Mentor Connects is a user-friendly app that links mentees with relevant mentors from diverse fields of expertise. The app focuses on fostering the life and technical skills of the youth, to enable them to find jobs and excel in their careers. The app also seeks to create a hub for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to share events related to career development and inspirational talks.
Mentees are able to:
● Create a user profile
● Connect and match with Arab Mentors from around the world
● Chat with Mentors
● Book one-on-one virtual mentoring sessions
● Rate the mentoring session after it ends
● Attend events related to mentoring, career inspiration, employability skills-building, and other topics of interest
Mentors are able to:
● Create a user profile
● Accept mentoring session requests from mentees
● Chat with Mentees
● Conduct one-on-one virtual mentoring sessions upon Mentees’ requests
● Rate the mentoring session after it ends
● Host career inspiration talks and webinars on Mentor Connects’ platform
● Attend relevant events in the region
Benefits of mentoring for the mentee:
● Encourage and empower in personal development which improves work-life balance, self-esteem, and job-related wellbeing
● Support to identify and achieve career goals, which opens up more opportunities and increases salary potential
● Assist to identify and correct gaps in generic skills and knowledge in order to prepare for the future and pursue higher-level career aspirations
● Increase confidence, augmented productivity, and better time management
● Develop and maintain a broader perspective on career options and opportunities
● Gain access to a senior role model
● Create a network of highly qualified and experienced people and develop networking capabilities
Benefits of mentoring for the mentor:
● Get recognized involvement in a program of strategic importance to your community
● Explore new perspectives and insights regarding your job, resulting in career rejuvenation
● Network with highly qualified young people
● Gain additional experience in staff management and development
● Have an opportunity for self-reflection and personal satisfaction
● Develop mentoring/coaching skills
● Increase confidence
● Funding bodies increasingly value an active mentoring program and often encourage senior staff to be mentors
Mentor Arabia, a regional non-profit organization, is a branch of Mentor International, founded in 1994 by H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden. Mentor Arabia, chaired by H.R.H. Prince Turki bin Talal, is headquartered in Lebanon since 2006 and operates in 22 Arab countries. Mentor’s mission is to empower children and youth to prevent risky behavior through capacity development, awareness, knowledge dissemination, and strategic partnerships.