Per Residence/PSO & Welcome Period Topic
Do you think you were successful in providing newcomers / mentees with support and assistance in the adjustment and transition in their new university environment?
Yes I do. I loved being a ready and available support for my mentees. Every Mentee was different in what they needed and required from me. I worked hard to make sure I knew each of them well enough to mentor properly. And I think for the most part I succeeded.
I hope so. I tried my best to to be at all the activities and group sessions to show to the mentees that I am present and part of the welcoming program. This also created the opportunity for newcomers to come to a mentor if they had any problems because I remember when I was a newcomer it was easier to talk to a mentor rather than HC. Also making Newcomers feel welcome to share their problems and good experiences it makes them feel part of Nemesia and more welcome.
Yes I think I was as successful as I possibly could be in providing support and assistance to the newcomers. Doing uni in the midst of a pandemic is quite difficult but I managed to get through it last year thus I could truly help them transition from high school to uni. I could easily put myself in their shoes and meet them in their midst.
Yes I think I was as successful as I possibly could be in providing support and assistance to the newcomers. Doing uni in the midst of a pandemic is quite difficult but I managed to get through it last year thus I could truly help them transition from high school to uni. I could easily put myself in their shoes and meet them in their midst.
I think I was successful. I don't think I played a role in their lives every single day however I do feel being there for them did make a large impact.I know coming into res can be very intimidating and I feel just the fact that I was there and willing to help comforted them a lot.I also helped them with a lot of questions they had about campus and how things work at Stellenbosch.The mentees in my group also became friends quickly and I feel this allowed them to reach out to others in first year as well.
I enjoyed the mentor experience and feel that I bonded with my mentees and contributed to them feeling comfortable and welcomed in residence. I can see how much my mentees have grown since the first day they got here. They have gained confidence in their abilities in and outside of residence. I supported them wherever I could whether it was answering their questions learning them how to use different university platforms and how things work in residence. I tried my best at making them feel as though they belong and could contribute to our residence. Two of my mentees are on the first years committee and I encouraged them to apply for mentor in their second year as well. I feel that I contributed to their adjustment by telling them that I was in the same position and that it is normal to feel overwhelmed but that they should know I will always support them wherever I can.
Yes I feel that I add value to the house not only because of the things I do for people but because I am an accessible portal to the leadership body. I still do many things for people but I think that my unique contribution is how accessible and approachable I am to newcomers. They feel safe to come to me for anything be that a bug in their room or an oncoming depressive episode.
Yes I think I was successful in providing the newcomers with support and assistance. My mentees adjusted to the university environment quite quickly as they needed me in beginning and then when I would do the mentor sessions they had told me that they are fine in finding their way through the university. I gave them all the necessary information that they needed and they found it very useful.
What has been the most challenging part of being a mentor? What will you do differently? What will you advise prospective mentors?
I gained some mentees after the welcoming period. This was challenging because it meant that they were not part of the welcoming program and the sessions set for mentees and mentor to get to know each other. It took a lot more intentionality and time to get to know these mentees and that was challenging because of different schedules. I definitely could've worked harder in this area. I would advise future mentors to make sure there is space and flexibility in their schedules for these mentees.
I think it is always challenging being a mentor. As mentors we work with people and no one is the same and we have to find a way to connect with everyone to realize what they need to feel welcome in Nemesia. I also wished I planned more activities to do with my mentees. I was also scared in the beginning that they would not like me. For prospective mentors I would say just be yourself. find ways to talk to your mentees in a way that makes you comfortable and them as well. If that means you have to have more individual session so be it.
I am a very talkative lively person and some of my mentees were more shy and private. I struggled to truly get to know them / form a bond with them. But I did do my best to make sure they feel loved and welcomed.
I am a very talkative lively person and some of my mentees were more shy and private. I struggled to truly get to know them / form a bond with them. But I did do my best to make sure they feel loved and welcomed.
I think the most challenging part is organising mentor sessions. I had 8 mentees and therefore they all had different schedules that I had to accommodate.I would say that it is important to organise a mentor session with your mentees long before the time so they all are aware of it and can make it.I also think it is important to make an effort with your mentees and get to know them individually. For me this was difficult because first years were continuing to come in to res throughout the year which meant I continuously had mentees that I had to get to know. I think its just important to make time for them and have at least one chat sessions with each of them.
Struggles that I faced were the times that I was not able to answer some of their questions as I had not been in residence for the whole year and also had to adjust to everything that was changing. In the times that I did not have the answers I relied on my other mentors. I wish that I had spent more time with my mentees before classes started as everyone was busy after that and it is difficult to have sessions where everyone is available. I would advise prospective leaders to always be true to who they are and know that they have people around them that would support them when they struggle or feel overwhelmed.
My girls really didn't engage with the programme. I had one mentee who was very enthusiastic and she and I actually became great friends. She is proof that the programme can work but only if you as a mentee apply yourself. There is nothing I could do differently three of my girls just didn't prioritise the programme and try as I might they often simply didn't show up to sessions. The one who always did benefited greatly from them and the two of them that were there every now and again always left the session feeling that they had gained something but uni life was too hectic for their own journeys to be a priority to them.
The most challenging part about being a mentor is creating the time to have more mentor sessions with my mentees. I had to balance my academics and also my hockey schedule which would take a lot of my time. What I would do differently is try to get my hockey schedule in advanced so that I can plan much more ahead rather than waiting the week before. I would advice prospective mentors to make sure that their time management is on par and they are capable of juggling and working through their responsibilities.
How do you think you think you refined and strengthened your "communication" skills during your term as a mentor? Please elaborate.
I think my communication improved due to both my relationships with my mentees as well as with my fellow mentors.Communication was vital with my mentees in order to understand and help them in emotionally and practically difficult situations. Unless they spoke and communicated with me I couldn't know or understand what they needed from me. So creating the space where they felt comfortable to share that with me definitely helped my communication skills.Mentoring can be very emotionally and mentally draining. But it was so amazing to have the love and support of my fellow mentors. Communication was needed for when a specific mentor was overwhlemed or in need of specific attention or support. This was me on various occasions and it was amazing to see that once I communicated my struggles the other mentors came around and supported me.
communication was hard considering most of it had to happen online. When communicating we have to be aware if our messages are clear and affectively presented. with my mentees it was not to hard considering all of them lived om my floor and I could easily go to their rooms to talk or organize a meeting.
I had to adjust to my given circumstances and had to realize that different people communicate differently. Thus in order for all to feel welcomed I had to be more inclusive. I did this by firstly getting to know my mentee's and learning more about who they are. And that evidently helped me refine and adjust to the circumstances.
I had to adjust to my given circumstances and had to realize that different people communicate differently. Thus in order for all to feel welcomed I had to be more inclusive. I did this by firstly getting to know my mentee's and learning more about who they are. And that evidently helped me refine and adjust to the circumstances.
I think by being in a mentoring team you have to learn to communicate with those around you and your team. You have to be able to give feedback to your head mentor as well and coordinate your mentoring sessions with that of others.You also have to communicate with your mentees and give them support by communicating with them.Therefore I think by communicating with everyone around me including my team and my mentees I strengthened my communication skills.
Being a mentor has definitely helped me strengthen my communication skills as I had to actively listen to my mentees concerns and issues and had to give them advice to the best of my ability. I learned that others have opinions that are going to differ from mine and I learned how important respect is towards others. Times I had to use communication skills were when my mentees as roommates had issues or when they asked for my advice and what I would do in specific situations. Being part of a mentor team has also strengthened my communication skills significantly as I had to respect others and listen to them actively to be able to work together.
Being a mentor has made me much more aware of how my words and actions effect other people. I have learned to make fewer assumptions and rather ask more questions if I think that someone is saying something harmful. I pay more attention to the way I move through the world. With mentoring it is important to know what your impact is even if the intention is good. You are helping vulnerable young newcomers adapt to a place that is totally new where everyone else already has friends and al living well and look like they have it figured out. You must be sensitive to the fact that they may feel othered if you talk about things that they don't have experience about like they should know what you mean.
In general I would already consider myself someone who has good communication skills so to enhance this I think I did this by being more readily available whether it be on my phone or in my room. I would also let it be known that I am a very easy and approachable person to interact and communicate with. I would do this by sending random messages and things like that.
How do you think you think you refined and strengthened your "collaboration" skills during your term as a mentor? Please elaborate.
Similar to communication I think that the mentee-mentor partnership and the mentor-mentor partnership helped my collaboration skills.The reciprocal relationship between myself and my mentees allowed me to understand them and them to understand me. This allowed for mutual understanding and a sound relationship where I could support them and they could understand my actions and words.The collaborated efforts of the mentor team also allowed for so many new friendships and a sound and loving atmosphere where everyone was loved and supported in their leadership.
I invited some HC members to be present when I have sessions with my mentees especially the individual sessions. the one time I went to cut two of my mentees hair. through this process I learned more about them made sure they were mentally and physically okay and two HC members were also their cutting their hair. this was a good bonding session and through this there was collaboration between different groups.
I can sometimes find it difficult to work in a group. I often feel lead to just do tasks by myself because of fear for failing I guess. Working in a mentoring team helped me work in my collaboration quality. I could learn more from my fellow leaders and they are so inspiring & helped me develop certain qualities I'm weaker in.
I can sometimes find it difficult to work in a group. I often feel lead to just do tasks by myself because of fear for failing I guess. Working in a mentoring team helped me work in my collaboration quality. I could learn more from my fellow leaders and they are so inspiring & helped me develop certain qualities I'm weaker in.
When you are in a mentoring team you have to work together with your other mentors and get along with them. I feel I have always been fairly decent at collaborating with other people however being in a mentoring team elevated this for me. I really enjoyed working with and hearing ideas from people who are not similar to me as I feel this really allows you to gain perspective on certain things.
My collaboration skills were improved due to having to work in a team with the other mentors. I learned that everyone has different perspectives and how to approach conflict or issues. I had to take part in activities we planned as a group and when we had events during welcoming. Working in a team towards a goal teaches you how to use everyone's strengths to achieve that goal. I learned how to step out of my comfort zone and actively take part and collaborate in activities and form bonds with others. I learned how to approach others and include everyone in a group setting. Most of all I know that when should enjoy the moments you are in.
In a mentoring team you must be able to set your own interests apart in favour of the bigger group. We all came from different backgrounds and different classes and so we had a lot of barriers but we managed to work with them instead of against them and use our differences as positives. We realized that because we are so different we have a member of the team representing almost every type of person in our res. It is important to listen to all these sides to make the best decision as a team.
The way I did this was just to stay the open minded person that I am and that then would allow me to see other perspectives of other people that I work with and understand where they are coming from.
How do you think you think you refined and strengthened your "critical thinking" skills during your term as a mentor? Please elaborate.
It was important for me to understand that every mentee is different and everyone thinks and behaves differently possibly even differently to me.This meant that I had to work hard to critically evaluate my beliefs thoughts and actions and make sure that they were relevant to the specific Mentee I was dealing with.My experience and my understanding of welcoming or first year might not be relevant to all of my mentees. The mentees who were different to me definitely challenged me. But also developed my critical thinking skills as I learned to adapt and change my approach according to my different mentees and their different needs.
I had one pair of roommates that had a bit of a fallout but I believe it was because of exam stress and bottled up emotions that a small problem became a larger one. obviously their relationship is not going to be were it was but I believe if they continue communicating with each other it will get better. I had to think critically to resolve the problem and find ways to identify the real problem at hand.
I learnt to have a more objective analysis when issues arise. This was difficult seeing as you need to empathize with people so different to yourself. This journey wasn't easy but it sure was fun & helped me develop areas I am definitely not strong in.
I learnt to have a more objective analysis when issues arise. This was difficult seeing as you need to empathize with people so different to yourself. This journey wasn't easy but it sure was fun & helped me develop areas I am definitely not strong in.
I think my critical thinking skills definitely improved. When there was a problem and the mentoring team had to solve it we would all analyse the situation and give suggestions o how to solve the problem. This was nice as I was able to see how to solve a problem in different ways.This skill came in handy with my mentees as well. They would ask me certain questions that I would not know the answer to or they'd ask me to help them solve a problem and I would have to think quickly on my feet and help them come up with a solution.
I strengthened my critical thinking skills through the tasks that we had to complete as mentors. I learned how to overcome a issue by looking at all my possible solutions and trying to work out which would work best. I had to think of things that we could complete together as a group and with others. I had to use critical thinking whenever a issue or concern was brought up by my mentees and I had to think of a solution. I learned to not just say what I think but to first think before I speak to ensure I do not offend or exclude someone.
Being a mentor pushed me to really see things from everyone's perspective. I tend to be quite idealist but being a mentor has shown me that you must work at the level that is possible and needed and not the level that is ideal. I have had to really workshop complex problems with my team and these situations would never have challenged me as just a normal resident.
The way I think I refined and strengthened my critical thinking skills during my term as a mentor was by analyzing situations more in depth to get a better understanding of what I would be dealing with and what it would require of me.
How do you think you think you refined and strengthened your "creativity" skills during your term as a mentor? Please elaborate.
Similar to my above answer because all my mentees were different and different in how they acted and expressed emotion and needs I needed to get creative about how I approached and led each one.Whether that meant that I had to change my tactics to get through to a Mentee who was quite closed off understand a Mentee of a different culture or even find another mentor who could love and lead my Mentee better than I could I needed to lead each of them differently. This took creativity and a lot of time in thought and in converstation with other people.
I had to find creative ways to present the BeWell topics to make it fun and interesting. for the Physical health card I took my mentees on a walk early morning and bought them a coffee. through this they would remember what the card said by linking it with the experience.
I have always been a more creative person with a love for film music and literature. But when referring to creative thinking considering a fresh perspective has always been an easier task for me to handle. I'd say I am an inclusive person which thus helped me to in a creative way welcome all my different mentees & to see their point of view in different scenarios.
I have always been a more creative person with a love for film music and literature. But when referring to creative thinking considering a fresh perspective has always been an easier task for me to handle. I'd say I am an inclusive person which thus helped me to in a creative way welcome all my different mentees & to see their point of view in different scenarios.
I think my creativity definitely grew as I was challenged with a lot of issues that I had to solve in a creative manner. I think the fact that we have to help first years to get to know each other and to assimilate during a pandemic also teaches you creativity because you have to come up with different ways to help your mentees to get to know the other first years.
I learned how to be a more creative person when I had to think of things that we could do as a mentor group. I also had to be creative when thinking of solutions to any issues or concerns that my mentees had. I encouraged my mentees to be creative when working on studies to ensure that it could be more fun for them. One also needs to be creative when working in a group towards something. Because we were not able to have social events we had to be creative in planning things that would ensure we still had n great welcoming and year.
My thinking and problem-solving definitely developed more creatively. Sometimes you are faced with a problem that cannot be solved with knowledge or logistics you must be imaginative and think outside the box.
The way my creativity skills were strengthened and refined during my term was when I had to find different ways to do mentor sessions whilst still abiding to the covid safety protocols. So normally mentor sessions were held in the Nessies but because there is a maximum of 3 people I could not be there for my sessions so I would have to think of a bigger space that will still be sizeable for us to be safely close together. Another way was when I did not have time to host my sessions I would have to find a creative way online to have them. Overall the corona virus enhanced my creativity skills.
www.sun.ac.za/bewell