for the past two years, we have been holding mentoring sessions in secondary schools. From our sessions, one of our mentors, Fyness Phiri, a final year Bachelor of Business Communication student at the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, shares what she has learned and why she feels mentoring young people is vital for personal and career success.

As a young college student who has had an opportunity to mentor secondary students, I have experiences that have reinforced my belief in the need for mentorship. Apart from the need among students, my personal experiences have further influenced my take on the necessity of mentorship. This is what has inspired me to share a few reasons why I am certain that mentorship matters.

Mentorship imparts knowledge to young people. Through mentorship, young people are motivated to work hard towards achieving their goals. For instance, my eyes were opened to endless possibilities of what I could become and how I should go about chasing my dreams because I was mentored. The encouragement from the tones of mentors who surrounded me pushed me to go ahead and pursue my dream. Today, I am a proud university student studying Business Communication, a program I love.

On top of conveying knowledge, mentorship helps young people set realistic goals in life. I grew up in a community where I witnessed a lot of girls getting teenage pregnancies. In conversation with them, I realized that a majority of them were just going to school because it was the most fashionable thing for someone of our age, not necessarily because they had a goal to achieve in life. Asking them, they would share that after completing school they would like to become a doctor, nurse, soldier, etc… but practically we all had no idea of what those careers entailed. 

Differently, I had exposure to mentors who helped me carve out a proper goal and set strategies on how to achieve those goals. I believe it is through mentorship that we can help young people to create realistic goals which will enable them to serve this generation and make young people realize their inner potential.

Mentors build confidence in an individual to see the possibility of meeting their goal and becoming even more than what they thought they could be. My confidence and not giving up came from people who believed in the possibility of my dream. This confidence also helps build a good leader who sees the possibility of things happening. The confidence displayed by others in you, empowers you to take a step towards your goal.

In conclusion, it is more profitable to mentor a student. This year can be a great opportunity for you to also mentor those around you. Using your experience, knowledge, and skills, you can push someone to achieve their dreams and improve their life and community. This is why I invite you to consider joining us in mentoring secondary students in our 2022 journey.