2021 SEEDS: Mentorship for young entrepreneurs
José Ochoa, Award-winning Entrepreneur during his SEEDS Mentorship.
By Carolina Quintero, SEEDS Program Coordinator
During the last week of February 2021, we started our new mentorship program, one component of the curriculum developed by the award-winning team Biz Nation. Our SEEDS semester-long program includes five one-hour-long sessions between our 9-12 students and the assigned mentors culminating in May 2021.
Diego and his partner doing the activity shared by their Mentor.
The purpose of the mentorship program is for adults who’ve had entrepreneurial experiences and business knowledge can reinforce what the students are learning in the classroom. They can add a dose of passion and motivation to guide the students through the development of their businesses. The mother of one of our entrepreneurs mentions “Diego and his mentor made a beautiful connection”. With another one of our students, the mentor gave us feedback about the business status of the student and it allowed us to pinpoint the specific needs of that young entrepreneur and tailor our approach.
Our mentors who comes from backgrounds like business owners, marketing specialists, public administrators to college students. Our mentors do not have to be entrepreneurs to support our students. Just having an adult supporting and motivating the student to follow their dreams and continue the work of creating their businesses creates an environment in which they start believing in themselves and their capabilities.
How mentorship is a two-way street
Mentorship helps both the student and the adult providing the mentorship. The supportive, healthy relationships formed between mentors and mentees are both immediate and long-term and contribute to a host of benefits for mentors and mentees.
Recent studies have shown youth who are in supportive relationships with their mentors report better attitudes at school, enhanced self-esteem, healthier relationships, and improved interpersonal skills. Likewise, mentors report improved self-esteem and increased patience and supervisory skills.
We hope to continue our mentorship program in our SEEDS curriculum. You can build the future through education by supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs from Puerto Rico. If you are interested in becoming a mentor for our program feel free to contact us at info@friendsofpuertorico.org
