Enwealth Financial Services has started a mentorship programme for students it supports under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme to help them navigate a fast changing world. The firm has been offering secondary school scholarships since 2001.
“In this fast-changing world, the life of a teenager seems to change daily or even on an hourly basis. Some changes may be hard for the parents, guardians and teachers to monitor and keep track of, yet this is a very fragile period when the young people are developing emotionally, cognitively, physically and spiritually,” it says.
The inaugural mentorship day, held last Friday saw over 30 students receive various life-skills counseling to prepare them for life outside the classroom.
Some of the advice the students received were on career choices, nurturing their talents, on basic entrepreneurship skills and ways of overcoming challenges in schools given their diverse backgrounds. The mentors drawn from the Enwealth staff and counselors also encouraged the students to keep off negative influences that may affect their future such as involvement in pre-marital sex and use of drugs.
In recent times, disturbing news have dominated the media, especially social media platforms such as rise in teenage suicides, increased rates of teenage pregnancies, teenage pornography, drug use and involvement in criminal activities among others. Some of these actions, experts say, are a cry for attention from the adults who are stuck in their busy lives trying to make ends meet.
Social media influence was a key topic addressed, given the greater role it is playing in the students’ life. The main point driven home was they can be able to use digital media to advance themselves through activities such as research and creating valuable relationships instead of adopting the vices that it presents.
“Success is not only defined by the students’ performance in their academics, but by being able to deal with different life situations as they come. As Enwealth Financial Services, we hope to equip these young people with all the necessary life skills to be successful in life,” said Beatrice Chuchu, Enwealth HR manager on the sidelines of the event.
The Enwealth Fanisi scholarship is in its 8th year running and students who have been through the programme also took the chance to encourage their younger counterparts.
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Fanisi offers full scholarships for secondary school education to students with strong academic performance from less privileged backgrounds. Applications for next year’s form 1 intake are currently ongoing.
