What is a mentor? At Access to Success, a mentor is a light-bearer that makes a decision to light the path of others through teaching, correcting, and caring. Mentors are good listeners, confidential, non-judgmental, reliable, consistent and God-fearing. 

In Nigeria, it is believed that when a child is born, he or she does not just belong to the father and mother but to the entire community, thereby giving members of the community access to behave as a mentor to the child, though sometimes, things can go wrong when the children are exposed to negative mentoring. We at A2S strive to redeem the mentoring process, showing the children positive and loving guidance.

Due to a variety of issues, parents have become hesitant to allow their children to be mentored, however the A2S mentoring program is a strong partnership among established members of our community, the A2S youth and their family unit. This is a place where the youth can realize their full potential because they have someone they look up to, guiding them along the way. Our mentors are people who are aware of the possible loopholes youth might experience yet are dedicated to ensuring the child make healthy, well-informed decisions. 

A current example is that of Gift. She is one of our kids at Access to Success who recently got promoted to a new class in school. She will soon have to write her entrance essay to attend university but was faced with the dilemma of choosing a career. She was torn between studying Theatre Arts or Communications, however after discussing the issue with her A2S mentor, she was able to make a wise, informed decision. 

Children like Gift can embark on the journey of self-discovery confidently with a mentor guiding them as they grow and build strong qualities such as positive thinking, anxiety management, emotional intelligence, stress management, goal setting, good conduct and forging strong relationships with others. The impact of mentoring touches the child’s future deeply. 

“Show me a successful individual and I’ll show you someone who had real positive influences in his or her life. I don’t care what you do for a living — if you do it well, I’m sure there was someone cheering you on or showing the way. A mentor.”  — Denzel Washington

Access to Success has placed a priority on mentoring because we see it is a vital tool for child development as a whole. We believe every child deserves a positive mentor to bring out their very best and help their light shine bright. As we inch closer to our ten year mark, we have witnessed how bottled up emotions in children can facilitate behavioral changes and if not dealt with in love, can result in misbehavior. With A2S mentors counseling and advocating for the children, while having their best interests at heart, it is like having a guardian angel on standby. Mentors help our kids set smart goals and serve as a bridge between parents and their mentees, thereby helping them become agents of change and fellow light-bearers.

If we sincerely consider children to be the leaders of tomorrow, exploring positive mentoring is a wonderful investment for the future of our A2S kids and their communities!

Are you interested in supporting children like Gift and the A2S mentoring program? Visit our campaign page to make a one time gift or contribute to our monthly giving program, FaithFuel.