What a busy month it’s been for the Roses? In line with the Rotary theme month of Basic education and Literacy, the Roses dedicated this month to mentorship. When I assumed office of Mentorship chair of the Rotary Roses at the beginning of this month, I had to read more on the subject. The Rotary Roses mentorship
program aims to build capacity of female leaders by equipping skills to both young and old through existing Leadership programs within Rotary and out of Rotary. As such we have partners who we pledged to support as Rotary Roses E.g. Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), Rotaract Ladies Initiative (ROLI), Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI), Toastmaster International and Evolving Woman among many others.
On Saturday, TRFEW Supported the Rotaract ladies Initiative as they launched their FutureMe mentorship program that mentors both boys and girls aged 15-35 i in leadership, business, career and family.
The launch that was presided over by the District Governor and the Patron of the Roses has over 120 mentees in incubation whereas the mentors are only 30! There is certainly a need for more mentors especially from the Rotary Roses. We often hear the reasons people give for not becoming a mentor. “I don’t have time. I don’t have the right skills. My personality isn’t suitable, etc”…. For the most part these are excuses, not reasons. We all have more time, skills and insight than we think, and, with the right training, anyone can learn to be a good mentor. Before you pull out a reason to say “no”, consider first these five reasons to say “yes” to being a mentor.
Become a better leader: – Learning how to work with people to whom you don’t have a natural connection, demonstrating patience with those in need of guidance and support, helping people figure out the best path forward: all trademarks of a great leader AND skills honed through mentoring. The more you work at leadership on a one-to-one basis, the more you’ll improve in larger group settings.
Shape the leaders of tomorrow: -Most of us long for a legacy, some stake in the future that says, “I was here.” What better legacy than to be a part of shaping tomorrow’s leaders?
Gain new perspectives and fresh ideas: Mentoring is a unique opportunity to step outside your normal circle of friends and social media’s echo chamber to gain an intimate understanding of how the world looks through someone else’s eyes. New perspectives lead to fresh ideas, and who knows where fresh ideas could lead you?
Put your finger on the pulse of a younger generation : Usually (although not always) mentors end up working with younger mentees, sometimes much younger. Different generations think and act differently. If you are to be an effective leader, you need to have an understanding of how younger generations see things and where they can make a difference. The intimacy of a mentoring relationship offers a unique insight into these generational differences.
Feel good about yourself – Tell yourself all you want that you’re doing it for your resume, but we guarantee you that once you become a mentor the “feel good” factor will take hold. There is little more rewarding than knowing you are making a difference to someone else’s life.
With that, I call upon you all Roses- male and female- we need you to sign
up today!
Red Petal Ethel Mamawi
Mentorship Chair, TRFEW
Rotary Club of Kampala Ssese Islands