Become a Bright Star youth mentor
Mentorship not only impacts the lives of vulnerable youth but also the lives of the adults who mentor them.
BRIGHT Stars – a mentorship programme for vulnerable children will hold its second mentor training session for residents of the greater Durban area to discover how they can play a role in transforming the life of a youth.
Modelled on the hugely successful international mentorship programme, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Bright Stars provides ordinary members of the public with a simple way they can play a powerful role in the transformation of the youth.
Statistics show that a mentored youth 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 one do not matriculate,” said Bright Stars programme manager, Ruth dos Santos.
“Our mentorship programme pairs an adult mentor with a youth and they spend just one hour a week together. This is often all it takes to transform a life and give hope for the future and options to a life of crime which becomes an inevitability when they have so little support, opportunities and decision-making tools.”
Mentorship not only impacts the lives of vulnerable youth 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 youth; 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 youth sharing wisdom, experiences and support and bringing healing to our country. Through serving one hour a week with a child, transformation occurs,” said dos Santos.
Interested volunteers are encouraged to visit the Bright Stars website and register to attend the training. Interested parties can apply to become mentors now on the website where they will find all the information they need on the programme.
The Bright Stars training day will be taking place on Saturday, 24 October at Hillside Church in Hillcrest. Interested volunteers can contact Bright Stars on info@peaceagency.org.za about attending. Alternatively, they can view the Bright Stars website: www.brightstarsmentors.org.za or Facebook page: Bright Stars Mentors to get more information and view testimonial videos from current mentors.
