During the kick-off Workshop of the REACH Mentorship Program which took place on 3 September, participants came with questions with hope of getting a response at the end of the workshop. Some of the key questions responded to includes:
- What is the most sought benefit in a Mentorship Program?
- Are there incentives for being a Mentor?
- What are the expectations of Mentees when embarking on this journey?
The workshop was attended by REACH Project and Associated Partners, the REACH Youth Task Force representing the cohort of Mentees, the Mentors identified by each partner organization and other significant invited speakers.
One of the key developments of REACH is the pairing of the Youth Task Force members with experienced mentors selected by the project partners to:
This Mentorship Program will have a duration of 16 months and will serve as a piloting driver for generating data to develop a Mentorship Charter. This Charter will include the learnings from the program and will be used to provide structured guidance for sport organizations to empower youth and reflect on their mission towards the promotion and good practice of mentoring, establishing a benchmark for ethics and professional conduct.
The Workshop included learnings related to the specific guidelines of the REACH Mentorship Program, but also further knowledge related to general needs and expectations from the participants, tips for Mentors and Mentees, and a round table with speakers with previous experience in mentoring that provided a much welcome insightful perspective.
Mentees and Mentors will now start working on addressing the content of their initial meetings: from formal learning sessions such as workshops or capacity-building assignments to open dialogue and debate seeking advice and ensuring experience-sharing. One thing is clear, participants professed their intention to be committed to learning from this experience and acquiring new perspectives and ideas – whether as Mentors or the Mentees, everyone gets to benefit from it!
