Mentorship plan for 2012

Sibusiso Banda

@sbudalicious

The first few months of a first years university  are always the hardest as students come underprepared about what actually goes on in university, especially if they are not 100 percent sure or agree with the type of course they have chosen.

That is why most first year-generation students not only face uncharted academic but also social territory challenges that tend to lead up to unfulfilled expectations, self-doubt and sometimes frustration and depression because they have difficulty in understanding and adapting to university culture.

Now that’s where I come in as a mentor. My role is simply not to use or abuse my powers, privileges or even status, not at all. My role is to assist, using my university experience, other students to achieve or to reach their potential.

In order to do this I must first establish a mentor-mentee relationship. Through my mentorship training, I learned that this relationship should be based on trust, patience and care, as these are the basic building blocks of an open two way relationship.

A two way process in the sense that I not only share let them share their experience but I also get the opportunity to also share and while at the same time, I will get to understand the some of the challenges that new university recruits  are being faced with. This give emphasizes to what philosopher Benjamin Disraeli was talking about when he was once quoted saying: “The greatest thing you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to lead him to his own”

Secondly, with regards to university culture and adaptation, I am going to teach mentees about the three most importance values that one should be able to practice in any other environment: Time planning, Goal setting and the different type of study methods that one can choose from. The reason I see this as fitting it’s because, I think, many people tend to lose their focus on the ball because they lack someone or something that will remind them about why they are here in university.

I have taken upon myself, to form my own policy or code of conduct that as a mentor I will be following. The following behavioral principle I am going o stick to, where highly sparked by the code of conduct that we mentors signed at the training two weeks ago:

-          Inspire mentees and students to new heights of personal development and growth

-          Display high level of commitment

-          To try by all means to be patient and understanding with mentees

-          Manage time efficiently

-          Refer mentees to appropriate professional if the problem is beyond my expertise.

-          Encourage mentee to ask questions if they don’t understand

-          Never have any relationship with my mentees beyond any other than the mentor-mentee relationship

-          To hold myself personally responsible for my professional conduct at all times

                                                 ********TO BE CONTINUED***********