Become a Bright Star youth mentor

BRIGHT Stars, a mentorship programme for vulnerable children holds an orientation morning for residents of greater Durban, to find out how they can play a role in transforming the life of a child.

Meet at Fig Tree Coffee Shop in Umgeni Park on Saturday, 22 August.

The programme is modelled on the successful international mentorship programme Big Brothers, Big Sisters.

Statistics show that a mentored child is:

• 53% more likely to engage in school,

• 32% less likely to engage in violence and

• 46% less likely to use drugs.

“Some 50% of children who register for grade 1 do not matriculate,” said Bright Stars programme manager, Ruth dos Santos. “Our mentorship programme pairs an adult mentor with a child and they spend an hour a week together. This is often all it takes to transform a child’s life and give them hope for the future.”

Mentorship impacts not only the lives of vulnerable children but also the lives of the adults who mentor them. As such it is now globally recognised to be central to society’s efforts to heal, with massive international efforts in the USA, UK and Australia to implement youth mentorship and bring vulnerable children back to safety.

“We recruit and train our mentors, ordinary members of the public to walk alongside these children; to care for them and about them so that they can realise their value to society and reach their full potential,” said Dos Santos.

“As citizens, we should strive to put others before ourselves. Five of the most important characteristics of good citizenry are honesty, compassion, respect, responsibility and courage. These characteristics are key to mentorship. A great mentor is one who loves herself and is able to extend this love, to those members of society who are the most vulnerable. This requires courage and taking appropriate responsibility for making a difference in our country where there is opportunity to do so. Mentorship is leadership; walking alongside a child sharing wisdom, experiences and support and bringing healing to our country,” said dos Santos.

Interested volunteers are encouraged to attend the orientation morning where they will be given in-depth information about the programme. After the orientation, attendees will be given the opportunity to apply to become mentors and attend a full-day training session.

If you wish to attend, email info@peaceagency.org.za. Alternatively, visit www.brightstarsmentors.org.za or the Facebook page: Bright Stars Mentors to get more information and read testimonials from current mentors.