mentor net (dc)

7/27/2019 Mentor Net (DC)

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Retired Expert Mentorship Programme

Introduction (1.) South Africa is a complex country, a country that through pastracial divisions was on the brink of a civil war but throughcompromise and negotiation was turned into a democraticrainbow state. Changes have been fast and furious in anattempt to rectify previous wrongs and mistakes havecertainly been made in the process.

One of the most pressing issues is the high rate of unemployment and the lack of essential skills to develop thecountry. It is however recognised that there is a pool of expertise amongst the retired sector that could make asignificant contribution to the up-skilling of our workforce. Bythe sharing of their knowledge and experience throughmentorship our pensioners can assist the youth in realisingtheir full potential.

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Mentorship Requirements in South Africa

Introduction (2.) This project is therefore aimed at establishing a mentor network that will access the resources of the retired sector(pensioners) and disseminate this knowledge to the youthentering tertiary education or the workplace.

It is a win-win situation for the young and the old. The old after years of productivity will now be appreciated as a reservoir of knowledge that can assist the development of the youth andkeep a critical eye on the development of the country. Thisinitiative will benefit the elderly, the youth and theunemployed, and the fact that it is mutually beneficial willensure its sustainability. It will just have to be structured to besensitive to the needs of all the beneficiaries. Throughcooperation and by promoting growth and development thenation will be the main beneficiary.

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Prototyping As this solution is not a tangible object but rather a service, it

was felt that a suitable prototype would be in the form of abrainstorming session and a questionnaire that would begiven to the major stakeholders, namely the mentors and thebeneficiaries, (students and the unemployed)

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Students and Unemployed (3.)

Q3. Why do you feel there is a need for structuredmentorship in South Africa?

A3.1 Some parents lack a formal education and are notexperienced enough to offer career advice.

A3.2 Career guidance at some schools is very limiting. A3.3 One-on-one guidance helps to motivate and realise astudents full potential.

A3.4 Not everyone has the same opportunities and a mentor could help level the playing field.

A3.5 It is invaluable to get a more experienced person tohighlight what opportunities are available.


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Q4. Who would you want to mentor you?

A4.1 Someone that has the time and the experience to adviseme.

A4.2 Someone with experience in my field of interest. A4.3 My grandparents would make good mentors but not myparents.

A4.4 I would want someone that is easily accessible that I canconsult on a regular basis.

A4.5 Preferably a private person and not a governmentofficial.


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Q5 What would you require mentorship in?

A5.1 I would require advice on what options are open to mewith my present qualifications and how to apply for universityfunding.

A5.2 I would welcome advice on creating a CV, and interviewtechniques.

A5.3 I would welcome an honest assessment on my strengthsand weaknesses and how I could improve my chances of success.

A5.4 I would like to know what to expect in entering mychosen profession and what speciality options will be open tome.

A5.5 I would like advice on how I can do things differently butstill make a worthwhile contribution.


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Q6 What do you think of the establishment of a mentor network utilising the expertise of retired people?

A6.1 Yes I think that is a good idea I am sure they haveplenty of cool advice to share.

A6.2 Yes they will have time to help us. A6.3 I would welcome their assistance A6.4 I am not sure how it would work but it is certainly worth atry.

A6.5 Yes I think it will work and maybe they will learnsomething from us in the process.


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Brainstorming

The stakeholder (retired university professor) and twobeneficiaries got together to brainstorm the structuring of amentorship network.

It was considered important to start small with a couple of retired experts mentoring four to six students. Based on thisexperience the network will be expanded utilising other important role-players including tertiary institutions,government, commerce and industry.

The key will be to identify the needs and the resources

available to ensure that the appropriate advice and training isgiven. The retired experts will link with the other role-playersto provide apprenticeships, training, funding and eventuallywork placement.

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Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. Henry Ford

It was encouraging to test the idea of linking the retiredexperts with the youth and to get positive feedback.

Initially this was limited to the more formal aspects of training

and work placement but other softer options emerged wherepensioners with less academic qualifications showed interestin making a contribution.

A group of ladies are talking about starting an Adopt a Gogo(Granny) Service where they will offer baby -sitting, and

cooking, sewing and knitting lessons.There has also been interest shown in giving gardeningadvice, specifically the planting of vegetable gardens,rainwater harvesting and composting.






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Intergenerational Cooperation seems to be

a powerful means of realising our full potential withoutdenigrating our wealth of knowledge and experience to theretirement home.

The scope is endless and is worth implementing in what hasunfortunately become a throw-away society. It is preferable

and more sustainable to repair than replace but items are nowmanufactured with a built in redundancy factor to encouragemore sales. Let us not make the mistake of dispensing with amore valuable commodity - the knowledge and experience of our elderly.

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