As a way to engage Center for Excellence (KCE I and II) alumni who are now in university and provide better support for our current primary school students, this fall, we began the process of revamping our mentorship model.
In the past, trained volunteers from universities across Kenya would serve as mentors for our primary and high school students, but now that our own KCE alumnae have sufficiently come of age, those who are interested are receiving training to serve in this role. The first mentorship training workshop took place earlier this month. Our alumnae were trained to give guidance in a variety of personal and professional subjects including effective interpersonal communication, job readiness, leadership skills, and problem solving techniques. This peer-led approach empowers them to be front line experts, leaders, and positive role-models for our younger girls, and being from the same community, they will also be better able to identify with the challenges our younger students are experiencing.
This format further allows mentees the safe space to build their self-esteem, develop their voice, and overcome negative peer pressure with guidance from older girls who have walked in their shoes. Mentees acquire the necessary skills and confidence to make their own healthy life decisions, including remaining in school, delaying marriage, and building lifelong relationships with older generations of KCE alumni.
Our KCE alumni are delighted for this opportunity to give back to their community in such a meaningful way, and we know their insights and guidance will be invaluable to our younger girls as they make their way in the world. Being a mentor and receiving mentorship is truly an empowering experience for all involved. A special thanks to our partners Women for Change for helping make this re-imagining of our mentorship model possible!