[Community-service] National Mentoring Month

[Chris Parsons]

Hi all,

I think having a mentor is incredibly important. The mentoring relationship 
gives you the opportunity to interact with and learn from someone who has 
possibly been where you are and who has experienced some of the things you 
have and can offer advice and help you gain confidence in yourself. There is 
just something about being able to talk to and share your experiences with 
someone who can really relate.

I've mentioned here before that I volunteer with a group for blind 
teenagers. As a volunteer, I am responsible for various things, but the 
thing that I find most rewarding is something that is not a formal volunteer 
responsibility. My favorite part of working with these teens is just getting 
to talk to them and share experiences. I used to be a part of this group 
before I graduated from high school, and I remember how important it was 
then for me to hear from those who had been where I was and with whom I 
could share and discuss experiences. Now I want to be able to give back to 
this new group of kids in the same way.

I have also had and continue to have mentors within the NFB, especially as I 
take on more leadership roles and learn what it takes to be a leader.

I think that some of the qualities that make a great mentor are being a good 
listener; having a willingness to share one's experiences; having a desire 
to teach and guide others, but also to let them figure things out so they 
gain confidence in themselves and their skills; and having the ability to 
teach through example (to show, not just tell).

I think the biggest challenge/fear I have faced in being a mentor is having 
enough confidence in myself and my own skills to feel like I am making a 
difference to others, and although I still struggle with this, one thing I 
have found while mentoring this new group of teenagers is that a lot of 
times it's the small things you do that stay with those you mentor--stopping 
for a moment to explain Braille to one teen and to show her a couple of 
letters, answering a group's questions about college--and not just the 
typical academic questions, or praising another student's work because I 
know she feels uncertain about her own skills even though she's done a 
really great job. Being a mentor doesn't mean you have to set this perfect 
example (this spoken by a true perfectionist, *smile*). It just means that 
you are there for those you are mentoring--to listen, to offer advice (and 
to admit when you don't know the answer), and to help your mentees gain 
confidence in themselves so they can be successful and hopefully go on to 
mentor others. For me, the most rewarding thing about mentoring is so simple 
to articulate but so incredibly important at the same time, and that is the 
chance to make a difference in someone's life.

Chris


-----Original Message----- 
From: Community Service Content
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 12:17 PM
To: community-service at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Community-service] National Mentoring Month

Hello all,

You may have heard that January is National Mentoring Month. Serving
as a mentor to an individual or a group can be a very rewarding way to
give back.

This month gives us an opportunity to reflect upon mentoring: How
important is having a mentor? Who has been a mentor to us in the past?
What qualities make a great mentor? Have we ourselves been a mentor to
someone? What challenges, benefits, fears, and or rewards are involved
in being either a mentor or mentee? As we take the time to think about
and share our experiences, we can also tell our mentors how much we
appreciate them on January 26, which is Thank Your Mentor Day!

January also presents an ideal time to take action. If you want to
learn more about NMM or would like to join an organization in your
community to mentor others, you can go to:

http://www.nationalmentoringmonth.org/

Happy mentoring!

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