Mentoring Change
Established in 2021, the Tembo Mentorship Programme is based on a reciprocal model where students learn new skills from various mentors while they themselves begin to mentor others through their community projects and their assistance in other Guardians of the Deep projects.
Mentorship Levels and Assignments
Throughout the three-year programme mentors will assist in Guardians of the Deep projects (e.g.: Chacma Champions); learning the content, gaining experience and sharing their knowledge with other Guardians beneficiaries. During their first year with the programme, mentors will be expected to set up a community project that will be concluded by the end of the year, complete two short courses and fulfil a job-shadow position. Year two will consist of primarily of participating in short courses of the arts, a selection of a minimum of three is expected, and working alongside Guardians of the Deep project coordinators. Mentors will also spend time investigating how their community projects could expand and become long-term sustainable through the establishment of project partners. The final year of the mentorship programme will be focused on preparing mentors for careers with sessions covering interview techniques, CV writing and bursary applications. Mentors will work on cementing their community project legacy and attending at least three of the STEM short courses on offer.
“Being a Tembo Mentor means that we can help to protect the environment by bringing ideas to prevent pollution, and to me it means that we are brave enough to be leaders.”
~ Precious Kavule
Level 1 – Trailblazers:
- Community Project
- Mentors will set up, run and complete their project within their first year
- Mentors will be taken through all the steps of project development; from designing their own logo to fundraising and community engagement
- Mentors will complete two short courses during their first year
- First Aid training: Cape Medical Response
- Drowning Prevention and Survival Swimming: Project Neptune
- Mentors will be given the opportunity to job shadow for 5 days (during a school holiday) at the organisation linked to their community project
Level 2 – Chargers:
- Community Project
- Mentors will focus on the expansion and sustainability of their projects and, where applicable, approach relevant organisations to forge possible partnerships
- The Arts – Proposed Short Courses
- Pottery: Sitting Duck Studios
- Physical theatre: Heather Gielink (Jungle Theatre)
- Jigsaws: Ayanda Aylar
- Book-binding and paper-making: Zanele Petros
- Finger puppets: Zanele Petros
- Textile upcycling: Zanele Petros
- Photography: Matthew Webster
- Short-story writing: Chase Rhys Downes
- Nature-inspired expressions through art and poetry: Megan Webster
Level 3 – Matriarchs and Big Tuskers:
- Community Project
- Creating a legacy of lasting change
- Handing their projects over to the community
- STEM and Conservation – Proposed Short courses
- Astronomy/Astrophysics: Prof Sally Macfarlane
- Biodiversity through Time: Dr Wendy Taylor
- Tracking: Master Tracker JJ Minye
- Citizen Science: MiniSASS, Dirty Dozen, Operation LiMPET, Pollinator Surveys
- Documentary and Media Development: Puppet Planet (Dr Wendy Taylor)
- Restoration of wild bee habitat: Ujubee
- Marine Biology and Conservation: Guardians of the Deep
- Career Preparation
- How to write a CV
- Internships and volunteer opportunities
- Applying for bursaries
- Interview techniques
Community Project
Community project topics must align with one of more of the WWF International Global Goals and engineer community custodianship of the surrounding natural environment. Once mentors have chosen their project topic, based on the needs of their own community, they will come up with a name and slogan/byline, and design their own logo. Mentors will need to decide what message they would like their project to convey and how they will engage their community in its development. Mentors will be taught the fundamentals of project logistics, they will be shown how to budget and fundraise, and they will set up their short-, intermediate- and long-term project goals.
With the basis of their community project complete during year one of the mentorship programme, years two and three will be spent exploring ways that their project can be continued from within their community. During the programme’s third year, mentors will be assisted in developing a media package (including a short documentary) of their project.
Content will be collected over the full three years and mentors will share their experiences through talks at high schools and community centres. The aim being to inspire and increase the reach of their work and message.
Current Tembo Mentors and their Projects
