Cyril Ramaphosa Education Trust (CRET) hosted a mentorship breakfast on 5 July. The event aimed at encouraging an enriching dialogue on mentorship.

Mentorship is about building a relationship that will take the mentor and the student on a journey that will benefit them both. It plays an important role in the holistic support CRET provides to each student, and serves the ethos of “paying it forward”, which CRET instils in its students. Many CRET students go on to become mentors themselves, providing the kind of support that they received, to others.

Chantelle Oosthuizen, CRET Executive Director, says mentoring relationships “have numerous benefits for academic performance”.

“These include mentors being able to identify challenges that might affect overall performance; the promotion of healthy and positive development; and skills development and progress towards specific goals,” she said.