Chat with some of the most successful people you know, and many of them will tell you that they got to where they are today because of a mentor. Mentorship can be especially important for young people with ambitious goals. Seeing women in positions of power, achieving the goals and aspirations they may have for themselves, can be a great motivator for young women early in their career.
But mentoring doesn’t just have to happen in the workplace – mentors you meet in your hobbies, family or community can have a significant impact on helping you achieve your goals. Think you might like to be a volunteer mentor to young women for one of our programs? Keep on reading.
Women’s Mentors Help Close the Gender Gap
Women’s mentors have a great influence on other young women and girls this age where gender equality is yet to be given the respect it deserves. This can be seen through the relationships that they form with mentees. Our Asista Mentoring Program and Youth Frontiers Mentoring Program, for instance, assist young women and gender-diverse people to grow to become resilient, confident adults ready to take on any of life’s challenges.
Women’s Mentors Improve and Foster Self-Esteem and Confidence
Women’s mentoring volunteers can be extremely beneficial to the advancement of women in all of their diversity. Women are more likely to reach their full potential when they have a mentor. Studies show that women who have female mentors are more likely to pursue a professional career, earn higher salaries, and hold positions of leadership. Women’s mentoring programs also improve and foster self-esteem and confidence in mentees. Our Y Connect Program is one such women’s mentoring program, helping women living with disabilities find confidence and strength through a mentor. Having someone to bounce ideas off or provide when facing a roadblock can make a world of difference when working towards a goal.
They Help Others Navigate and Improve Their Workplace Culture and Leadership Skills
A woman mentor can give you an inside perspective on the workplace culture and leadership skills that are needed to succeed in a male-dominated world. Women mentors provide insights into how women navigate and improve their own workplaces, which is vital for organisational development.
Additionally, female mentors share with their mentees how they reached success as well as any roadblocks they might’ve encountered along the way so that mentees have opportunities to learn from their mistakes instead of making their own. They also might provide a boost of confidence when facing a common barrier – knowing that if their mentor can overcome it, they can too!
It Increases Job Satisfaction and Retention
Women mentoring women increases the chances of women advancing in the workplace, which in turn boosts job satisfaction and retention. Women are often hired into junior or middle management positions but are often less likely to be promoted to senior leadership roles. This leads to a lack of job satisfaction because they feel like they’re not valued or taken seriously at work.
When they find a woman mentor in a position of power, it can make them feel like their voice will also be heard and will be valued for the contributions that they make. Mentors will play the role of helping women navigate these challenges by providing them with feedback and advice on how to move up the ladder more quickly.
Become a Women’s Mentoring Volunteer Today
Women mentors can help women feel more confident and less alone, and they often create a safe space for women to share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings without judgment or repercussion. YWCA Australia offers women-to-women mentoring, where women mentors provide guidance to young women looking to reach new heights. They can show them how to make positive life decisions, identify barriers that keep them from achieving their goals, and provide encouragement that we all sometimes need!
Our mentoring programs across Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales have aided in the transformation of countless lives by creating an environment in which our mentees are accepted exactly as they are and provided the support they need to achieve their goals. Want to change the lives of young women in your local community as a volunteer mentor? Visit our website for more information or contact us for any inquiries.
