''Learn from hard times, difficult situations. If you can learn something new, then you are going one step forward to maturity''
Jintu Deka
In my opinion, Covid-19 has impacted everyone on earth. I also think that if someone were to say the year 2020 will never be forgotten in the history of humanity, that statement will not be considered an exaggeration. Globally, almost everything about life has been affected by this pandemic.
As most countries are trying to open economic and social activities, others cast doubt on the possibility of achieving this 'back to normal' lifestyle.
For those of us in the field of youth mentoring, there are several lessons to learn from the impact of the pandemic. Today, I will discuss three (3) areas that mentors and their mentees can focus on in their mentoring conversations.
How to handle difficult situations
The season of Covid-19 has been one of the toughest the world has ever dealt with. As I mentioned earlier, almost every individual on earth has felt Corona’s heat. It is obvious, however, that different people have handled it differently.
Mentors and their mentees can share their own experiences of coping mechanisms and best practices during this time. These conversations would provide knowledge and insight into how future challenges of life could be faced.
How to value fellow humans
If not for anything, I believe this pandemic has taught all humanity of the need to value one another. In a short moment of time, social distancing came to replace hugs and handshakes. Virtual gatherings took over precious moments of face-to-face human interactions.
During this time, we have learned that people who previously, could be easily taken for granted, have suddenly became the dearly-missed-ones. Normal ways of relating with people have gradually become taboo!
So, now we know - that anytime we have the privilege to love, cherish, and value people, we must make good use of it. Mentors and mentees can deeply explore these moral lessons.
How to work remotely
Job loss has been one of the unpleasant challenges of this season. For the most people who could keep their jobs, working from home or a remote location became the only option. Although this was a needed step to help curb the spread of the virus, certainly the practice has not been void of challenges.
Some of the key questions of this season have been: What practical skills are needed to be effective while working remotely? What are the main dos and don'ts when working from home?
Mentors can engage their mentees in these conversations by sharing their own experiences and exploring that of others.
Certainly, the lessons to be learned from Covid-19 cannot be exhausted within these 3 areas. However, for us at #MeetMentors, we feel this could be a great starting point.
Since our goal is to provide mentoring to support the academic, career/entrepreneurship, talent and leadership development of young people in Africa, these conversations are great ways to find something good from what appears to be one of the tragic seasons of our world.
So if you are a college or university student, fresh graduate, a talented young person looking for mentoring opportunities, to help you grow, especially during this time please connect with us.