All volunteers of the mentorship pilot programme in Saba completed their training.
SABA--Mentorship coordinators Rayann Ramdin and Carol Skinner welcomed mentors, mentees and their parents at the official launch of the Mentorship Programme in Saba on Thursday, September 10.
Also present were Community Development head Martin Richardson and Saba Comprehensive School (SCS) principal Anton Hermans, who opened the programme. The common sentiment was that both were happy to see an initiative like this finally started for Saba, and they thanked both coordinators for making it happen. Richardson and Hermans also thanked all the mentors for volunteering and congratulated them for passing the training.
Eleven persons signed up to join the programme. The consensus amongst the volunteers was that they realise that mentors are lacking in the community and that the young generation can benefit from some guidance.
After registering, the mentors had to undergo training on the meaning of being a mentor, the do’s and don’ts of the mentor/mentee relationship, and scenarios they may encounter.
All volunteers completed the training and said they are excited to start on this six-month journey with their mentees.
The mentorship is a joint initiative of SCS and the Department of Community Development. The idea of the programme is to have persons from the community volunteer to mentor youth ages 12-17 years, which is the period in a child’s development when they form their ideas on relationships, lifestyle, hobbies and extracurricular activities, and are also more susceptible to peer pressure.
The coordinators anticipate that this programme can be the driving force to promote community well-being by developing and strengthening sound values and positive attitudes among youngsters, who are the future of Saba.
Saba is one of the first islands in the Dutch Caribbean to start with such a programme.
