Personal Mentorship
The idea of mentorship has been a part of my life for awhile. Growing up, my dad was a mentor for a program called TeamMates in Nebraska. I was always inspired by the weekly time he spent with his mentee. To this day, they still keep in contact and meet up. As a woman who has decided not to have children, I still love being around children and am hopeful for their futures. Over the past couple of years, I decided I was at a point where I wanted to start mentoring for organizations in my community and causes I support. Currently, I’m involved with the following organizations:
The Young Center - a champion for the rights and best interests of unaccompanied immigrant children, making sure that wherever they land, they are safe.
Read 718 - working on closing the literacy gap in Brooklyn and to help ensure educational access and equity for all Brooklyn children.
Children of Promise, NYC - reimagines a just society that values the purpose of every child impacted by mass incarceration and removes barriers to create opportunities for children to thrive and achieve their human potential.
Overall, my experience has been positive. When I’m with children, the stresses of adulthood are forgotten and I’m reminded that life can be innocent and playful. At the same time, I’m reminded that life can be challenging, even at a young age. There are days when the children I work with are having a hard day and want nothing to do with me. That is ok. I remind myself that the constant presence and being there for them whether they are having a good or bad day is all that matters. I believe that everyone benefits from a mentor, young or old. I’ve decided to focus on mentorship for children and am hoping that my small presence in their lives will give them hope and encouragement for the journey of life that they are on.
Our next post will be about professional mentorship and how impactful that can be as well.
- D