A helping hand: National Mentoring Day and its benefits
Each year on the 27th of October, National Mentoring Day is celebrated, focusing on the achievements brought forward by mentoring and encouraging both mentors and mentees to share their journeys and experiences with the public.
The day was launched in 2015 by Chelsey Baker, who is known as an award-winning mentor in the business sector, providing guidance to companies and individuals across the country since 1980 with the publication of her book entitled “How To Stop Existing and Start Living”, co-authored by Vince Stanzione.
National Mentoring Day’s core mission, accoring to the official website, is to raise awareness of the importance of mentoring and to spread the message that it should be “accessible to any individual, child, business or group that needs it, regardless of age, background or ethnicities”. Their aim is to educate and bring to light how mentoring can help a business and its employees to prosper, along with raising the confidence of those who may not know where to find the help they need in a specific field.
“The relationship and role that a mentor plays has never been so important in today’s fast paced and challenging times. Mentoring has long proved to play a vital role in supporting individuals, businesses and communities; National Mentoring Day has been launched to celebrate this and promote awareness on the positive benefits of mentoring” – Chelsey Baker
Organisers provide free resources to those who wish to participate, ranging from free-to-download posters and leaflets, along with encouraging mentors to share their success stories and advice online. By sharing experiences and passing on wisdom, mentors have a chance to give back and have a positive impact in the future of both business and society.
For potential mentees, the benefits of National Mentoring Day includes learning years worth of valuable tips and wisdom from experts who have been in a wide variety of professions, so there is something for everyone to gain from, regardless of their interests or career paths. It also allows for mentees to make new contacts, and meet people with the same interests, possibly even future employers. The day features many guest speakers and patrons sharing their previous experiences with mentoring, some of which include former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry The RT Lord Young. He had this to say in regards to the day:
“I had a mentor when I started my first business and he saved me more than once. I hope that National Mentoring Day will encourage more and more people to act as a mentor. I know as I have acted as a mentor many times and it is very rewarding to both parties.”
RT Hon Lord Young
Here are some facts about mentoring, its benefits and why more people should be aware of it:
- 67% of businesses reported an increase in productivity due to mentoring. (source: mentorsme)
- 55% of businesses felt that mentoring had a positive impact on their profits. (source: mentorsme)
- Research has shown that 70% of small businesses that receive mentoring survive for five years or more, which is double the rate compared with non-mentored entrepreneurs. (source: FSB)
- Only 25% of small and medium sized businesses currently make use of business mentors. (source: sage.com)
So how can you get involved with this event? The National Mentoring Day website provies many ways in which one can participate, including sharing your stories online, getting in touch with mentors and mentees through the official hashtag #nationalmentoringday on social media, and even hosting your own live mentoring event. The website also provides free printable ‘Thank You’ cards for anyone who wishes to show appreciation for their mentors. Mentoring is a valuable way of learning skills and advice, and National Mentoring Day is helping to raise awareness to the public, encouraging people to get involved in sharing their experiences, regardless of who they are or what their background is. There is something to gain for everyone who participates.
Featured image by Free-Photos on Pixabay.