The Longevity of Mentorship: One Year for a Lifetime
In the Influence program, Mentors and their students meet approximately six times over the course of one academic year. Often, it’s coffee for an hour or a virtual meet-up. So it’s about six hours a year. Or two Lord of the Rings movies.
When you’re young, that time commitment can feel huge when you’re just beginning your career planning journey. But that relatively small investment of time, and the learnings that come with it, could pay off for decades. You just might not know it at the time.
We are a society based on quick results and immediate gratification. Sometimes it can be hard to see how an investment in a mentoring relationship can really benefit you in the longer run. But it does happen.
Those of us who have had mentors throughout our careers often remember something that was said to us, even many years ago, and then had a “lightbulb moment,” where suddenly things make sense or something clicks. Even though you might not understand it right when you hear it, the things you discuss and the conversations you have will come back to you in a new light.
Building blocks for the future
One year for a lifetime of rewards, that is one of the real benefits of mentoring.
The mentor and student are at different life stages when they meet. There are two different perspectives in the sharing of thoughts and ideas, which makes the relationship so special and dynamic. But there will also be moments that don’t seem significant at the time. Those future ah-ha moments when either of you is in a situation and can draw back to that conversation are what make it all worth it.
These are the foundational building blocks of mentorship and why we think it is so important for young Indigenous people to have equal access to these opportunities and important moments.
Are you an Indigenous student looking to get a mentor? We happen to have many! Click here to learn more and join our program.
