Shout out for Posts

Calling all Mentors:
Hey guys, I'd be really happy to post your own thoughts and experiences on mentorship on our blog. So if you're having a great time walking a road with your mentee and want the world to know, or if you've run into some rough patches and need some advice, send us an email at mentors@forgood.co.za.

Remember, you can sign up for a Heartlines Mentorship Starterpack which includes a mentorship guide and DVD by logging onto www.forgood.co.za and clicking on "mentoring."

Happy journeying!
Stacey

Welcome to the Mentors forgood blogspot; a place for Heartlines Mentors and Mentees to hang out, blog about their experiences, and give advice to other mentors and mentees out there. Our aim is to support mentorship on a national scale.

And what is mentorship you ask? In its purest form, mentorship is about somebody with some life experience walking alongside someone with less experience. A mentor is there to provide a listening ear, guidance on life’s toughest questions, and should be able to broaden the young person’s experiences. They are a friend who leads by example.

Traditionally on this continent mentorship happened naturally, as communities took responsibility for their own young people and made sure they knew what they needed to know to contribute meaningfully to their family and community. If you stepped out of line, there would be a long queue of people eagerly waiting to call you (or shaya you!) back to order.

Fast forward to 2009. Things have changed. The lingering effects of apartheid on our souls and psyches, rural to urban migration, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the breakdown of the family, and a general loss of positive values in our society mean that most South African young people don’t have huge networks of loving and supportive adults intent on their success.

As someone who cares about the future of this country, I think it’s our responsibility to stand in that gap. We don’t become a mentor because some organisation trains us and makes us one. We become a mentor because a young person looks up to us. They see something in our lives that they connect with. We become a mentor by intentionally spending time with a young person…by showing an interest in their schoolwork, their hobbies, their friends. We are a mentor if a young person feels safe around us, important, loved.

To get a free Heartlines Mentorship Starterpack consisting of a Guide and DVD, go to www.forgood.co.za and click on “mentoring”. Otherwise, sms the word good to 32197. SMS costs R1. For South African residents only.