Mentoring is traced back to the Greek mythology and is beautifully reviewed by Brewerton (Liber Quaterly 2002,
12, 361-380).
Mentoring is a trusting relationship between two partners (mentor and mentee). The mentor helps mold the mentee's progress by a process that helps create possible paths, networking, sometimes counselling and often coaching the what to do when. The mentor should share the knowhow, the often invisible rules of the game, encourage rather than impress upon, and inquire rather than force upon in a relationship that often comes to a close when the goals are achieved.
According to Pamela Ryckman,
“Mentors help fill your knowledge gaps and seek opportunities to help you grow and excel. A mentor is someone with whom you can let down your guard, share your insecurities, and ask the 'stupid' questions we all have sometimes."
Good mentoring is crucial to shape up students' goals and as such it substantially increases the students' chance to succeed in their academic journey. With it, students learn to develop the essential skills to overcome the hurdles and challenges they face, to take impactful decisions, and to develop approaches to face any obstacles...
We have much to do to advise our students and get them on the right paths. Academic advising goes beyond giving alternate pins to students to register courses... It is about creating new opportunities, shedding light on new paths, impacting career choice, and expanding horizons...
Since 2016, we have started a new initiative in which we host renowned speakers to give mentoring talks to our students and community. Our distinguished speakers share with us the challenges, obstacles and failures that they have encountered throughout their rich careers. Perhaps by learning from the mistakes of others, people could spare much of their precious time, frustration, suffering and even money.
This website documents the mentoring talks we are arranging at AUB in addition to uplifting motivational videos from all over the world.