September 2020
I was approached by GirlBoss to be a GirlBoss Edge Mentor, and I thought it was a great opportunity to give back to the kōtiro of today.
I was paired with two separate young women from different parts of Aotearoa, we did a quick online call, and I followed up with some resources that I found.
I have to admit, real-life hit quite hard (well I guess September 2020 was at the end of that first wave of the pandemic, and then we dived right into 2021, thinking that it was all going to be over, and, hello, new variant!), and I didn’t think to keep in touch.
I don’t feel that I mentored the kōtiro, but I hope I gave them food for thought. The system was set up for quite a quick meetup, and there was no extra encouragement to keep in touch…
I would say that the things I learnt from this process:
- Everyone most definitely has imposter syndrome, even when you have been shoulder tapped to be a mentor 🙂
- You forget how much you have learnt over time. In my head, I still imagine myself as that unsure young kōtiro… just finishing high school. It’s a good time to reflect on yourself, when you’re forced to pass on knowlege or experience.
- It’s always best to be honest. If you don’t know, or you can’t help. Tell them. Kids at the beginning of their journey are full of hope, don’t squash that.
If I was asked again today, I would most definitely do it again. I might go into it with a more solid plan to continue the relationship, to have planned follow-ups, or check-ins.
EDIT (March 2022)
I reached out to the two kōtiro and I got back really awesome news! I thought I’d share it, anonymised here, it’s great to feel that you’ve made a difference, no matter how small.
Vivian Chandra 