TAKORADI: World University Services of Canada (WUSC) Launches The ‘So Me Mu’ Mentorship Program
The World University Service of Canada (WUSC), through the Innovation in Non-Traditional Vocational Education and Skills Training (INVEST), on Tuesday July 18th, 2023 launched the “So Me Mu Mentorship Program.
The “So Me Mu” Mentorship Program seeks to match young women participating in male- dominated TVET sectors with technical professionals in sectors such as energy, extractives, and construction for mentorship, guidance, and support. Key objectives of the program include the acceleration of personal and professional development of mentors and mentees, and the creation of a community of young female technical professionals to establish networks, learn and grow. Selected mentors will be recognized for their volunteerism, will expand their professional network, and also gain new skills through the training workshops to be conducted for them.
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Speaking at the launch in Takoradi, Juliana Ohenewaa Amoako-Twum (Public Engagement and Advocacy Advisor, INVEST) indicated that “The INVEST project is working closely with Partners and sector actors to create an enabling environment for young women to participate and thrive in male- dominated trade areas which is lucrative and rewarding with great opportunities for women to improve their economic conditions.
We are hopeful that social norms and negative public perceptions that have hindered women’s entry into high-growth sectors are gradually paving the way through strategic interventions like the WUSC INVEST in her campaign, a mindset change campaign aimed at engaging the public at all levels to collaboratively embrace the need to empower women and support them to choose their careers regardless of how the norms have been over the year.
To this end, we believe that one of the surest ways to ensure these young women are resilient, demystify negative perceptions, and reform negative social norms blocking women’s participation in male-dominated sectors is through mentorship. Mentorship in all spheres of life contributes significantly to succession planning and leaves a lifetime legacy for generations unborn. So me mu, which means hold me up or support me is a popular Akan saying that has a lot of deep thought provoking meanings and suggests that everybody needs somebody to succeed. Professional, seasoned, and passionate mentors can be leveraged to change the narrative of a few women currently showing interest in sectors dominated by men.
The mentorship program is open to mentors who are passionate about providing coaching and guidance support for assigned mentees for a minimum of 3 months. Mentorship will be made available to candidates through face-to-face and virtual sessions for young women in Accra, Kumasi, and Takoradi.
