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The Benefits of Mentorship: Why You Shouldn’t Make Important Life Decisions Based On a YouTube Video
When I was in high school, I didn’t reach out to any post-secondary students for guidance in making the decision that was soon to shape the next few years of my life. I made my post-secondary decision based on an Open House and a YouTube video. While I’m very happy with the decision I made, it could have been a much more informed decision if I had looked for mentorship.
After three years of university, I’ve come to realize the benefits of mentorship from being both a mentee and a mentor. It has helped me grow personally and professionally and I will be forever grateful for the support my mentors have provided me. In this post, I’ll cover some of the benefits of mentorship and how LEAP Canada can help get you started on your mentorship journey.
The Benefits of Mentorship
1. Learning. One of the best ways to learn is through speaking to people who have already experienced what you’re experiencing. Whether that be a Grade 11 student seeking advice from a Grade 12 when choosing their electives, a Grade 12 student looking to a post-secondary student for guidance when choosing their next educational institution, or a post-secondary student looking to working professionals while choosing a career path, mentorship can play a pivotal role in your life and help to influence and inform major decisions.
2. Motivation. Seeing someone who has been in your shoes provides a great sense of motivation. Knowing you can reach out to someone who has previously overcome similar challenges can help you when you feel stressed or discouraged.
3. Confidence. Having someone who believes in you and your success can be a major confidence boost. Mentorship can help you feel more prepared and confident when moving through different stages in life.
If mentorship sounds appealing to you so far, check out some of our mentorship opportunities to experience it for yourself:
Coffee Chat
Book a FREE 20-min chat with a current post-secondary student to learn more about their university/college experiences and get all your post-secondary questions answered. If you’re interested in becoming a coffee chat mentor, sign up here!
Mentorship Program
Become a mentee or mentor for our 8-week mentorship program. You’ll have the opportunity to participate in weekly online discussions, attend/host panels, and have weekly sessions with your mentee/mentor that will cover post-secondary life, career options and more. Our mentorship program runs three times per year, with Summer 2021 cohort applications open May 15th-29th.
#TuesdayTalks
Our flagship event provides insights into general post-secondary and institution-specific topics through weekly panels. You can view the recordings from last summer’s panels here. This summer will bring new speakers to 5 weeks of panels from June 28th-July 26th, 2021. Keep an eye on our social media pages for registration links in June. If you’re interested in speaking on a panel, panelist applications will be open April 26th-May 7th on our website’s careers page.
Pathfinder - An Exploratory Program
Launching in August 2021, our exploratory program will provide an insight into various industries, allowing you to learn new skills and receive mentorship from post-secondary students and working professionals as you collaborate to complete a virtual project. Stay tuned for more details.
Next Steps
Some mentor-mentee relationships may only last for a brief period of time. Others will last a lifetime. Don’t let the duration of your experience dictate the impact it can have on your life. If you found this helpful, I encourage you to do two things today:
Seek out mentorship from someone
Offer to mentor someone
The mentorship experience can be equally rewarding from both sides of the table. I hope you’re able to leverage your newfound knowledge about mentorship and experience its many benefits. Wishing you the best of luck with the remainder of your school year and please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Co-Founder & CHRO @ LEAP Canada