Female Mentors in and out of the Workplace

p>Whether in a workplace, social, private or personal life, a mentor can have a profound positive influence on you. Here are some reasons how and why female mentors can make a big impact on someone’s life, and why you might consider either being one, or seeking one out.

Business

One of the most generous actions a businesswoman can do is to take another woman under her wing. In the business world, a new employee or partner can learn tricks of the trade and absorb powerful knowledge from her mentor. The Center for American Progress conducted a study that found only 14.6 percent of executive officers in the United States are women. This statistic seems to show women are often undervalued.

When a woman in an executive position offers guidance to a woman who is less established, she can foster good work ethic and positive character traits, which may make her ideal to move up within the company. Some of these traits include advancement, strategy, and a passion for the work they do. If you’ve had a successful business career, think about offering your knowledge to the next generation of businesswomen. If you’re on the lookout for a mentee, try entry-level jobs at growing companies like LifeLock, Enterprise or Verizon Wireless, all of which have tight communities within their companies.

Teens

The teenage years are difficult for everyone. Changes in a young woman’s public life, as well as private life can leave her confused and adrift, alienated from family and even friends. A mentor can make a world of difference for a young woman searching for the right path. National studies have shown that a mentored teenage girl is 46 percent less likely to partake in illegal drugs, 27 percent less likely to consume alcohol and decreases school truancy by 52 percent.

Furthermore, 98 percent of young women paired with a mentor while in high school avoid teen pregnancy and avoid gang activities. If you have the time, there are many mentor programs for young woman all over the country. Make a difference in a girl’s life in this way by Googling mentor programs in your area.

female mentor

Programs

There are many programs, probably some in your area, but there are also some mentor programs that stretch across the country.

Step Up Women’s Network: Step Up pairs young women with a mentor who helps them realize their ambition and plan out how to achieve it. Many young women from Step Up come from gang-related backgrounds, with the hope they can reform their lives. In 2010 Step Up helped 20 girls from South Africa speak up and create an intelligent discourse about the issues in their lives such as gender justice, reproductive rights, AIDS/HIV, health, education and career opportunities for women and girls in their country.

GlobalGirl Media: GGM serves those who don’t have the opportunity to speak out. It is a nonprofit organization that empowers young women all over the world with journalistic and media training so they can participate in the global conversation of the media. GlobalGirl Media aims to provide the equipment and support for young women to speak out about the issues affecting young women from all over the world.

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