Mentoring the next generation of leaders

When George Gathian scored an ‘A’ mean grade in the 2013 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education, he felt that he wanted to help other people achieve their dreams, too.

His passion for charity work and helping the youth be proactive have seen him participate in various initiatives to give back to the society. This included organising fundraising and volunteering for a paraplegic social rehabilitation programme dubbed Cluster Foundation.

George is also empowering his peers. He has presented talks at various institutions, including Alliance and Limuru Girls’ High School career days, and the Kenyatta Trust students’ seminar. In his talks, he encourages young people to identify passionate people who can mentor them and help them realise their potential.

He does this using skills he picked up at Akad Education Programme. Akad, an organisation that provides career, mentorship and value-based leadership training to students, has acted as a platform in his academic journey.

“I joined Akad in 2012 when I was in Form Three because I wanted to excel in my studies. I believe that it is through the Akad mentorship programme, and personal industry, that I scored an ‘A’ and enrolled for an online certificate in business start-ups from Stanford University,” George told Generation Next.

The young man, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree at Technical University of Kenya, is the youth admissions representative for Kenya at the African Leadership University based in Mauritius.

Salome Wangechi Maina, 15, a Form Two student at Kianda School, is one of the mentees who have benefitted from Akad.

“Through Akad, I have learnt the value of leadership skills. I have been able to attend conferences such as The Ubunifu Youth Camp, and through them, I have learnt from professionals about their careers and what it takes to make it to the top. My message to young people is to work hard for what they are passionate about and be ready to make sacrifices along the path to success,” says Salome who has been sponsored to attend a Harvard Business School conference in February.

Dr Julius Weche, the founder and chief executive of Akad Education Group (Africa) told Generation Next that he first had the idea of starting the programme in 2010 at Harvard Business School’s 12th Africa Business Conference.

“In the United States, I met Peter Mombaur, co-founder of the African Leadership Academy and Alex Grove, chief executive officer of Akad Group (Asia). After realising its viability, I requested for an extension of the concept to Africa,” he says.

Dr Weche says he is passionate about helping students solve challenges that will prepare them to succeed in our dynamic society.

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mentorship leaders