Solomon Perkins

Reference: Keane Blog

Helping your fellow citizen climb the ladder of success is the responsibility we all share. There is also a greater responsibility on those who’ve stood on those rungs and understand what is required to climb higher. Mentorship so happens to be the most impactful way of sharing those life “how to”.

Well last year July we, my wife & I, intentionally started a mentorship program in an effort to help young people achieve their goals through guidance. We’ve seen some great results and so I’ll pause to celebrate and share a few good news.

How It All Started
So I’m a country-man and like most Jamaicans who grew up in a rural community then somehow migrate to Kingston for various reasons. Now I’m all grown up, I feel an innate responsibility to give back to the institutions in my community which were instrumental to my upbringing. My primary school, Rock River All Age, was the institution which laid the foundation for me and so giving back was an avenue to show my appreciation for their mentorship.

It all started early 2017 after donating two Raspberry Pi (mini-computers) to two schools and upon seeing the impact my passion grew. We wanted to help a student who was in financial need but showed great potential - an idea from my wife. Long story short, we notified my past teacher, Ms Pusey, of our interest in donating to a student and without hesitation, she recommended a young lady with great potential, Janice.

On July 4th we surprised Janice, who was awarded Most Improved student - class of 2017 with a JMD$20,000 grant towards her education. To this day, I still remember the surprise on her face when she came back on stage to receive her award. On that day we saw a young lady with great potential and a bright future. My wife saw the need for a long-term support program to help her achieve her goals and that is how the mentorship program started.

Current Update

We’re less than a year in and the results are amazing.

Early this year our mentorship program grew and we now have another mentee under our wings. This time it is my younger cousin, Sukie. Her eligibility criteria were much different than that of Janice, however helping family members reach their highest potential is what family does. To top it off, she is in her final year of high school and she got through to both UTECH & UWI for various programs.

Janice is also doing well at school. Even though it is her first year at high school, she was placed 8 out of 46 students last semester. Awesoooome! This young lady has shown great potential in taking on challenging task and excelling at them. As Ms Pusey told us, she is a brilliant young lady in need of proper guidance and support.

In general, our mentorship program is tailored based on the individual and the agreed objectives. Case in point, for Janice we are helping her to develop proper study & communication habits. While with Sukie we are preparing her on how to handle the college life. But for both, we encourage an open forum whereby they are free to express and share concerns on various issues.

Be Like the Go-Giver

I once read a book called The Go Giver, which teaches about the five laws of stratospheric success. In my opinion, the first law has the most impact, which states:

The Law of Value. Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take…

I can attest to the fact that adding value is a powerful mechanism whereby we can be most impactful and that is what we hope to achieve with this mentorship program. Having gone through the varying levels of education - including tertiary education, I do have a responsibility to give back by sharing that knowledge with the upcoming generation. Despite not having the professional training of a mentor, we have the battle scars to show that with determination all things are possible. We believe that through our mentorship program we can help to steer them in the right path and thus making the next generation more equipt to handle future challenges.

Learning Learning Learning..

Learning is a lifelong event and this mentorship program has taught me some great life lessons.

Watching an individual excel despite the various challenges adds a new meaning to life - it is like watching your first pepper tree bear fruit. It has taught me that we should all strive to help others achieve their goals despite your life challenges. As granny once said: Iron sharpen Iron. This all boils down to the power of love. Once you have a passion for helping others reach greater heights you’ll ultimately realise that Simon Sinek was right when he said:

The best way to find joy in our lives or overcome struggle is with the help of others.

I’ve also learnt that we all need mentors in all/most aspect of our lives. Irrespective of your status, socio-economic conditions we all need someone in your corner who understands and provide guidance. Even Tony Robbins, Tiger Woods and Gordon Swaby have mentors/trainers so who am I/you? Let us humble thyself and go seek help.

I look forward to the day when my mentees achieve their goals. I look forward to the day when they stand on the platform as I’ve done. So let us not be selfish and get so caught up with success and forget your primary responsibility in helping others. Besides someone instrumental in your achievement(s), why not help another? Share the good news like a cook food - Chronnix.