Vision4 Women runs a mentorship programme designed to support high school girls from under-resourced schools to achieve personal and academic goals.

The programme started in 2012 with a few schools in Gqeberha (then known as Port Elizabeth). It has since grown to include Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) and in 2024 expanded to a school in Humansdorp. We aim to help our girls build positive relationships with appropriate role models who can provide guidance and support in academic, career and personal matters.

Our youth development programme matches one Grade 12 mentee with one female mentor who can provide guidance, encouragement and support throughout the school year.

Originally the programme accepted only a few girls in matric but, seeing the need for, and efficacy of, the programme, it now includes girls in Grade 10 and 11. The younger girls receive group mentorship. When they progress to matric, they are then paired with an individual mentor.

The programme includes camps, workshops and events that enhance life-skills and encourage our girls to reach their full potential. No girl pays to be on our programme, and no mentor receives payment for their contribution. Working together we can offer the girls on our programme so much more. Vision4 Women welcomes partnerships and invites you to get in touch.

Programme Objectives

The immediate objectives of the Vision4 Women mentorship programme are:

To help girls develop positive relationships with role models who can provide guidance and support in academic, career and personal matters.

To enhance pupils’ self-awareness and self-esteem, enabling them to make informed decisions about their future.

To expose girls to a variety of career and educational opportunities, helping them to explore their interests and plan for their future.

To help girls develop essential life skills such as communication, problem-solving and leadership.

To create a supportive and inclusive community of girls who can support one another as they navigate the challenges of high school and beyond.

To provide girls with practical guidance and resources to help them succeed academically and in their personal lives.

To foster meaningful relationships between girls and mentors, promoting both personal and academic growth.

Programme Activities

Workshops

Workshops include topics such as goal-setting, self-care, and communication skills.

Camps

Camps include life skills, leadership, and more.

Fast-forward Graduation

Fast-forward or “mock” graduation where learners wear academic regalia reflecting their future careers.

Award Ceremonies

Where programme milestones and achievements are recognised and celebrated.

Networking

Networking with other programme participants and community leaders.

Community Service

Community service projects and opportunities to volunteer.

Field Trips

Field trips to university campuses and other educational institutions

Mentor Networking

Mentor and teacher networking sessions

Recruitment

Mentor Recruitment

Mentors are invited to step forward at the end of each year in time to start training them for their duties in the new school year. Our volunteers include professionals, businesswomen, tertiary education students and others who wish to “pay it forward” to the next generation. A call is made on social media platforms and extracted from Vision4 Women’s database. Mentors fill out an application form which is vetted, and each potential mentor is interviewed. For the programme to succeed, it is vital that mentors are chosen carefully, and that each mentor knows what their responsibilities are likely to be. Each mentor is matched with one matric girl.

See our Mentors

A younger group of mentors, known as Destiny Helpers, run a group mentorship programme with girls in Gr 10 and 11.

See our Destiny Helpers

Mentee recruitment

Mentees are recruited from schools in Nelson Mandela Bay and Humansdorp’s previously disadvantaged areas, generally from areas that are under-resourced and historically Black.

School principals and Life Orientation teachers are consulted and asked to select a minimum of three learners from Gr 10 who will be in the programme for their Gr 10, 11 and 12 years. Numbers are limited due to lack of availability of resources.

The learner must show a strong desire to grow and be willing to commit to the programme for the full school year. She also must be in good academic standing and show positive behaviour.

Learners are required to complete and submit application forms with essays narrating their background and personal vision. They are also asked to submit their identity document or birth certificate and previous year’s academic results. Parents are required to sign the indemnity forms.

Vision4 Women conducts interviews with each applicant to select those who meet the criteria.

Training

All mentors and Destiny Helpers undergo compulsory training to prepare them for how to best help their mentees. Vision4 Women’s Mentor Support Committee, with assistance from the Chairperson and other Board Members, as well as professionals in relevant career areas, conduct sessions to outline what the programme entails.

The girls chosen for the programme are invited to a Welcoming Ceremony where their role and responsibilities are set out. Mentors are invited to this event and it is a chance for the mentor to meet the mentee.

Welcome Ceremony

Each year there is a welcoming ceremony for the new girls on the programme. Initially this was only for Gr 12, now it is for Gr 10 as this class will then go on to be the Gr 11 and Gr 12 class of future years. Parents and families are welcome to attend.

Fast-forward graduation ceremony

The Fast-Forward Graduation Ceremony, generally held in April, is one of the highlights of the Vision4 Women programme each year. At this event, the matric mentees are invited to a mock graduation ceremony where they are “capped” with the degree that they hope to study for after leaving school. As with a university graduation ceremony, academics wearing their own robes, lead the procession and “cap” the “graduates”, handing them a certificate stating what qualification they are aiming for.

Life Skills Camps

Empowering life-skills camps are held over the course of the year, with separate camps for Grade 10, Grade 11 and Grade 12 girls. Mentors and Destiny Helpers are also welcome to attend. Camps include the chance to develop business skills, entrepreneurship and creativity. Vision4 Women encourages healthy physical activity, indoors and outdoors, and the girls take part a variety of fun activities that help to develop social skills. Activities are geared towards boosting self-esteem and encouraging critical thinking.

Workshops And Seminars

Women who are already working in a variety of professions, many of them past mentees, give tips and advice to the younger girls at Phuhla workshops and other events over the course of the year. The Phuhla Workshops are one-day seminars where the girls learn various skills. Professionals address the mentees on a variety of topics, including cyber-security, personal grooming and career readiness, for example.

Awards Ceremony

Towards the end of the school year, all mentees are invited to an awards ceremony where they are given a certificate of completion for the year. Trophies and cash prizes are presented to the Gr 10, 11 and 12 classes, with special awards given to achieving pupils in each grade, as well as a few fun awards.

Appreciation Celebration

Vision4 Women hosts a year-end appreciation celebration to thank the mentors, teachers and partners who have contributed to the mentorship programme. Although the scale of this function depends on the budget, it is always a joyous occasion.

Post-Mentorship Support

The Vision4 Women mentorship programme runs for one year for each grade. However, many mentors and mentees do continue to keep in touch. Vision4 Women mentorship has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on learners, mentors, teachers and parents: