What a difference a year makes: Celebrating our first cohort!
This August we brought our first ever cohort to a close. Here, we share a video of our brilliant End of Year event, and Amara – our Summer Programme Intern – shares more about the event. Videography by Melissa Morgan Our end of year celebration was the first time that many of our mentoring pairs met in person for the first time, and it was the perfect way to draw our first cohort’s journey to a close. For Ernesta, one of our mentees, the event was a chance “to bond with other mentors and mentees and celebrate the journey that we have all been on.” With balloons hung and food on the table, the scene was set for what turned out to be a magical evening! In between games, mentors and mentees shared about the difference that mentoring had made to their lives. Girls who had previously shied away from public speaking were now expressing their thoughts confidently, sharing the clarity they’d developed on their career path, and the personal growth they attributed to mentoring. Our mentors too had learnt a lot, explaining how inspired they were by their mentees’ character and drive, and how they had really enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of their mentees’ journeys. A few happy tears were shed! The mentoring pairs soon grabbed some props, ready to take polaroid pictures at our makeshift photo booth. As creative and eager as ever, the mentees began to use the photo frames and stickers from their goody bags to decorate their new polaroids, and the mentors soon followed, creating another opportunity for them to bond. “I don’t think there could have been a better event for us to meet our mentors. Everyone had fun and felt comfortable.” – Caitlyn, Mentee 2020-21 We are very grateful to our first cohort for their enthusiastic approach to mentoring, and for how they have shaped The Catalyst over the past 8 months. We also appreciate everyone who contributed to this celebration, from hosting us to doing videography. Thank you all for making the end of year celebration such a fantastic event. Words by Amara Agwo
Getting Started
It’s widely known than January isn’t the most upbeat of months. Dark mornings stretch on, the sun seems to set at lunchtime and the Christmas glow has long faded. All of this is before you factor in the latest COVID-19 lockdown and a fresh bout of Zoom-fatigue. January really is a bit blue. But here at The Catalyst Collective, this year January has feeling very different. Less blue, and far more colourful. Because this month, we launched our first ever mentoring cohort! Over the last month, we’ve held mentee training, mentor training and our Mentor Match events. It has been so exciting to meet and prepare both halves of the cohort and then to see everyone together. Each member of this year’s Collective also had the chance to share their reasons for getting involved and their hopes for their mentoring journey. It’s been a month of laughs, getting lost between breakout rooms (!), and the magic that comes when Black women get together. The word catalyst means an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action. This is our hope for our brand new pairs; that the experience of mentoring would bring about something significant, both in the lives of the mentees and the mentors. And so, just like that, we’re off! Stay tuned…!
