PARTICIPANTS IN the University of the West Indies' (UWI) mentorship programme believe Jamaican youth would benefit from similar initiatives across the island.

The 15th year of the mentorship programme was launched yesterday at the Rex Nettleford Hall auditorium, at the Mona campus.

Some participants said the nearly 400 mentors and 'mentorees' who turned out this year, was the largest attendance since the programme's inception.

Finance manager Cheverton Wisdom, who has been a mentor for the past six years, said this was a reflection of its success.

Beyond the boundaries

"I think it has reached the stage now where it needs to go beyond the boundaries of the university," he said.

Mark-Shane Scale, who has been a mentor for the past two years, agreed.

He said with older councillors, these programmes could guide wayward youth.

"It is important for the older folk to pass on our values to the younger ones so they can understand not only where they are coming from, but where they are going and how to get there," Scale told The Gleaner.

Dr Thelora Reynolds, director of student services and development at the UWI, said agencies such as Youth Opportunities Unlimited, also reached out to young people in the inner city.

She explained that the university had also implemented a reverse mentorship programme where mentorees become mentors to persons from nearby communities, such as August Town and Mona Commons.

Aims and objectives of the UWI mentorship programme

• To enhance the total development of the student, especially in the socio-psychological domain.

• To expose students to intangible factors they would not learn from a textbook, but which could prove vital to their development.

• To expose students to role models and assist them in learning how a mentor achieved success.

• To allow students to clarify their goals.