Why become a mentor?

Mentors share wisdom, experiences and skills to a girl who might not be privileged to gain this experience otherwise. They help the girls to belive that they can advance in life, no matter where they are born and raised, which would change the lives of many underprivileged girls in Gambia.
We are looking for people who are committed to support, and willing to invest their time for at least one of our girls in the network. Someone who can challenge girls to confront their fears and turn them into opportunities to excel.
Our mentors are required to connect with the girls depending on their available time. This can range from once a week to once a month through Skype, phone call, email and so on.

Criteria to become a mentor

1. Easy to connect with others
2. Skilled in problem solving
3. Committed and available online for mentoring
4. Able to share stories from personal experiences  
5. Must be at least 18 years old
6. Interested in different cultures, language and life-styles
7. Have some form of education
8. Speak basic English
9. Comfortable with talking about issue that are related to girls education, higher education and career opportunities

Key mentoring skills

Active listening
Motivation skills
Flexibility
Resourcefulness
Confidence/trust-building character
Competence
Open-mindedness

Responsibility of a mentor

1. Mentoring a teenage girl between the age of 13 to 17 for at least one school calendar year.
2. Being available online to your mentee to discuss about issues that are related to WeMotion, such as education, experience sharing and so on.
3. Being available to your mentee for questions she might has.
4. Engaging in communication with WeMotion staff.
5. Completing the mentoring feedback form.
6. Maintaining mentee/mentor confidentiality.

How to proceed?

After getting a clear understanding of your responsibilities, then start connecting with your mentor online. You can decide with your mentee on the preferred channel of communication (Example: Email, phone call, Whats-app, Viber, Skype etc.). Also, on the length of the conversation.

Having an open mind and projecting a welcoming character is a critical approach of building a smooth relationship. Hence, try to provide as much necessary information about yourself, your experiences and your motivation to becoming a mentor, as possible. This would assist the mentee to open up to the conversation. Allow the mentee to share her personal information in our areas of focus. Ask her about her motivation to become a mentee, and her expectations of this mentoring program. If possible, talk about the type of mentoring or coaching you wish to do. Do not forget that this is a journey that the mentee is embarking on and you are a part of that experience.  Therefore, you should challenge her to grow by asking the right questions that would help her to make the best out of this mentoring program.

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