Mentors Resource Centre Breaks New Ground
- GSGC
- Apr 20, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 29
GSGC is over-the-moon delighted to announce a first in development work in Southern Africa: a digital library of proven techniques, good ideas and inspiration, written by Africans, for Africans.
More than a year in the making — and a long-time dream before that — the Mentors Resource Centre is now in the hands of those who assembled it, will use it and will keep it updated – Mentors you support.
As GSGC’s model spreads throughout the region, our Mentors wanted a reliable and replicable but elastic method by which to share best practices with one another, train new Mentors and offer their expertise to others who want to effect change in their communities. The idea was to help Mentors develop their individual capabilities as they help young people develop theirs.
Typically, a nongovernmental organization’s employees in, say, Washington, DC or London write static manuals prescribing how to carry out its programs or how many people to reach each month and what data to record — sometimes without ever visiting the communities the group is trying to aid. This top-down approach is one GSGC rejected years ago. Change, we learned, best comes from within, not when it’s imposed.
GSGC wanted a handy reference by Mentors, for Mentors. Originally called “The Toolkit,” Mentors were pulling together their vast body of knowledge about what does and doesn’t work for girls and boys clubs in Southern Africa when the pandemic hit. Lockdowns gave some time to concentrate on the project, but the July death of volunteer project manager and board member Bruce Klein meant hitting the reset button. GSGC’s staff in South Africa joined the team with organizational and technical support. Bruce’s son-in-law, Christopher Thee, added his skills from the New Jersey shore, and the Mentors Resource Centre crossed the finish line.
“I don’t like it — I LOVE it,” said Mentor Gloria Mubita of Believe Club in Livingstone, Zambia.
Thee said he was happy to be part of the MRC effort, noting that his father-in-law was deeply committed to the GSGC mission. “Bruce would be extremely proud of what the team has accomplished and would encourage us to keep pushing forward to create even more positive change.”
To protect our work, access to the MRC is reserved for Mentors. Thank you for making it possible
