by Administrator
23.Sep.2011 09:24:00
Working with York University students has been an enriching aspect of my life for close on 16 years. I have more often than not found the label disability a misnomer… So many of the so-called learning disabled are fast thinkers, distinctly individual in their approach and wildly creative! These attributes are not easily accommodated in mainstream education and corporate life… Entrepreneurship oftentimes is the avenue for these young people to find true meaning and full expression of who they are.
The reciprocal leaning gleaned from student interaction over the years has been invaluable to me in my business – Across the societal landscape, understanding, articulating and fully investing core competencies is the first step in finding a career fit!
http://ylife.news.yorku.ca/2011/09/13/career-mentorship-program-inspires-students-with-learning-disabilities/
by Administrator
09.Jul.2009 10:18:00
“... I can see them no more as they are, but as they were meant to be, as they would have liked to be if they had a chance…”- Axel Munthe
It seems as if mentorship is the business buzzword of the moment. Against the backdrop of a decade long commitment to the York University Learning Disability Mentorship Program (LDP) and a six year involvement with the Canadian Women in Communications (CWC-AFC) Mentorship Program, I am alarmed at the increasingly transactional slant that appears to regard mentorship as a fast-track networking vehicle or an opportunity to rapidly download the hard-earned knowledge of others. My own interaction with a succession of people with vastly differing professional and personal mentorship requirements has been intensely rewarding and has resulted in strong opinions on the subject:
What is Mentorship?
A Mentor will essentially identifiy, understand, validate and enable full Mentee potential. Perhaps the essence of an evolving mentor/mentee relationship it is to provide a stepping stone or sounding-board that will assist mentees realize the importance of becoming who they are and what they want to be, rather than who they are supposed to be. To this end, establishing a good fit and mutual availability is critical if the relationship is going to work. Consider the following criteria as a potential check list:
An Effective Mentor will display:
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Recognition, understanding and preservation of unique mentee thinking, competencies and impact
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Preparedness to accept value and priority differences (the ability to transcend personal approach
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Acceptance of changing realities as the relationship progresses
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Ability to work with uncertainty and intangible results - Stand free of, and not care more about, outcomes than the mentee!
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Ongoing commitment as a resource/sounding board
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Belief that the process is a two-way street – A relationship of equals builds trust and opens the door to mutual learning (An unusual example of this approach would be the CWC-AFC Mentoring Circle set up by their Calgary Chapter. A group of like-minded, high calibre broadcast professionals mentor each other with great success) More...
