The underachievement of those from ethnic minority backgrounds has long been a problem in the UK. One way to help Black and Asian young people to achieve their full potential in both academia and the workplace is to pair them with a mentor – preferably one from a similar background who has already successfully negotiated the obstacles and pitfalls, to find career success. This is the rationale behind the our new BAME mentoring programme, managed by Muna Hassan, Youth Project Development Officer which was launched in February. The mentees range in age from 16 – 25, are mostly from east London and are predominately of east African origin, (though there are also individuals from Kurdistan and Pakistan).
The mentors are all of African origin and are already established in their careers, working in fields as diverse as accountancy, academia, local government, and international relations. This team of professionals were paired off with the young mentees who it is hoped during bi-monthly meetings will benefit from their wealth of experience as they start on their own career paths. Funding for the scheme ends in March 2020, but it is hoped that the mentors and mentees will continue their relationships after this. Muna Hassan, the facilitator of the scheme and currently the Youth Projects Development Officer at ROTA benefitted from her own mentorship experience some years ago. Muna said “the mentorship program I went through was one of the first instances we came into contact with a cohort of Black professionals that were in many of our desired fields. Most importantly, these people looked and talked like us and on top of that, were successful in their respective careers. It’s been a fully rounded experience to now be coordinating a similar project which seeks to provide similar effects to a new generation”. For more information on the project, please contact muna@rota.org.uk. |
