Back to my school |04 August 2017

The school-based mentorship programme is a fairly new approach being implemented by the Seychelles National Youth Council (SNYC) under the leadership of its deputy chief executive Ghislaine Belmont. Gradually it is extending to all secondary schools. It involves mainly past students going back to their school to inspire and guide other students through sharing of testimonies, leadership and outreach programmes.

According to Ms Belmont we can already note certain positive traits that it is bearing at one of the school where it has been recently launched. A group of more than 15 students from the Plaisance secondary school got the chance to visit the National Botanical Garden and the Seychelles National History Museum earlier this month as per their own proposal.

This became possible through a mentorship programme organised by the SNYC, whereby one of the mentors for the programme, who is also a board member of the SNYC and founder and chairperson of the ‘Stand Up Step Up Seychelles’, Trevor Louise, accompanied by Myrla Dorlin, youth worker of Plaisance, took the students for the half-day visit.

Mr Louise stated that the purpose of the visit was to reward the students whom the school has observed a positive change in their attitudes and also to educate the students about the historical values of the country.

Mr Louise added that this is the first of many more activities which he intends to do with the students and encourages other people to equally give back to the youths of Seychelles through their school.

Among the activities organised during their visits, the students got the chance to take pictures of the various plants and the tortoises at the Botanical Garden! This was reinforced by some very insightful information through a guided tour at the National History Museum.