Volunteering with the Cherie Blair Foundation mentoring women in business.
Their flagship Mentoring Women in Business programme matches women entrepreneurs in low and middle-income countries with experienced, dedicated businesspeople in any country. In pairs, we work together for 12 months, with the mentor helping the mentee to achieve her business goals, as well as build her wealth, independence, and financial security.
Becoming a mentor offers business professionals the chance to play a pivotal role in an entrepreneur’s business growth at a critical stage of her business. By sharing business knowledge with a woman entrepreneur, I’ll support her to boost her confidence, improve her business performance, develop and add to her skills, and have a significant impact on her life, family, community and beyond.
Maria – I have worked as a mentor to Maria, a hotel owner based in Colombia, South America. It was great working with Maria for 12 months and it added value to my mentoring experience especially learning about the business culture in Colombia.
Minerva – I am currently working with Minerva from St Kitts in the Caribbean. She runs a printing service company. I use these opportunities to always learn from my mentees. Mentoring is transformative for mentees and mentors alike.
AQA Unlocking Potential program
What is AQA Unlocking Potential?
The AQA Unlocking Potential programme, run jointly with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, aims to bring out the best in young people so that they can achieve their goals.
It’s a ‘transformational’ mentoring programme for pupils aged from 11–19 years of age, delivered by world class athletes from the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust.
It takes a special group of participants on a personal journey that aims to provide the following outcomes for pupils:
• increased confidence, self-esteem and resilience
• improved wellbeing
• enhanced aspirations and expectations on future life goals, whether from school to college, college to university or into training and employment
• develop transferable skills such as presentation and leadership, as well as using own initiative
• improved teachability
• improved motivation to take positive action in their community.
What volunteering means to me is, in simple terms:
“I am gifting someone part of my time.”
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