MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

The idea of the mentorship programme was to provide the students funded by the trust with support to deal with the many varied day to day challenges faced during their studies. 

The program is designed to pair each student with an experienced female mentor, who would be able to provide an objective ear, share some of her wisdom and provide inspiration. The mentors and mentees meet at least five times a year. The mentorship session is a safe space for the students to talk about any current challenges and to get advice and support from their mentor. The students are encouraged to guide the mentorship relationship. This relationship if functioning well can provide a platform that gives the mentees the assurance that they are not alone, gives them insight into how their challenges could be overcome, and gives them the support and confidence to continue.

 Having innitially been set up by Susanna Kennedy, the mentorship programme is co-ordinated by Lucia Knight and Mandy Cobbing who are EXCO members. Finding mentors is a constant challenge, so if you're looking to give back in a way that requires little time but makes a massive impact on someone's life, please email Lucia (Cape Town) lknight@uwc.ac.za or Mandy (Durban) mcobbing@silibonatrust.org.za. We are specifically looking for strong women who have been to University, have empathy and can provide an excellent example to the students.