Will you be my buddy?
Are you helping create a community full of mentors to help drive curiosity instead of judgement?
Imagine that you had grown up with a mentor a few grades ahead of you who spent time with you, talking and brainstorming ideas. What would you have wanted to ask them? Now, imagine you had grown up with multiple mentors who were of different genders, races, religions. How would that new community affect your future beliefs and assumptions?
Everyone wants to belong and be a part of a community.
The advantages of having a mentor earlier in school could show children that there will always be someone to support them and offer guidance. Of course parents and teachers will be there for them, but there is a something uniquely valuable about sharing with peers (especially people in a slightly older or younger cohort.) Glennon Doyle Melton talks about the impactful power of hearing her readers say, “I felt that way too!” Hearing that you are not alone in your experiences not only connects you to a broader community, but it can foster solutions too.
No matter what stage of life you are in, having a support system is essential.
Having a diverse community of mentors leads to:
Authentic storytelling and increased confidence: As adults, we keep hearing about the importance of authentic storytelling. Speaking in front of a group is so valuable because it teaches us how to be a better communicator, gives us confidence for the next time we speak, and we can get feedback from our audience.
Driving curiosity instead of judgement: Sharing with a group or a mentor increases our awareness of what we are thinking, feeling and doing. If we pay close attention to those things, we remember that how we think, impacts what we say and what we do. Sharing with a diverse group early and often, helps us expand our thoughts and ideas.
It’s time for you to be the change — two examples that that would make a difference to help build this diverse community of mentors:
Volunteer your time to organizations that provide mentor programs (example: Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America)
Start or join a mentorship program at work and partner with a local school or organization in your area.
Were you apart of a mentor program (early on in your life) and was it a valuable experience?
Until next time -
Cheers, “Q”