tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/mentorship-36275/articlesMentorship – The Conversation2024-03-18T21:40:07Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2227962024-03-18T21:40:07Z2024-03-18T21:40:07ZMentorship is key to improving social and economic outcomes for Black youth<p>Black youth in Canada experience <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2020002-eng.htm">poorer educational achievement than other children and youth</a>, which leads to subsequent poor economic outcomes. </p>
<p>A series of problems and barriers <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ644352">contribute to poor educational outcomes</a>. These include negative attitudes of teachers towards Black youth, lack of African-Canadian history and culture in the educational curriculum, low teacher expectations of Black children, alienating school environments <a href="https://theconversation.com/black-youth-yearn-for-black-teachers-to-disrupt-the-daily-silencing-of-their-experiences-177279">and a lack of Black teachers</a> and mentors.</p>
<p>These, coupled with systemic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-011-0344-3">discrimination and bias in hiring processes</a>, translate to poorer economic outcomes. </p>
<p>By being mentored by Black people, Black youth are able to see that they have potential to achieve what their mentors have achieved. This is especially important for Black youth whose families have faced socio-economic disadvantage or downward occupational mobility.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The presence of Black teachers and mentors is important for Black students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/EDU images)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<h2>Improving outcomes</h2>
<p>Black children suffer disproportionate discipline at school. They are more likely to be <a href="https://www.bcg.com/publications/2020/reality-of-anti-black-racism-in-canada">suspended or expelled from school</a> — and <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-curb-anti-black-racism-in-canadian-schools-150489">bias or anti-Black racism creates hostile environments</a> for them, contributing to student disengagement. They are also less likely than other youth to attain <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/75-006-x/2020001/article/00002-eng.pdf?st=H0dPj5oE">a post-secondary qualification</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/voices-of-black-youth-remind-adults-in-schools-to-listen-and-act-to-empower-them-210849">Voices of Black youth remind adults in schools to listen — and act to empower them</a>
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<p>This is despite the higher educational aspirations and <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2020002-eng.htm">resilience of Black children compared to other similarly aged racial or ethnic groups</a>.</p>
<p>Several factors improve Black children’s educational outcomes: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0268580909334503">support from their parents</a>, parental values related to education, pride in one’s heritage, use of a minority language at home and having a strong sense of <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ734489">trust in and knowledge of one’s culture</a>. </p>
<h2>Education strategies needed</h2>
<p>However, despite Black parents’ interest in supporting their children, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9493.1994.tb00222.x">structural and systemic constraints</a> disrupt children’s flourishing. These constraints are based on differential privileges and positions of power that families face related to diverse racialized, class and gender-based social locations. </p>
<p>The United Nations <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/wg-african-descent">Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent</a> recommends that Canada “<a href="https://doi.org/10.53967/cje-rce.v44i1.5117">implement a nationwide African Canadian education strategy</a> … [and] strengthen Afrocentric education curricula.”</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Black youths’ outcomes improve when they are taught by Black teachers or can study their history.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/EDUimages)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.01.007">Black youths’ outcomes improve</a> when they can study their history <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-38277-3_38">and are taught or</a> <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w25254">mentored by Black teachers</a>. Mentorship is a central strategy to improve the educational and economic experiences of Black youth. </p>
<p>Mentorship is also effective for countering negative effects of racism on Black youth, and has been <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40894-017-0074-z">identified as having a stronger impact on addressing racism than education alone</a>. </p>
<p>Black-focused education can improve the <a href="https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/encounters/article/view/5285">economic outcomes of Black youth</a>.</p>
<h2>Afrocentric programs, communities</h2>
<p>Strong evidence indicates mentorship is effective across behavioural, social, emotional and academic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033447">domains of youth development</a>. </p>
<p>Proponents of Afrocentric educational programs assert that Black youth suffer from low self-esteem, which leads to low school performance, but that they can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38277-3_38">be motivated to achieve by studying their history</a>. </p>
<p>Research also shows alienation and expulsion rates decrease and self-esteem and university attendance rates <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.01.007">increase when Black students are taught by Black teachers</a>. <a href="https://canadianteachermagazine.com/2022/01/20/11014">Afrocentric supplementary educational programs</a> have proven to be effective in improving the educational success of Black youth.</p>
<p>The personal experience of the first author of this article (Bukola Salami) attending a mentorship program for Black youth and delivering one highlight the potential positive impact of mentorship on the lives of Black youth. </p>
<p>Bukola writes: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“In 1998, I was a student of a mentorship program for Black youth in Canada. For me, attending this program indicated the potential strong effect of the program on fostering a positive identity. Having mentors of similar background inspired my confidence to succeed.” </p>
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<h2>Potential to contribute to positive outcomes</h2>
<p>In 2019, an interdisciplinary university-based mentorship program was created through Bukola’s leadership after she received funding from the Government of Canada’s Department of Canadian Heritage. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://ucalgary.ca/news/empowering-future-black-youth-mentorship-and-leadership-program-transforms-lives#">Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program</a> seeks to socially and economically empower Black youth to contribute to Canadian society. The program was initially created for students about to enter Grade 11 and 12 (but has also engaged university students with a modified curriculum). </p>
<p>Black youth are paired with Black faculty and professionals from whom they gain valuable experience and skills. Evaluations of the program indicate it cultivated a positive <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/nursing/media-library/research/health-immigration/black-youth-mentorship-program-final-report.pdf">sense of cultural identity among Black youth and improved their sense of community belonging, sense of responsibility, leadership skills and economic outcomes</a>.</p>
<p>Lessons learned from the Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program, alongside other research, indicate the potential of mentorship programs to contribute to improved social and economic outcomes for Black youth. This will serve as a key ingredient to addressing anti-Black racism in Canada.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222796/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span> Bukola Salami receives funding from Policywise for Children and Families for a project on mental health of Black youth named in this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aloysius Nwabugo Maduforo and Myra Kandemiri do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mentorship programs serving Black youth are an important part of addressing anti-Black racism in Canada.Bukola Salami, Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of CalgaryAloysius Nwabugo Maduforo, Research Manager, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of CalgaryMyra Kandemiri, Academic Teaching Staff Assistant Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University of AlbertaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2202702024-02-13T13:21:01Z2024-02-13T13:21:01ZGlobal health research suffers from a power imbalance − decolonizing mentorship can help level the playing field<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572897/original/file-20240201-21-gnk9sv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2119%2C1414&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Effective collaboration requires addressing hierarchical mindsets.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/hand-in-a-medical-glove-holds-a-glass-globe-royalty-free-image/1223254880">Maryna Terletska/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Mentorship is a cornerstone of the infrastructure supporting global health. Transferring knowledge, developing skills and cultivating a supportive professional environment among researchers and clinicians around the world are key to achieving health equity on a global scale. </p>
<p>For example, most people in Africa would have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by now if the <a href="https://theconversation.com/pharmas-expensive-gaming-of-the-drug-patent-system-is-successfully-countered-by-the-medicines-patent-pool-which-increases-global-access-and-rewards-innovation-189868">patented knowledge</a> about the vaccine technology were shared with African scholars and local pharmaceutical companies to produce a generic version. As of October 2023, although over 95% of available doses have been used, <a href="https://africacdc.org/covid-19-vaccination/">less than 52% of the population</a> is fully vaccinated.</p>
<p>However, researchers from the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-global-south-is-on-the-rise-but-what-exactly-is-the-global-south-207959">Global South</a> – countries in the regions of Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and Oceania with limited resources and a lower standard of living – face challenges that impede effective mentorship.</p>
<p>One reason is that mentorship is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013751">often hierarchical</a>. Mentors, typically from the Global North, or high-income countries, are often seen as more credible than mentees who are mostly from the Global South. Mentees are often described as inexperienced, requiring training and guidance. While mentorships are by definition hierarchical, researchers from the Global South are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013751">assumed to lack the skills</a> to adequately implement health programs or conduct research and would benefit from greater experience of scholars from the Global North.</p>
<p>Hierarchical relationships, especially those between people from the Global North and Global South, are not mutually beneficial or fair. Based on our personal experiences and research as <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7RB_bZUAAAAJ&hl=en">public health researchers</a>, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yankam-Brenda">statisticians</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.nl/citations?user=weevnFsAAAAJ&hl=en">social scientists</a>, we believe that cultural humility and equitable partnerships are key to effective global health projects. </p>
<p>Scholars from the Global North and Global South can learn from each other. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013751">Decolonizing mentorship</a> in global health, or addressing the historical power imbalances between researchers from the Global North and Global South, can help advance global health for all. </p>
<h2>Challenges in global health research</h2>
<p>Some scholars have defined <a href="https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v3i0.5142">global health</a> as “collaborate transnational research and action for promoting health for all.” Historically, however, the concept of global health is rooted in Western ideas of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002947">who is considered human</a>. Europeans are depicted as the <a href="https://theconversation.com/racist-and-sexist-depictions-of-human-evolution-still-permeate-science-education-and-popular-culture-today-202011">norm or standard</a>, while non-Europeans are depicted as strange or inferior.</p>
<p>This hierarchy is omnipresent in knowledge exchange and health resource allocation between the Global North and Global South. For example, the European Union rejected proposals that would have allowed African countries, mostly former European colonies, to manufacture generic COVID-19 vaccines when the <a href="https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/eu-set-bin-25-million-more-vaccine-doses-it-has-donated-africa-year">55 million doses</a> the West donated expired in February 2022. </p>
<p>Scholarly collaborations between the Global North and Global South are also unequal in power. Notably, most of the major <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1168505">global health institutes</a> are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.0000000000003473">located in the Global North</a>, although the greatest burden of diseases such as HIV and malaria is centered in the Global South. Conferences where researchers gather to learn about new innovations in their field and to network are typically located in high-income countries. Few Global South scholars are able to attend because of travel restrictions and financial constraints, leaving them without guidance on how to navigate and significantly contribute to the field. </p>
<p>For example, several scholars from the Global South have noted how <a href="https://www.devex.com/news/opinion-visa-hurdles-hurt-global-health-discourse-but-can-be-overcome-105491">visa restrictions and fees</a> affected their ability to attend global health conferences in high-income countries. But even having a visa does not guarantee easy entry. Winifred Byanyima, executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, who is originally from Uganda, was traveling to Montreal, Canada, to attend the world’s largest AIDS conference in 2022. She was almost denied boarding a plane, however, despite her high-level position. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XA5ip6raULg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated ongoing inequities in global health.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Moreover, a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013751">lack of healthy mentorship cultures</a> and supportive networks among institutions in low- and middle-income countries impedes the professional development of Global South scholars. Furthermore, some current mentorship frameworks and best practices are mostly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1503/cjs.012214">designed for high-income countries</a>, where there is more <a href="https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.18-0556">institutional support</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.18-0556">Language and cultural barriers</a> are often significant obstacles for scholars in the Global South, hindering effective communication and collaboration. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/j.ccc.1923670020120803.1189">Colonialism</a>, or the domination and exploitation of certain groups and individuals, has also influenced how education and research is conducted in the Global South, such that researchers are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-017-0962-8">discouraged from questioning</a> their seniors. This may limit a scholar’s critical thinking and create <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.297.19.2134">communication barriers</a> between mentees and mentors. </p>
<p>These hierarchical power dynamics also limit the full potential of cross-cultural learning and knowledge exchange between the Global North and Global South.</p>
<h2>Decolonizing global health</h2>
<p>A crucial strategy to empower Global South scholars is to <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-decolonisation-131455">decolonize</a> mentorship. This means recognizing that people have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2015.1057091">different levels</a> of skills and expertise in different contexts.</p>
<p>Mentorship environments characterized by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013751">humility and co-learning</a> can help researchers break free from historical power imbalances. This includes acknowledging and valuing the unique perspectives and experiences of scholars from local regions. For example, a researcher from the Global North may be more knowledgeable about a new technology, but a researcher from the Global South may know how best to adapt the technology locally. Tailoring mentorship programs to address the specific needs of scholars in the Global South will also help cultivate a sense of inclusivity and belonging.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572581/original/file-20240131-17-wui1t7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Medical provider wearing a hijab smiling at other medical providers sitting at a table wearing scrubs and white coats." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572581/original/file-20240131-17-wui1t7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572581/original/file-20240131-17-wui1t7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572581/original/file-20240131-17-wui1t7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572581/original/file-20240131-17-wui1t7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572581/original/file-20240131-17-wui1t7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572581/original/file-20240131-17-wui1t7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572581/original/file-20240131-17-wui1t7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">More even power dynamics between researchers can improve the field.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/mediacl-team-training-royalty-free-image/1441989301">FatCamera/E+ via Getty Imges</a></span>
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<p>Recognizing and valuing linguistic diversity can help address language barriers. Establishing communication channels that accommodate various languages would allow scholars to be able to fully participate in the global health dialogue.</p>
<p>Finally, breaking the chains of the colonial mindset can help foster more egalitarian relationships in research. Mentors become facilitators of learning instead of dispensers of knowledge. Mentees become active contributors instead of consumers of knowledge. Challenging hierarchical relationships and power imbalances can enable a more collaborative and reciprocal dynamic where both parties benefit.</p>
<p>Decolonizing mentorship in global health is not a theoretical concept but an actionable strategy. Addressing the unique challenges that researchers in the Global South face can help bridge the global health divide, allowing local scholars to actively shape the future of the field and their communities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220270/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Oluwafemi Atanda Adeagbo receives funding from National Institutes of Health and University of Iowa</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brenda Yankam and Engelbert Bain Luchuo do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Though the Global South tends to experience higher disease burdens, most public health decisions and knowledge generation are centered in the Global North.Oluwafemi Atanda Adeagbo, Assistant Professor of Public Health, University of IowaBrenda Yankam, Research Associate in Statistics, University of NigeriaEngelbert Bain Luchuo, Senior Research Associate, University of JohannesburgLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1921492022-11-16T14:35:47Z2022-11-16T14:35:47ZEducation in Kenya’s informal settlements can work better if parents get involved – here’s how<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494689/original/file-20221110-13-iiqx2x.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Anthony Asael/Art in All of Us via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Education is a public good. All children should have access to education as a human right, irrespective of their gender, socioeconomic or disability status. </p>
<p>This is reinforced and validated by countries’ commitment to <a href="https://iite.unesco.org/publications/education-2030-incheon-declaration-framework-action-towards-inclusive-equitable-quality-education-lifelong-learning/">Sustainable Development Goal 4</a>. Its promise is inclusive and equitable education, and lifelong learning for all children. </p>
<p>This right is not assured, however. About <a href="https://www.unicef.org/turkiye/en/press-releases/more-104-million-children-and-young-people-1-3-are-out-school-countries-affected-war">303 million</a> children and adolescents aged between five and 17 are out of school. </p>
<p>Research studies have underscored that parental involvement and empowerment make a difference to student education outcomes and well-being. There are <a href="https://www.proquest.com/openview/9e3a9e802f80705150dceec414b8ed1c/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=41842">five ways</a> in which parents can improve students’ schooling outcomes: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>meeting basic parental obligations</p></li>
<li><p>family involvement in the home</p></li>
<li><p>exchange and collaboration at the community level</p></li>
<li><p>active communication between teachers and parents</p></li>
<li><p>opportunities for parents to offer their services in school as volunteers. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Over the past nine years, my research through the <a href="https://aphrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Advancing-Learning-outcomes-brief.pdf">Advancing Learning Outcomes for Transformational Change</a> (A LOT Change) programme in Kenya has shown that when parents get involved, students’ academic and psychosocial attributes improve.</p>
<p>This study – which ran from 2013 to 2022 in Nairobi – has shown that parents are enablers, motivators and facilitators of their children’s education at all levels of schooling. This runs from the early years, through the provision of <a href="https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/6/4/e004436.full.pdf">nurturing care</a>, to the completion of the basic education cycle. </p>
<h2>The research</h2>
<p>To establish the impact of parents’ involvement in adolescent lives, the African Population and Health Research Center implemented the A LOT Change programme in Korogocho and Viwandani in Nairobi, Kenya. Korogocho and Viwandani are informal settlements.</p>
<p>The community-based programme was implemented among adolescent girls between 2013 and 2015, and between girls and boys in primary school from 2016 to 2018. A cohort of secondary school students was followed from primary school between 2019 and 2022. </p>
<p>The programme provided after-school support and mentorship in life skills. It also provided school transition subsidies, and exposed parents to guidance and counselling to support their adolescents’ schooling. It further gave girls and boys opportunities to enhance their leadership skills through training and motivational talks. </p>
<p>ALOT Change sought to secure the future of children in urban informal settlements by improving learning outcomes, leadership skills and social behaviour. It also aimed to improve the transition rate for girls and boys aged 12 to 19 to secondary school. </p>
<p>The initiative was informed by the realisation that teachers – and schools in general – cannot do it all. They need the support of parents and communities to effectively nurture the educational aspirations of adolescents. </p>
<h2>Findings on the importance of parents</h2>
<p>A LOT Change initiatives improved parental involvement in children’s education. This included encouraging parents to actively communicate with their children, provide homework support and follow up on academic performance. Parents also got to know who their children associated with, or their whereabouts if the children weren’t home. </p>
<p><strong>Enhanced communication between parents and adolescents:</strong> Parents who participated in the programme noted that establishing <a href="https://aphrc.org/publication/advancing-learning-outcomes-and-leadership-skills-among-children-living-in-informal-settlements-of-nairobi-through-community-participation-2/">open communication channels</a> bridged the generation gap between them and their children. This made them more useful to their children than their parents had been to them. </p>
<p>Evidence from the programme reinforced the effectiveness of two-way communication – parent and child spending enough time together and expressing their opinions. </p>
<p>A father from Viwandani said this of his relationship with his daughter: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I can say before this project, she was not open, but nowadays she is open and tells me whatever is going on in her life.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Monitoring progress in school and homework support:</strong> My findings showed that one of the ways in which parents can monitor their children’s progress is by following up on their <a href="https://aphrc.org/publication/advancing-learning-outcomes-and-leadership-skills-among-children-living-in-informal-settlements-of-nairobi-through-community-participation-2/">participation in school</a>. This requires that parents have a good relationship with teachers. As a mother explained: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>You must collaborate with the teacher since sometimes some children go to roam around, and when as parents we are called by the teacher, we refuse to go. So we must work together and become one.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>On the subject of homework support, a father from one of the study sites explained: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Initially, when the child comes with the book, you as parents are not even bothered to look at it. But when we attend the (ALOT Change) meetings, we are told what is happening so we know where to start or follow up with our children. </p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Knowledge of adolescents’ whereabouts:</strong> The need to know the whereabouts of adolescents and the friends they keep is of utmost importance. One mother said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The children could easily be pressured into engaging in the many social ills around them … as parents, we contribute because you look at the friends your children walk with … in this community, the friends are the ones who mislead. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>When parents were asked about their obligations to adolescents, they prioritised the provision of basic needs, such as food and shelter. As one mother said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It is a parent’s responsibility to make sure that she gets to know the progress of the child, and also it is a parent’s responsibility … to give them food, shelter. </p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Championing success at the community level:</strong> Parents also reported that they had teamed up with the larger community to be champions of change. They were passing on lessons learned from ALOT Change to community members who were not part of the programme. </p>
<p>A mother from Korogocho observed that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If you see a child doing other things, you just ignore because he is not yours. That does not help us or Kenya. Maybe this child would have been a leader. </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Way forward</h2>
<p>Parental involvement is a major ingredient in a child’s educational success. Parents are leaders in the home and collaborators with teachers. This means parents need to provide basic necessities, provide a safe environment where a child studies and know the whereabouts of their children when they are not in school. They also need to offer support with school work. </p>
<p>Overall, the success of adolescents in school is an outcome of communication.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192149/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benta A. Abuya does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Parents are enablers, motivators and facilitators of their children’s education.Benta A. Abuya, Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research CenterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1734822021-12-17T13:26:46Z2021-12-17T13:26:46ZSold-out supplies, serving a public need and other adventures of doing science during a pandemic – 4 researchers share their experiences<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437889/original/file-20211215-27-1wvi6x6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=50%2C361%2C4834%2C3362&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Like much else, scientific labs have been shut down by the pandemic.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/lab-coats-on-hanger-royalty-free-image/960990096?adppopup=true">Cavan Images/Cavan via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Closures, remote work, supply chain issues and changing priorities have affected almost everyone’s lives at some point during the nearly two years of the coronavirus pandemic. The process of science itself was no exception. The many people who do the lab work, experiments and human studies that further scientific knowledge all faced challenges – many of which were unexpected.</em></p>
<p><em>To understand how the pandemic changed the process of science, we asked four researchers about their experiences over the past two years.</em> </p>
<p></p><hr><p></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437891/original/file-20211215-13-1wcqgz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two health care workers wearing masks." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437891/original/file-20211215-13-1wcqgz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437891/original/file-20211215-13-1wcqgz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437891/original/file-20211215-13-1wcqgz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437891/original/file-20211215-13-1wcqgz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437891/original/file-20211215-13-1wcqgz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437891/original/file-20211215-13-1wcqgz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437891/original/file-20211215-13-1wcqgz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Early in the pandemic, a lot of scientific testing needed to be done to understand how masks could protect health care workers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/VirusOutbreakSouthCarolina/bf5486900fdf4e89bf064a3e09809ebc/photo?Query=healthcare%20mask%20virus&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=163&currentItemNo=31">AP Photo/Mic Smith</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Balancing public needs with science and mentorship</h2>
<p><strong>Christian L'Orange, Assistant Research Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University</strong></p>
<p>I am an <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=MaEhNkQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">engineer and aerosol scientist</a>. People used to return a look of confusion when I said that, and prospective engineering students rarely had any idea that aerosol science was even an area of research. That all changed with COVID-19.</p>
<p>In March 2020, as the world was being told to stay home in the first weeks of the lockdown, the university and my lab were asked by the Colorado governor’s office to test masks being purchased for front-line workers.</p>
<p>In a matter of days, we pivoted all of our time to testing masks. This came at the cost of our research: Everything was put on hold. Nevertheless, we were proud to do it. I have had few experiences more gratifying than knowing I was making a difference in a time of need – however bittersweet.</p>
<p>A big reason I do the job I do is my love for research and the opportunity to mentor students. COVID-19 took both of those away for nearly two years. Research has begun again, and students are returning to the lab, but we won’t get that time back.</p>
<p>My colleagues and I were able to respond to the governor’s request for mask testing only because of the skills and experience that come from years of being in the lab – but what could those skills have led to if we hadn’t lost the past two years? What more could my students have achieved if they hadn’t lost that time?</p>
<p>Despite the good we have done, those questions still bother me. </p>
<p>However, I am optimistic that the pandemic might end up being good for aerosol research. I no longer get blank stares when I mention airborne particles, and maybe this pandemic will attract new bright students to a field about which I am so passionate.</p>
<p></p><hr><p></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437892/original/file-20211215-17-s16abl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Thousands of shipping containers stacked on a dock." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437892/original/file-20211215-17-s16abl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437892/original/file-20211215-17-s16abl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437892/original/file-20211215-17-s16abl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437892/original/file-20211215-17-s16abl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437892/original/file-20211215-17-s16abl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437892/original/file-20211215-17-s16abl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437892/original/file-20211215-17-s16abl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Scientific supplies – from chemicals to plastic containers – were all affected by supply chain issues.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/SupplyChainShipping/ad81987130834374ab54ea850e417ce7/photo?Query=supply%20chain&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=1736&currentItemNo=25">AP Photo/Noah Berger</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Resource sharing to overcome supply chain issues</h2>
<p><strong>Erin Lavik, Professor of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County</strong></p>
<p>My lab – where my colleagues and I <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vptJat0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">study biomaterials to control bleeding, deliver drugs and build tissues</a> – was shut down in March 2020 because of the coronavirus. When labs on campus began to reopen that June, we worked with a skeleton crew to restart our projects.</p>
<p>We expected there to be challenges getting certain supplies and <a href="https://asm.org/Articles/2020/September/Laboratory-Supply-Shortages-Are-Impacting-COVID-19">chemicals</a> that were necessary for vaccine production, but I was utterly surprised by <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-you-should-expect-more-suez-like-supply-chain-disruptions-and-shortages-at-your-local-grocery-store-158266">how hard it was to get everything</a>. Plasticware that we use in experiments became impossible to find. Many <a href="https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/supply-shortages-hit-life-science-labs-hard-68695">chemicals were back-ordered for months, if not years</a>.</p>
<p>To keep scientific projects moving forward, my lab and many others on campus have banded together and have been sharing supplies and looking after one another’s projects. Because of unexpected sudden quarantines, we cannot afford to just do our work – we need to know what others are doing and be willing and able to step in at a moment’s notice to complete a chemical reaction, take care of some cells in a petri dish or record important data. </p>
<p>The challenges of limited supplies and quarantines are not over and may even be getting worse. But through the collaborative systems my colleagues and I have built, we have been able to keep research moving forward, albeit at a slower pace. And like everyone, we have all gotten better at the process of collaborating remotely, too.</p>
<p></p><hr><p></p>
<h2>Teaching the public directly</h2>
<p><strong>Tony Schmitz, Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville</strong></p>
<p>The challenges of the pandemic are significant and continuing, but my personal experience at the intersection of COVID-19 and science has been unexpectedly positive.</p>
<p>I run the Machine Tool Research Center and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FLWGrZYAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">study ways to improve and speed up the process of manufacturing parts</a>. Machining is important because it remains a critical process for manufactured products, but the U.S. workforce is in <a href="https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/05/27/manufacturing-open-jobs-us">sharp decline</a>. When the University of Tennessee transitioned from in-person to online instruction, this new time away from the office gave me the opportunity to produce video and written content that explains the science and modern skills of machining to a lay audience. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://mtrc.utk.edu/ace/">online training</a> I developed is like a flight simulator for machining. No prior experience is necessary, and it provides step-by-step instructions for computer-aided manufacturing skills. It explains the geometry and physics of machining and simulates the real-world vibrations and sounds of making parts. </p>
<p>I was not alone in having time on my hands though. Disruptions to education and the supply chain provided time for both students and manufacturing professionals to explore the online training I made. In one sense, the two factors created the perfect storm for nontraditional learning in machining, and the response has been fantastic. Since its launch in December 2021, 1,756 people have registered for the class, and 676 people completed it. These participants comprised 36% industry workers and 64% students and represented 47 states. </p>
<p>It has been fantastic to have an opportunity to teach machining in a unique way to a broader audience, and I will continue to do so. The Department of Defense is funding the effort, and in the future I plan to grow the network and add in-person training locations that complement the online instruction. Despite the many hardships the shutdowns caused, this would not have been possible in a normal year.</p>
<p></p><hr><p></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437895/original/file-20211215-27-fx2lcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman wearing virtual reality goggles." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437895/original/file-20211215-27-fx2lcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437895/original/file-20211215-27-fx2lcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437895/original/file-20211215-27-fx2lcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437895/original/file-20211215-27-fx2lcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437895/original/file-20211215-27-fx2lcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437895/original/file-20211215-27-fx2lcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/437895/original/file-20211215-27-fx2lcp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Virtual reality can mimic many in-person experiences.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/businesswoman-wearing-virtual-reality-simulator-royalty-free-image/1322226152?adppopup=true">Westend61 via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Using tech when you can’t meet in person</h2>
<p><strong>Nilanjan Banerjee, Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County</strong></p>
<p>At the Mobile Pervasive and Sensor Systems Lab, my colleagues and I seek to understand how people’s physical states – like stress, for example – <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=mzSAFhQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">affect the performance of a group</a>. To study this, we need to collect physiological data like heart rate and heart rate variability from subjects while they play group games in person. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, having people meet in person to play games has been impossible for much of the past two years, thanks to the coronavirus. For many situations, remote conference tools can get the job done even if they are <a href="https://theconversation.com/got-zoom-fatigue-out-of-sync-brainwaves-could-be-another-reason-videoconferencing-is-such-a-drag-172380">a bit more tiring than meeting in person</a>. But a Zoom call simply can’t emulate the immersive environment required for group games and the physical responses that I study.</p>
<p>If my colleagues and I wanted to continue our research, we needed an immersive but safe way for our study participants to interact. So, we developed virtual reality games. Over the months that we relied on virtual reality, my colleagues and I realized that not only did these games work, in fact, they turned out to be better than in-person games because the virtual environment is completely free of distractions. </p>
<p>[<em>Over 140,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-140ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>Developing virtual reality games and making them as realistic as possible is not cheap. But compared with a normal in-person study, this is a simple, inexpensive and effective platform to study how people in groups perform under different conditions. Since it allows our team to study these things without the need for subjects to be in the same room all at once, we plan to continue using this platform for future large-scale studies even post-pandemic.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173482/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christian L'Orange has received funding from NIOSH and WHO.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tony Schmitz receives funding from DoD IBAS.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erin Lavik and Nilanjan Banerjee do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Supply chain issues, emergency science, social distancing requirements and a lot more free time offered both challenges and opportunities for research scientists.Christian L'Orange, Assistant Research Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State UniversityErin Lavik, Professor of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyNilanjan Banerjee, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyTony Schmitz, Professor of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of TennesseeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1666462021-10-07T19:19:48Z2021-10-07T19:19:48ZA study of entrepreneurs explains why we sometimes give without receiving<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/425248/original/file-20211007-18680-12ij7ws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7744%2C5193&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Why do we give without expecting anything in return? Research into a Silicon Valley business accelerator program shows bonding rituals play a big role. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>From someone <a href="https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2020/03/18/want-to-help-out-your-neighbors-during-coronavirus-here-are-the-dos-and-donts">dropping off dinner at the doorstep of a neighbour with COVID-19</a> to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/india-covid-hospital-bed-man-b1838879.html">an octogenarian in India giving up his oxygen bed for a middle-aged patient</a>, instances of people giving to those in need without expectations has made headlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. </p>
<p>People are often in direct competition for shared resources, so biologically, it would make sense that there would be an expectation that giving must be reciprocal. Yet even in situations characterized by intense competition, giving and sharing can take precedence over winning, whether it’s <a href="https://scroll.in/field/999581/pause-rewind-play-when-sailor-lawrence-lemieux-sacrificed-a-medal-to-save-lives-at-1988-olympics">Olympians giving up their medal positions to help peers in need</a> or <a href="https://time.com/5838289/coronavirus-business-support/">small businesses banding together to help fellow entrepreneurs hit by the pandemic</a>. </p>
<p>Why do people give without expecting anything in return? <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/210400">This question continues to baffle sociologists</a> because, theoretically, unilateral giving and receiving within a community cannot be sustained as the desire to receive without any obligation to give back can give rise to more takers than givers. </p>
<p>As organizational theorists, we were interested in the dynamics surrounding unilateral giving when the combined motives of co-operation and competition co-exist. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0001839220970936">Our research team published our findings in the <em>Administrative Science Quarterly</em></a>. We examined how acts of giving emerge and are sustained in a Silicon Valley business accelerator. </p>
<p>Early stage entrepreneurs increasingly gravitate towards start-up accelerators, which provide them access to investors, clients and the experiences of fellow entrepreneurs. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="people listen as a man speaks on a stages" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/425252/original/file-20211007-17-scibbe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/425252/original/file-20211007-17-scibbe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425252/original/file-20211007-17-scibbe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425252/original/file-20211007-17-scibbe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=330&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425252/original/file-20211007-17-scibbe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425252/original/file-20211007-17-scibbe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/425252/original/file-20211007-17-scibbe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Start-up accelerators offer participants access to other successful entrepreneurs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A typical accelerator brings together entrepreneurs who are unlikely to have known each other prior to entering the program. Besides providing participating entrepreneurs access to potential investors and clients, a key goal of accelerators is to create a supportive community of entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>In a typical start-up accelerator, entrepreneurs are expected to give to their fellow entrepreneurs without expectations, but those seeking help can find themselves competing for resources, including mentorship and funding. </p>
<h2>Creates a cycle of giving</h2>
<p>In our eight-month study of an accelerator in Silicon Valley, we followed three start-up camps. In the beginning, entrepreneurs across all camps actively sought help from fellow entrepreneurs. But the responses to these early requests differed across camps, setting in motion positive or negative dynamics. </p>
<p>We discovered that a single act of giving to a fellow entrepreneur in need spurs a cycle of gratitude and giving in the network. On the other hand, a single act of refusal to help triggers a cycle of shaming and avoidance. But what motivates these early acts of giving? </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People sit at a table around a laptop talking" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424449/original/file-20211004-25-piblea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424449/original/file-20211004-25-piblea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424449/original/file-20211004-25-piblea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424449/original/file-20211004-25-piblea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424449/original/file-20211004-25-piblea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424449/original/file-20211004-25-piblea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424449/original/file-20211004-25-piblea.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A single act of giving can lead to a cycle of gratitude and giving.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At the heart of these dynamics are social interactions at events like formal onboarding events, weekly progress meetings, informal dinners, parties or outdoor activities. The accelerator program was structured so that one of the camps regularly engaged in weekly progress meetings, while others did not. </p>
<p>The accelerator’s weekly progress meetings, which we label “tournament rituals,” focused on entrepreneurs’ shows of strength as they discussed progress made on their products or services. In other camps, informal weekend get-togethers, which we label “bonding rituals,” organically emerged thanks to formal onboarding events that focused on building familiarity among entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>In these bonding rituals, entrepreneurs let their guards down and opened up about challenges they faced as entrepreneurs. This helped participants realize their common experiences as entrepreneurs and the need to help their peers.</p>
<p>Those who participated in these bonding rituals were not only comfortable asking other entrepreneurs for help, but also received help from their peers who gave without expecting anything in return. These early acts of giving generated a sense of gratitude among receivers who willingly paid it forward. This giving-gratitude cycle eventually resulted in a thriving community of giving and a dense network populated by positive relationships. </p>
<h2>Shows of strength don’t lead to giving</h2>
<p>On the other hand, those show-of-strength or tournament rituals generated an expectation among entrepreneurs to be strategic in exchanging resources with others in the accelerator program. Accordingly, when participants strategically approached knowledgeable entrepreneurs in their camp for help, they were rebuffed because their peers saw no value in lending a helping hand.</p>
<p>These early failed exchanges became shaming rituals — for example, entrepreneurs who felt undervalued and rejected by fellow entrepreneurs in their camp avoided interacting with them to steer clear of further negative experiences. This shaming-avoidance cycle resulted in a rapid dissolution of ties and what remained, in the end, was a sparsely connected network.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People looking stern-faced gather around a laptop in an office setting." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424454/original/file-20211004-12705-1m0arur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424454/original/file-20211004-12705-1m0arur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424454/original/file-20211004-12705-1m0arur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424454/original/file-20211004-12705-1m0arur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424454/original/file-20211004-12705-1m0arur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424454/original/file-20211004-12705-1m0arur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/424454/original/file-20211004-12705-1m0arur.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">When requests for help are refused, people will avoid future interactions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Piqsels)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In short, organic bonding rituals helped competitors identify with each other, triggering and sustaining early acts of giving. But tournament rituals only encouraged entrepreneurs to further their own interests, which eventually gave rise to more takers than givers.</p>
<p>We believe our research offers valuable insights into human interactions. Beyond start-up accelerators, our research applies to other organizational contexts where both competitive and co-operative motives exist. For instance, our research offers critical lessons for organizations looking to build a more collaborative culture. </p>
<p>Although employees are expected to co-operate, they also compete with each other for promotions. Formal meetings are a regular feature in organizations, but they can foster collaboration by ensuring they focus on the camaraderie among members rather than celebrating their individual wins.</p>
<p>Avoiding shows of strength in formal meetings can also encourage employees to engage in bonding rituals outside the organization, which our study shows are essential for building bonds within the group.</p>
<p>Amid the pandemic era, which has left more people feeling lonely and distanced from their community — <a href="https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2021/01/feature-the-loneliness-pandemic">not willingly but reluctantly</a> — our research underscores the importance of bonding rituals for building healthy communities of giving.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166646/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rekha Krishnan receives funding from SSHRC - Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rajiv Krishnan Kozhikode receives funding from The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>New research on giving in a business setting could offer insights into human interactions and critical lessons for organizations looking to build a more collaborative culture.Rekha Krishnan, Associate Professor of International Business and Entrepreneurship, Simon Fraser UniversityRajiv Krishnan Kozhikode, Associate Professor, International Business/Management and Organization Studies, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1629372021-06-24T20:11:06Z2021-06-24T20:11:06ZAustralia’s media industry shed 5,000 journalists to survive – what does this mean for those who left, and those left behind?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407820/original/file-20210623-13-rsqcmu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lukas Coch/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the 2000s, the internet shredded the media’s business model. The media’s influence fragmented and many employees paid the price. </p>
<p>Between 2012 and 2016, thousands of Australian journalists lost their jobs in large redundancy rounds as the industry scrambled to try to stay alive. The bulk of redundancies happened in print media because historically, they employed the largest number of journalists.</p>
<p>The disruption to traditional business models – and the rush to find a new one — has been much discussed from a financial perspective. But what about the journalists who left the industry or those left behind in stripped-down newsrooms? </p>
<h2>Disrupted lives</h2>
<p>The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (the journalist’s union) <a href="https://www.meaa.org/mediaroom/opening-statement-to-senate-inquiry-into-media-diversity-in-australia/">estimates up to 5,000</a> Australian journalists have left the industry over the past decade. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.newbeatsblog.com">New Beats</a> study has been charting what happened to journalists after they left, including through regular surveys. In partnership with the National Library of Australia, we have also conducted “whole-of-life” interviews with close to 60 journalists for the library’s oral history collection. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Journalists at Michael McCormack's farewell press conference as Nationals leader." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407824/original/file-20210623-27-1y2otp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407824/original/file-20210623-27-1y2otp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407824/original/file-20210623-27-1y2otp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407824/original/file-20210623-27-1y2otp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407824/original/file-20210623-27-1y2otp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407824/original/file-20210623-27-1y2otp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407824/original/file-20210623-27-1y2otp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Senior journalists provide younger colleagues with story ideas, phone numbers and essential advice.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lukas Coch/ AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some of them are well known — David Marr for example — while others worked behind the scenes as sub-editors. A minority of them soon found another job in the mainstream media, while some used their redundancy packages to fund projects to reinvent journalism. Others went to the so-called dark side of public relations while others left the media altogether.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/upheaval/">new book</a>, Upheaval: Disrupted Lives in Journalism, tells their story. It aims to give a picture of what it was like to work in journalism when the media had resources and a lot of influence and then what happened as disruption began in earnest during the mid-2000s.</p>
<h2>The cost of cost-cutting</h2>
<p>Along with redundancies, annual intakes of trainees or cadets (where young journalists are not only hired but trained) were at best paused, at worst stopped. Sub-editing was outsourced to standalone production companies like Pagemasters or cut to skeletal levels.</p>
<p>It is hard to see immediately how this affects the journalism that continues to be produced every day — although glaring typographical errors or headline bloopers are visible to the naked eye. Less visible is the loss of informal mentoring and advice provided by senior journalists, admittedly often expressed with back-of-the-axe bluntness!</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australians-are-not-aware-news-outlets-are-in-financial-trouble-new-report-162596">Australians are not aware news outlets are in financial trouble: new report</a>
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<p>Senior journalists were the ones encouraged to take redundancies because they were on higher salaries. In the first New Beats survey, conducted in 2014, 54% of respondents were aged 51 and over. </p>
<p>This is a huge loss of knowledge and experience. Senior journalists would often provide contact details for useful sources or remind younger colleagues what the prime minister had said abut the topic at hand five years ago. They would warn less experienced colleagues about legal or ethical minefields and help them find the strongest news lead.</p>
<p>What this meant was fewer journalists and less experience in newsrooms but greater demands to produce stories across print, audio, video, online and social media.</p>
<p>The quality of journalism today compared to a decade ago was not the focus of our study. What is hard to measure but vitally important is the absence of stories that might have been covered once but aren’t now. The public can’t know what it isn’t told. </p>
<h2>Informal mentors</h2>
<p>One of our interviewees, Guardian investigative reporter Anne Davies, recalled how as a young journalist at the Australian Financial Review, she got a tip law firm, Freehills, was about to merge with another legal practice. She told her chief of staff she might have a story. “Come on, sit next to me”, he said, and they wrote it together.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Glenn Dyer really looked after the cadets […] he’d walk in and he’d go, ‘Davies, I want you to follow up. It’s on page four of The Australian’ […] he got us really charged up about the thrill of the chase.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Veteran journalist and author George Megalogenis also benefited from mentoring, but in a less direct way. At Melbourne’s Sun newspaper, cadets like him were seated at the top of the sub-editors’ table, one chair away from the editor-in-chief. They were encouraged to learn through osmosis. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>You got to see news judgements made every night […] I spent a lot of time eavesdropping.</p>
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<p>The New Beats’ annual survey in 2017 highlighted the decline of informal mentoring and lack of experience in newsrooms. As one respondent, by then a retired 66-year-old, said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The lack of corporate knowledge and mentoring have already been damaged, possibly beyond repair. Older experienced minds have been replaced with younger and cheaper folks. No criticism of them. We were all like them at some stage and fed off the experience of others. I can still name my mentors and carry many of their ideas with me.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>What’s the solution?</h2>
<p>Who, if anyone, is replacing these informal mentors? There are still some experienced hands in the news media and the ability of younger journalists to adapt and learn should not be underestimated.</p>
<p>There is anecdotal evidence among journalism academics that recent graduates working in newsrooms are reaching out to them for guidance as they struggle to deal with the difficulties of covering COVID-19, including hyper-scrutiny of their work, and of abuse and trolling on social media. The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance provides regular workshops for members on various aspects of journalistic work.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="AAP journalists at a meeting in their newsroom." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407826/original/file-20210623-23-1y4xi0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407826/original/file-20210623-23-1y4xi0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407826/original/file-20210623-23-1y4xi0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407826/original/file-20210623-23-1y4xi0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=385&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407826/original/file-20210623-23-1y4xi0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407826/original/file-20210623-23-1y4xi0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407826/original/file-20210623-23-1y4xi0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=484&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Senior journalists, on higher salaries, have been more likely to take redundancies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stephen Saphore/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The union and journalism lecturers can provide support and assistance but reporting the news is a fast-paced job that throws up knotty issues amid great pressure that need to be resolved immediately.</p>
<p>By interviewing journalists who experienced redundancy, we learned many still care deeply about the craft of reporting. Collectively they are a repository of what Aristotle called practical wisdom. </p>
<p>We captured some of that wisdom, and at times could hear one generation of journalists talking to the next. They were encouraging and cautioning and emboldening, while also being aware of the pressures making journalism harder nowadays. There is an enduring need for this kind of intergenerational learning. </p>
<p>There is also a challenge for those managing now-reduced newsrooms to find ways to do this. Those former journalists may no longer be sitting across the partition but they are still ready and able to share their knowledge when, and if, they’re asked.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/media-files-australians-trust-in-news-media-is-falling-as-concern-over-fake-news-grows-119099">Media Files: Australians' trust in news media is falling as concern over 'fake news' grows</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162937/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Ricketson received funding from the Australian Research Council for work connected to this article. One of the partner organisations for the research project is the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance. He is their representative on the Australian Press Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Dodd received funding from the Australian Research Council to support research on this topic. </span></em></p>The huge cuts to Australian journalism over the past decade have decimated mentoring in the industry. This is not easy to see with the naked eye but it has a huge impact on what gets produced.Matthew Ricketson, Professor of Communication, Deakin UniversityAndrew Dodd, Director of the Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1625152021-06-22T20:02:59Z2021-06-22T20:02:59ZHere’s an approach to mentoring that can help close the leadership gender gap<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407360/original/file-20210621-35447-36u9yj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5176%2C3453&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-women-working-computer-contemporary-office-284518922">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Mentoring is known to be a critical component of <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0207634">job satisfaction and career development</a>. It is also widely recognised that career advancement in medicine, research and health more broadly remains <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/education/face-facts-gender-equality-2018">in favour of men</a>. </p>
<p>Traditional academic mentoring programs rely on a unidirectional mentor-mentee relationship: a senior academic mentors a junior (female) academic. This model has been shown to increase mentees’ <a href="https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-018-1290-3">personal achievement</a>, <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0207634">career progress and satisfaction with work environment</a>. </p>
<p>While these are important achievements, <a href="https://www.publicanthropology.org/interrogating-model-mentoring-by-simone-dennis-and-alison-behie/">Simone Dennis and Alison Behie</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-mentoring-for-women-risks-propping-up-patriarchal-structures-instead-of-changing-them-157965">argue</a> that “by replicating action of the mentors, junior women are merely trained how to navigate a system that favours men”. Traditional mentoring programs teach women how to work within, rather than change, a system biased against them. This perpetuates patriarchal structures.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-mentoring-for-women-risks-propping-up-patriarchal-structures-instead-of-changing-them-157965">Why mentoring for women risks propping up patriarchal structures instead of changing them</a>
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<p>We have established a mentoring program for women scientists that focuses on diversifying and changing the education sector. This program helps equip them to challenge systemic values and culture. </p>
<h2>What’s different about this model?</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.hotnorth.org.au/opportunities/catalyse-mentorship-program-women-scientists/">Catalyse Mentorship Program</a> in regional and rural Australia follows a dual-mentorship model. This means each female mentee is matched with an academic mentor and a corporate-sector mentor. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-020-02219-w">research</a> found the Catalyse academic mentors provided technical university/ research pathways advice. They advised on explicit and implicit academic growth, such as formal university progression, the types of journals to publish in and how to distinguish one’s specific work. </p>
<p>The corporate mentors, on the other hand, provided advice on strategy, leadership and interpersonal skills. Advice included “how to generate consensus within a team and with external stakeholders”, “how to have difficult conversations”, and “how to build and express your personal brand”. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Chart showing topics discussed with Catalyse program's academic and corporate mentors" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407373/original/file-20210621-22-1mups4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407373/original/file-20210621-22-1mups4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407373/original/file-20210621-22-1mups4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407373/original/file-20210621-22-1mups4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407373/original/file-20210621-22-1mups4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407373/original/file-20210621-22-1mups4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407373/original/file-20210621-22-1mups4y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-020-02219-w">Chart: The Conversation. Data: Championing women working in health across regional and rural Australia – a new dual-mentorship model</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-mentoring-improves-the-leadership-skills-of-those-doing-the-mentoring-143668">How mentoring improves the leadership skills of those doing the mentoring</a>
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<p>The Catalyse mentees reported positive “discomfort” at being pushed out of their “comfort zones”. This allowed them to reflect on leadership and impact outside their academic institution. The mentees set the agenda and explored first-time activities such as developing business cases, establishing peer-to-peer networking groups and applying for awards and accolades. </p>
<h2>Group approach has additional benefits</h2>
<p>Group mentoring is a way to go beyond supporting women and enhancing their capacity to manage a patriarchal culture. Bringing women together with a senior (retired) researcher has delivered several additional benefits compared to traditional unidirectional mentoring. </p>
<p>As the group members share their stories and worries, the sense of injustice and the care for each other increase. The women also bring a range of solutions and support to each other. This process strengthens ties within the cohort. </p>
<p>Such solutions are far more likely to be effective than those a single older mentor might suggest. That’s because they come from a contemporary context and a broader set of experiences. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="chart showing outcomes of Catalyse mentorship program" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407371/original/file-20210621-62599-u32u50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407371/original/file-20210621-62599-u32u50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407371/original/file-20210621-62599-u32u50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407371/original/file-20210621-62599-u32u50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407371/original/file-20210621-62599-u32u50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407371/original/file-20210621-62599-u32u50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/407371/original/file-20210621-62599-u32u50.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-020-02219-w">Chart: The Conversation. Data: Championing women working in health across regional and rural Australia – a new dual-mentorship model</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-support-junior-staff-in-a-time-of-turmoil-for-universities-148917">How to support junior staff in a time of turmoil for universities</a>
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<p>In addition, all the groups we have mentored have debated carefully developed strategies aimed at changing the status quo. This would not have happened in one-on-one mentoring. Examples of these strategies are:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>request data on fund-raising within the organisation – and relate that data to gender as well as research area</p></li>
<li><p>demand administrative support for women who are asked to take on additional leadership or other roles – which made organisations look as if they were supporting more women but didn’t give them the capacity to manage those roles without significant impacts on their research time</p></li>
<li><p>present collective suggestions for the organisation to consider </p></li>
<li><p>push for the women to be the leading chief investigator on grant applications and first or senior author on papers, to be considered for national committees and to give keynote presentations at major conferences. </p></li>
</ul>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/forget-the-ideal-worker-myth-unis-need-to-become-more-inclusive-for-all-women-men-will-benefit-too-156107">Forget the ideal worker myth. Unis need to become more inclusive for all women (men will benefit too)</a>
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<p>One of us (Fiona Stanley) has experience in group mentoring of First Nations health research scholars. The benefits of sharing experiences within these cohorts is that the scholars are able to provide much more solid collective solutions than if in a one-on-one session with a non-Indigenous older researcher. </p>
<p>It was clear from these sessions that racism pervades the health academic sector. However, empowering the group of mentees has resulted in major activities to address racism in their organisations. These include: mentees offering to give major presentations to the executive teams, often bringing in external speakers who have more power; suggesting and running NAIDOC activities; and reviewing reconciliation action plans to make them real rather than a token or box-ticking exercise.</p>
<h2>3 key elements to bring about change</h2>
<p>A <em>strong</em> mentoring model should consider three key elements to close the leadership gap:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>mentees set the agenda and are empowered to initiate change within the organisation</p></li>
<li><p>diversify mentors, include mentors from corporate/business sectors, and do group mentoring to enhance networks </p></li>
<li><p>hold mentor networking events throughout the program, leading to cross-fertilisation between networks and (funding) opportunities.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Mentoring programs like these provide a more rounded approach to closing the leadership gap. These programs offer participants both discipline-based technical advice and external guidance on personal attributes and the strategic thinking needed to lead. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Wollstonecraft">Mary Wollstonecraft</a> <a href="http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/lesson16.html">wrote</a> in laying out the first steps toward bringing down the patriarchy for the betterment of all humanity, “I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.”</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-not-lack-of-confidence-thats-holding-back-women-in-stem-155216">It's not lack of confidence that's holding back women in STEM</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162515/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fiona Stanley received funding from NHMRC and ARC over many years of her research career; she no longer receives funds but is associated with several grants for which she is an unpaid advisor and mentor.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Teresa Wozniak does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>One criticism of traditional mentoring is that it teaches people how to succeed by playing by existing rules, thus reinforcing the status quo. But mentoring can also be a force for change.Teresa Wozniak, Senior Research Fellow and co-founder Catalyse Mentorship Program, Menzies School of Health ResearchFiona Stanley, Perinatal and pediatric epidemiologist; distinguished professorial fellow, Telethon Kids InstituteLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1619312021-06-10T10:02:16Z2021-06-10T10:02:16ZRemembering Tania Douglas: a brilliant biomedical engineer, academic and friend<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403802/original/file-20210601-23-1rvztpr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Professor Tania Douglas is warmly remembered as an excellent scientist and a remarkable human being.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Je'nine May/UCT Health Sciences</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Tributes from friends, colleagues, collaborators and students have poured in for South African academic Professor Tania Samantha Douglas, an internationally recognised scholar, biomedical engineer and innovator. She passed away on 20 March 2021.</p>
<p>She was admired by many and consulted broadly for her unique insights, in-depth understanding of South Africa’s higher education environment, and open-mindedness. Always vibrant, she was able to fully engage with issues in an unbiased manner – sharing her well-considered thoughts in a friendly and practical way.</p>
<p>Tania obtained the second highest grade in the country in her final school exams in 1987. She went on to read for a BScEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Cape Town (UCT). This was followed by an MS in Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Then came a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, and a postdoctoral fellowship in image processing with the Japan Broadcasting Corporation in Tokyo. </p>
<p>In 2000, Tania returned to her alma mater. She took up a lecturer position in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.</p>
<p>In her recent work, she strove to combine biomedical engineering with social context. Her aim was to find novel solutions towards improved health. To this end, she developed a new postgraduate programme in Health Innovation teaching human-centred innovation with an emphasis on end-user engagement. </p>
<p>She believed and advocated that Africa needs to find solutions to its own problems and worked tirelessly to build biomedical engineering capacity across the continent. </p>
<h2>Academic legacy</h2>
<p>During her 21 years at the University of Cape Town, Tania held numerous leadership positions within the department and faculty. These included serving as Divisional Head for a period and serving as Deputy Dean of Research in the Faculty of Health Sciences. She also, for the past decade, led the <a href="http://www.health.uct.ac.za/fhs/research/groupings/miru">Medical Research Council/UCT Medical Imaging Research Unit</a>. </p>
<p>In 2016, Tania was awarded the prestigious South African Research Chair in Biomedical Engineering and Innovation. Two years later she was Founding Director of UCT’s <a href="http://www.bme.uct.ac.za/">Biomedical Engineering Research Centre</a>. </p>
<p>Tania excelled in all spheres of academia. She headed a large research group, and trained and graduated more than 50 master’s and doctoral students. Postdoctoral fellows and junior staff were among those she mentored. She also published extensively in leading international journals, and taught and developed courses. Her scholarly contributions were recognised through numerous awards. These included research fellowships from the <a href="https://www.ictp.it/">International Institute for Theoretical Physics</a> in Trieste, Italy; <a href="https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/">the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation</a> in Germany; and the European Union’s <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/opportunities/individuals/students/erasmus-mundus-joint-masters-scholarships_en">Erasmus Mundus programme</a>. </p>
<p>The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Women in Engineering’s South Africa Section named her as its female academic/researcher of the year in 2009.</p>
<p>In 2018 she was recognised as a Quartz Africa Innovator. A year later, the South African Women in Science Awards named her as Distinguished Woman Researcher in Research and Innovation. In the past decade, she was elected a Fellow by the South African Academy of Engineering, the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering, and the University of Cape Town. She was also a member of the <a href="https://www.assaf.org.za/">Academy of Science of South Africa</a>.</p>
<p>Tania’s <a href="https://scholar.google.co.za/citations?user=BSEwIocAAAAJ&hl=en">research</a> focused on major public health problems in South Africa. She developed novel instruments and computer-assisted techniques. Some of her early work involved <a href="https://www.ajol.info/index.php/cme/article/view/71954">developing image-processing techniques</a> to characterise the facial phenotype associated with foetal alcohol syndrome – a condition of which the incidence in certain communities in South Africa is among the highest in the world. </p>
<p>Tania also made seminal contributions in tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. One was the development of a ‘smart microscope’ that automated detection of TB bacilli in stained sputum smears. Another was the computer-aided detection of pulmonary pathology in paediatric chest X-rays.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/africa-needs-to-start-creating-its-own-medical-technology-heres-how-84642">Africa needs to start creating its own medical technology. Here's how</a>
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<p>She played a leading role in establishing the African Biomedical Consortium. She also launched and was founding Editor-in-Chief of the open-access electronic journal Global Health Innovation. In addition she edited the open-access eBook <a href="https://openbooks.uct.ac.za/uct/catalog/book/bmeafrica">Biomedical Engineering for Africa</a> (University of Cape Town Libraries; 2019).</p>
<p>Since 2014, Tania had served as Associate Editor of both the South African Journal of Science and Medical Engineering and Physics. In January 2021 she was appointed as Editor-in-Chief of the latter.</p>
<h2>A great void</h2>
<p>Tania was warm and empathetic, and an inspiring mentor to many. As her friend and head of the Department of Human Biology at UCT, Professor Sharon Price, <a href="https://www.caperay.com/blog/in-memoriam-tania-douglas/">wrote</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We will remember Tania for being an amazing woman – brave, humble and brilliant. She lived her life, and carried her illness, with extraordinary grace and dignity. We will remember her for her astute intellect and her quiet humanity to build others in the process. She was talented and gracious, and we will remember her positive attitude and ever-present beautiful smile.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Tania is survived by her parents, Rita and Aubrey Douglas.</p>
<p><em>This tribute originally appeared in the <a href="https://sajs.co.za/article/view/11067">South African Journal of Science</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/161931/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ernesta M. Meintjes has received funding from the NRF, DST, TIA, MRC and the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. </span></em></p>She believed and advocated that Africa needs to find solutions to its own problems and worked tirelessly to build biomedical engineering capacity across the continent.Ernesta M. Meintjes, Professor in Biomedical Engineering, University of Cape TownLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1581352021-04-01T07:44:30Z2021-04-01T07:44:30ZAn Egyptian woman who dared: the Nawal El Saadawi I knew<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392585/original/file-20210330-19-rfa4cp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Nawal El Saadawi protesting at Tahrir Square, Egypt, 2011.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Amel Pain/EPA-EFE</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Throughout the Middle East and beyond, the name <a href="https://theconversation.com/nawal-el-saadawi-egypts-grand-novelist-physician-and-global-activist-157817">Nawal El Saadawi</a> is not one that can be received with indifference. During her lifetime and even after her passing on 21 March 2021, the Egyptian author, physician and activist evokes intense feelings that range from love and respect to hatred and offence. </p>
<p>This comes as no surprise. Nawal was someone who unabashedly crossed all boundaries set by religious, political and societal authorities. When I had the privilege of meeting her, we immediately became friends. </p>
<p>Something in her eyes, manner and voice gripped my attention. She spoke for me and for millions of others who were silenced by layers and layers of falsehoods and banal obligations in the name of honour and duty. She ‘adopted’ me, like she did with many of the young people she met. </p>
<p>Nawal <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-137-58730-5_5">said</a> that she realised from a tender age that she was born into an undeniable hypocritical patriarchal standard that colours every aspect of life. The standards which set boundaries against the forbidden seemed to vanish when it came to her brother and other men. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nawal-el-saadawis-intellectual-life-reflected-eight-decades-of-arab-society-and-culture-157972">Nawal El Saadawi’s intellectual life reflected eight decades of Arab society and culture</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Social norms and religious orders not only protected men but bestowed many liberties on them, from sexual freedom to rights of education and self-expression. The young Nawal’s sharp analytical mind soon realised that the same double standards applied to colonial powers, who gave themselves the right to plunder, abuse and occupy poor and underprivileged societies in the name of enlightenment, science and progress.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392591/original/file-20210330-21-l5hr82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Dressed in pale blue, a smiling young woman holds the arm of a grey-haired older woman dressed in pink." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392591/original/file-20210330-21-l5hr82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392591/original/file-20210330-21-l5hr82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392591/original/file-20210330-21-l5hr82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392591/original/file-20210330-21-l5hr82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392591/original/file-20210330-21-l5hr82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392591/original/file-20210330-21-l5hr82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392591/original/file-20210330-21-l5hr82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The author, left, with El Saadawi in Cairo, 2005.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo courtesy of Omnia Amin</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Finding herself and fellow Egyptians suffering under patriarchal and British colonial rule, Nawal went on a personal search for God, truth and justice. </p>
<p>In her search she went beyond everything presented to her as a given: the sacred and profane, the divine and blasphemous, the allowed and the forbidden. </p>
<h2>The girl who tipped the coffee tray</h2>
<p>Her life took a natural course of militancy and dissidence when she had to stand up for her rights at an early age. Born in a small village in Kafr Talha in Egypt in 1931, Nawal, as was common with girls of her age, was presented with a suitor at the age of 10. </p>
<p>Without consulting or fearing anyone, she tipped the coffee tray over him as a sign of disrespect. With the same tenacity, she fought to become a psychiatrist and excelled academically.</p>
<p>Later, in her medical clinic in the village, women facing the threat of an ‘honour killing’ were brought to her for examination, accused of having lost their virginity before marriage. Nawal discovered that many of these women were still virgins, scapegoats for the impotence or fickleness of their partner.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nawal-el-saadawi-egypts-grand-novelist-physician-and-global-activist-157817">Nawal El Saadawi: Egypt's grand novelist, physician and global activist</a>
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</em>
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<hr>
<p>Outraged by the prevailing double standards, she wrote <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-books-of-nawal-el-saadawi"><em>Women and Sex</em></a> to educate the public, particularly about <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-its-so-difficult-to-end-female-genital-mutilation-131162">female genital mutilation</a>, starting a campaign against the practice.</p>
<p>Her action was seen as outrageous; not only was her book banned – the first of many – but Nawal also lost her job in the country’s health ministry and the health magazine she headed was closed down. Not to be stopped, she founded one NGO after another, the most famous of which is the <a href="https://www.devex.com/organizations/arab-women-solidarity-association-awsa-47773">Arab Women’s Solidarity Association</a>, which became synonymous with the slogan “<a href="https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/egypt-el-saadawi-veil-political-symbol">lifting the veil from the mind</a>”. </p>
<p>She said that: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Solidarity between women can be a powerful force of change and can influence future development in ways favourable not only to women but also to men.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Later, in exile mostly in the US and the UK where she was frequently hosted by universities, she recorded her struggles in her three-volume autobiography and in her many talks and teachings.</p>
<h2>Everything for Nawal was linked</h2>
<p>I had the good fortune of becoming Nawal’s translator, I also produced English versions of many of her books. Later, when weakened by illness, she chose me as her official spokesperson. Today I mourn not the writer and activist the world knows, but a mother, friend and mentor who had no equal. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392589/original/file-20210330-19-a6hztq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Three people smile for the camera, from left an elderly man in thick-rimmed glasses, in the centre a young woman looking glamorous and on the right a grey-hairs woman in a striped blouse." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392589/original/file-20210330-19-a6hztq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392589/original/file-20210330-19-a6hztq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392589/original/file-20210330-19-a6hztq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392589/original/file-20210330-19-a6hztq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392589/original/file-20210330-19-a6hztq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392589/original/file-20210330-19-a6hztq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392589/original/file-20210330-19-a6hztq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">El Saadawi (right) and her then-husband Sherif Hetata with the author.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy Omnia Amin</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Like many others, I had first met Nawal through her writings and talks. She confronted not only those who were present but the entire world with her reinterpretation, reintegration and reevaluation of history, politics, the so-called economic world order, religion, gender and self. Everything for Nawal was linked. </p>
<p>She knew that domestic oppression and violence was linked not only to political and economic oppression, but also to a distortion, manipulation and forgery of history and religion. She easily ripped the veils off the minds of her audience, showing that these links are undeniable. </p>
<p>She spared no one in her attack and was ready to pay the price. Her books were banned, she was imprisoned and exiled. She received many <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-women-rights-idUSKCN1IP2V9">death threats</a> and her name was on Islamic fundamentalist death lists. She was accused of apostasy (abandoning her religion) and had to face one <a href="https://today.duke.edu/2001/06/el-saadawi629.html">court trial</a> after another in which her husband and family were not spared.</p>
<h2>An elder at Tahrir Square</h2>
<p>Nawal taught me that illusions take many guises – and the worst are fear and death. She told me that she feared prison until she was thrown into one and realised that her fear was ungrounded. </p>
<p>Prison gave her the chance to prove to herself that nothing is impossible. As a political prisoner, she was denied pen and paper; in reaction, she borrowed an eyebrow pencil from the prostitutes’ section and got hold of toilet paper on which she wrote her immortal story <a href="https://www.zedbooks.net/shop/book/memoirs-from-the-womens-prison/"><em>Memoirs From The Women’s Prison</em></a>.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZvzTus88xho?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The author interviewing El Saadawi in 2020.</span></figcaption>
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<p>What saved Nawal was her open and optimistic spirit and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvzTus88xho">resonance</a> that her voice found with succeeding generations of young people. </p>
<p>In Tahrir Square in 2011 young people surrounded her and saved her from physical attacks as she <a href="https://msmagazine.com/2011/02/07/egyptian-feminist-nawal-el-saadawi-in-tahrir-square-i-saw-with-my-own-eyes-the-barbarism/">participated</a> in the Egyptian revolution. She filled the young with hope, telling them that as we dream, we will succeed. </p>
<h2>The honest word endures</h2>
<p>Nawal saw that dissidence is key to creativity; that true creativity is the key to revolution; and that revolution is the path for liberated humanity. In her teaching and writing, she adhered to her trinity: creativity, dissidence and revolution. </p>
<p>She believed that writing is an act of speaking the truth, an act of courage – otherwise it is cheating the self and others because it serves the interest of those in power and does not serve the people. </p>
<p>In my last interview with her in November 2020, around the occasion of her 89th birthday, I asked her what message she would like to tell the world. She said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Tell them that the honest word is the one that endures.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>To my mentor, mother and friend I dedicate this humble tribute that does not do her justice, as words become mean and meaningless in their description of a giant like herself. I say goodbye to a woman who was able to create a cultural revolution in the hearts, minds and souls of those people whose lives she touched.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158135/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Omnia Amin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>She believed that writing is an act of speaking the truth, an act of courage, that must serve the people and not those in power.Omnia Amin, Professor, Zayed UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1546482021-02-08T14:17:25Z2021-02-08T14:17:25ZThe deep humanity of Sibongile Khumalo, South Africa’s iconic vocalist – and mentor<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382725/original/file-20210205-21-63mf3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sibongile Khumalo performing in London in 2009.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Brigitte Engl/Redferns</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When icons pass on, the default is to memorialise them based on the merits of what they did, as opposed to the gift of who they were as human beings. </p>
<p>In an unconscious assumption that their work defined who they were, their greatness is measured more by the prestige of their accomplishments and public status and less on how their very existence touched the lives of those around them. </p>
<p>While this may be appropriate and to an extent necessary, I believe that the death of a person augments the scope of memory. Its sting of finality provides an opportunity for deeper reflection where the central focus should become an individual’s character: who they really were in relation to their immediate community. </p>
<p>In this article, I attempt to illustrate the impact Mam’ <a href="https://theconversation.com/sibongile-khumalo-the-transformative-singer-who-built-an-archive-of-south-african-classics-154484">Sibongile Khumalo</a> had not only on me, but the South African art community at large. She was our matriarch and I affectionately called her “Mother”. My close relationship with her places me in a unique position to reflect on who she was, off the stage. </p>
<h2>All about the collective</h2>
<p>We both were singers but we seldom spoke about music and we certainly never shared tips on vocal technique or repertoire and such. Everything I needed to learn from her craft was embedded in her records, which I studied diligently throughout my early scholarly and professional years. </p>
<p>Ours was a relationship anchored in what I’ve come to identify as “personhood”. Nigerian poet and scholar of African philosophy, <a href="https://science.jrank.org/pages/8771/Communitarianism-in-African-Thought-Menkiti-on-Communitarianism.html">Ifeanyi Menkiti</a>, <a href="http://www2.southeastern.edu/Academics/Faculty/mrossano/gradseminar/evo%20of%20ritual/african%20traditional%20thought.pdf">encapsulates</a> this sentiment beautifully: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>As far as African societies are concerned, personhood is something at which individuals could fail, at which they could be competent or ineffective, better or worse.</p>
<p>Hence, the African emphasised the rituals of incorporation and the overarching necessity of learning the social rules by which the community lives, so that what was initially biologically given can come to attain social self-hood, i.e., become a person with all the inbuilt excellencies implied by the term. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is the prism through which I choose to memorialise Sibongile Khumalo. Her legacy defied the universally adopted Western interpretation of personhood characterised by individuality. She was all about the collective.</p>
<h2>A gift beyond music</h2>
<p>Sibongile was the embodiment of African personhood. She always possessed an awareness of those around her. She had a ritualistic approach to everything she did, steeped in traditional practices and ancestry. Hers was a gift beyond music. </p>
<p>One of the traits that stood out the most for me was how she could create an environment where we as young artists could gather in her presence and, in that moment, feel like siblings. Whether at jazz festivals or industry events, we’d congregate around her in the common pursuit of absorbing her wisdom. Who could possibly forget her boisterous laughter that echoed through every room she occupied? </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382948/original/file-20210208-15-6ux5gl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two women smiling into a camera, one in glasses and the other, eyes closed in a mustard blouse with leopard print scarf, looking happy and bonded." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382948/original/file-20210208-15-6ux5gl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382948/original/file-20210208-15-6ux5gl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382948/original/file-20210208-15-6ux5gl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382948/original/file-20210208-15-6ux5gl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382948/original/file-20210208-15-6ux5gl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382948/original/file-20210208-15-6ux5gl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382948/original/file-20210208-15-6ux5gl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The author, left, takes a selfie with Sibongile Khumalo.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nomfundo Xaluva</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>She was the glue that bound us together as artists navigating the volatile terrain of the music industry. </p>
<p>A staunch disciplinarian, Mam’ Sibongile would correct you without diminishing you. Her reprimand was an act of love. I always walked away from her feeling heard and seen. I remember a rehearsal in 2014 with her, <a href="http://www.gloriabosman.co.za/gloriabosman_about.html">Gloria Bosman</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Mimi-Mtshali-274880455273/?ref=page_internal">Mimi Mtshali</a> for a concert to celebrate the legacy of her parents, <a href="http://www.unizulu.ac.za/unizulu-celebrating-the-legendary-musical-icon-professor-khabi-mngoma/">Khabi</a> and Grace Mngoma. Let’s just say my intonation left much to be desired. She rendered me a look that tacitly implied, “You have work to do.” And rightfully so. I buried myself in practising so that I could arrive vocally fitter at the next rehearsal. </p>
<p>She had a way of allaying insecurities which often plague vocalists to the point of performance paralysis, especially in front of an audience of peers. She understood these dynamics and treated them with such sensitivity that one had no choice but to surrender to her teachings. As the saying goes, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”</p>
<h2>Conviction and transformation</h2>
<p>Sibongile was passionate and serious about the development of young black women beyond the parameters of the stage. </p>
<p>She recognised the contemporary value that young voices can contribute to spaces of influence in the broader arts community. As such, I had the privilege of serving with her on the Southern African Music Rights Organisation <a href="https://www.samrofoundation.org.za">Foundation</a> board. I was the youngest member, inducted at 32. Two years into my four-year term, Sibongile nominated me for vice chair of the board. In that moment, I knew from the look on her face that declining the nomination was not an option. I held the <a href="https://www.samrofoundation.org.za/blog/2020-04-28-winds-of-change-at-the-samro-foundation">position</a> for the remaining two years. </p>
<p>Sibongile would speak at length about the slow progress of transformation in academia and in the music industry. Never one to shy away from difficult conversations, she spoke her mind, inhabiting an undisturbed conviction on matters close to her heart – and people listened. Naturally, there were issues in the industry that brought her great discomfort, but never once did she relinquish her dignity and bright smile.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382729/original/file-20210205-17-1kkej8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Four women on stage, two backing singers - who a woman instructs using a hand gesture and an elder woman foregrounded, singing into a microphone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382729/original/file-20210205-17-1kkej8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382729/original/file-20210205-17-1kkej8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382729/original/file-20210205-17-1kkej8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382729/original/file-20210205-17-1kkej8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382729/original/file-20210205-17-1kkej8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382729/original/file-20210205-17-1kkej8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382729/original/file-20210205-17-1kkej8t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sibongile Khumalo, right, shares a stage with Abigail Kubeka at a memorial for jazz legend Dorothy Masuka in 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Oupa Bopape/Gallo Images</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Human dignity</h2>
<p>We had some of our richest conversations in the most obscure places, like parking lots, dressing rooms and my favourite space, the basement of her home on a couch next to her black grand piano. Most of the time, I would do the talking and she would sit and listen, not to respond but simply to offer an ear which was more generous and valuable than any form of advice. She always knew that at the end of my venting, I would arrive at my own solution. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sibongile-khumalo-the-transformative-singer-who-built-an-archive-of-south-african-classics-154484">Sibongile Khumalo, the transformative singer who built an archive of South African classics</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>As a <a href="http://www.theorbit.co.za/nomfundo-xaluva/">jazz musician</a>, I understand why Sibongile was so adept in this musical idiom. Jazz in an African context represents the collective voices of freedom, unity and emancipation. It is not a ‘one man music’ but rather an art form premised on communal synergies, driven by a desire to express identity, cohesion, human dignity and respect. It is my fervent belief that it was her personhood that sat at the belly of her artistry. </p>
<p>She was not by any means bigger than her craft, she was more than it. She was indisputably good at what she did but, more importantly, she was <em>good</em>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154648/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nomfundo Xaluva does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>She was the glue that bound younger artists together, helping them navigate the volatile terrain of the music industry.Nomfundo Xaluva, Lecturer, South African College of Music, University of Cape TownLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1409882020-08-16T12:12:30Z2020-08-16T12:12:30ZPhD students can benefit from non-academic mentors’ outside perspectives<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352269/original/file-20200811-24-141ydpi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C211%2C5215%2C3265&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Non-academic mentors, especially those familiar with the culture of academia, can offer empathy, validation and healthy perspectives.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Brooke Cagle/Unsplash)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A mentor is a professional who acclimates a protégé into a profession. In the <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Geography-of-Genius/Eric-Weiner/9781451691672">Bottegas of Renaissance Florence</a>, upstart Leonardo Da Vinci pulverized Tuscan stone and collected eggs <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/tempera-painting">to make tempera</a> for mentor <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andrea-del-Verrocchio">Andrea del Verrocchio</a>, who might allow Da Vinci to assist Michelangelo with his paintings.</p>
<p>Although this model was adopted by the research laboratories of the Enlightenment through to postmodernism, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03535-y">it is now faltering</a>. </p>
<p>With less than <a href="https://www.conferenceboard.ca/edu/research/valuing-preparing-phds-for-careers">20 per cent of PhD students</a> being able to transition into academia, the PhD is no longer a foremost career entree into the professoriate. Most PhD students no longer work alongside people whose career paths they will follow. In light of this, universities must do more to support non-academic mentorships for PhD students. </p>
<h2>Career confidence</h2>
<p>Some of my research focuses on the value of students <a href="https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/pplt/article/view/68677">procuring non-academic mentors through informational interviews</a>. By embedding informational interviewing into curriculum, I have studied how students can learn to explore non-academic careers, connect with working professionals, seek advice and cultivate professional, mentor-protégé relationships. Through this process, students learn the tacit knowledge they often are missing, showing substantial improvements in their career confidence and well-being. </p>
<p>Because linear career progression is ending, forcing people to change jobs frequently, students should be taught skills to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845317727616">adapt to uncertain labour markets</a>. Hence, it is important to teach students how to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1080569910376533">investigate, reflect on and test potential careers</a>. </p>
<p>The concept of a “future professional self” helps expand a student’s aspirations. Career reflection fosters innovative thinking about prospects, helping to build strategies and expectations that make ambitions real. Once students know what they want to do, they are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026423">more inspired to work towards reaching their goals</a>. </p>
<p>My daughter, Kate, also recently shared with me her experience as a non-academic mentor in Dalhousie University’s clinical psychology PhD program. She has also shaped my perspectives on how non-academic mentors offer PhD students the opportunity to develop meaningful perspectives and connections. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two women sit in an office with laptops having a discussion." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352264/original/file-20200811-24-offub0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Career reflection fosters innovative thinking about prospects, helping to build strategies and expectations that make ambitions real.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Christina Wocintechchat/Unsplash)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Competitive ethic</h2>
<p>PhD students who perceive a narrowing scope of opportunities as they advance may become disillusioned with their thesis work, thus limiting their productivity and <a href="https://cags.ca/documents/publications/working/completion_grad_studies_2004.pdf">increasing their completion time</a>. </p>
<p>PhD students are among the highest-achieving individuals in our society, which can be both a blessing and a curse. A focus on achievement is generally a necessary academic quality, as culture establishes researchers (and trainees by default) as “entrepreneurs” <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1404094111">responsible for their own survival</a>. A survival-of-the-fittest mentality has arisen in academia with the tremendous <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/14/upshot/so-many-research-scientists-so-few-openings-as-professors.html">surplus of talent in the professor pool</a>. </p>
<p>While competition helps to drive the university research agenda forward, we have found when we talk with current and recent PhD students and professors that this competition undermines the well-being of graduate students and faculty alike. </p>
<p>For many, the PhD becomes a bad deal because they do not see (and are not shown) <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/ph-d-attrition-how-much-is-too-much/">a way out of a horrible situation</a> — or they fear <a href="https://community.chronicle.com/news/417-adjuncts-and-the-sunk-cost-fallacy">the sunk cost</a>. PhD students often struggle to know how to navigate these situations, as the philosophy that guides their approach is often “work harder, and you will succeed.”</p>
<h2>Strain on professor-protégé relationship</h2>
<p>Yet, since the bare facts of the job market mean that even if PhD students demonstrate an outstanding work ethic, many will have to leave academia in search of other careers. This places tremendous stress upon the mentor-protégé relationship between PhD students and professors. </p>
<p>Because our universities have not systematically embedded entrepreneurship and career planning into doctoral studies, it’s not surprising if most professors believe they cannot acclimate their trainees into a profession outside of academia, like industry or government. Worse yet, some professors <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2020/02/26/should-professors-be-responsible-their-students-workplace">believe it’s not their responsibility</a>.</p>
<p>A professor’s very survival may be dependent on the productivity of their PhD students. Many professors buffer their own careers by securing students’ research help with their own publications, while de-emphasizing pursuits that can better prepare students for their own futures such as entrepreneurship, teaching, outreach or internships.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young man and an older man chat in front of a bookcase with a laptop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352279/original/file-20200811-20-axo2l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Working harder is not the answer to securing future employment for PhD students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Perfect storm for frustration, health issues</h2>
<p>The above factors generate a perfect storm for the development and/or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.4089">exacerbation of mental health problems among graduate students</a>. Students with a propensity for achievement find themselves in a culture that narrowly defines success, a career landscape that makes it nearly impossible to achieve this success and a profound lack of support given the challenges of navigating new opportunities after graduate school. </p>
<p>Combined with concerns of not knowing how to transition to the non-academic workforce, supervisor criticism and/or neglect may contribute to “locus of control” problems wherein students <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/moments-matter/201708/locus-control">do not feel they have control over the events that influence their lives</a>. Research shows that such perceptions of loss of control in students can contribute to the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01430">onset of mental health issues</a>.</p>
<p>The primary consequence of this mentorship approach is that it undermines students’ self-confidence, leaving many to question their self worth, as though the inability to secure work as a professor is a personal failure. Non-academic mentors may be a means of mitigating the effects of this problem.</p>
<h2>Empathy, healthy perspectives</h2>
<p>In addition to providing mentorship around envisioning and navigating the transition, non-academic mentors are uniquely positioned to offset the potentially damaging effects of academic mentorship on students’ self-confidence. This may be especially true of non-academic mentors who themselves completed a PhD and transitioned into successful careers beyond academia.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/humanities-phd-grads-working-in-non-academic-jobs-could-shake-up-university-culture-127298">Humanities PhD grads working in non-academic jobs could shake up university culture</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Non-academic mentors, especially those familiar with university culture, can provide empathy, validation and healthy perspectives. Such experiences can protect students by showing them that self-worth is not contingent on achievement, self-care is not a sign of laziness and new experiences add value to one’s life. </p>
<p>They can also offer alternative points of view: that success is broadly defined, academic expectations are unrealistic and failure is necessary for development. These can act as a balm for times when students’ confidence or self-worth is otherwise challenged or bruised by academia. </p>
<p><em>Kate Rancourt co-authored this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140988/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Derrick Rancourt receives funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Natural Sciences & Engineering Council and the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council. </span></em></p>The realities of the job market mean most PhD students no longer work alongside people whose professional paths they will follow. Universities must do more to support non-academic mentorships.Derrick Rancourt, Professor, Cumming School of Medicine, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1430302020-08-04T15:23:17Z2020-08-04T15:23:17ZAfrica’s research ecosystem needs a culture of mentoring<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350845/original/file-20200803-16-1lxp0dk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Mentoring can help build the confidence of young researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/african-centre-of-excellence-for-genomics-of-infectious-news-photo/1227450975?adppopup=true">Pius Utomi Ekpe/AFP via Getty Images </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sub-Saharan Africa faces a range of development challenges, including <a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/7-facts-about-population-in-sub-saharan-africa">high population growth</a>, <a href="https://isdsnet.com/ijds-v3n12-3.pdf">poverty</a>, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2019.00104/full">food insecurity</a>, and <a href="https://www.who.int/bulletin/africanhealth/en/">poor health</a>. There is <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/h233_07_synthesis_report_final_web.pdf">a clear need</a> for qualified and skilled researchers to tackle these issues. But there is also a scarcity. For instance, Sub-Saharan Africa <a href="https://dl.uswr.ac.ir/bitstream/Hannan/79487/1/2018%20Lancet%20Volume%20392%20Issue%2010153%20September%20%2825%29.pdf">contributes less than 1%</a> to global research output despite accounting for <a href="https://dl.uswr.ac.ir/bitstream/Hannan/79487/1/2018%20Lancet%20Volume%20392%20Issue%2010153%20September%20%2825%29.pdf">13.5% of the global population</a>.</p>
<p>This asymmetry calls for a <a href="https://dl.uswr.ac.ir/bitstream/Hannan/79487/1/2018%20Lancet%20Volume%20392%20Issue%2010153%20September%20%2825%29.pdf">response</a> that builds research capacity and trains skilled researchers for the continent. Mentoring is a key ingredient of this approach. </p>
<p>Mentoring can help build the confidence of young scholars by improving research outputs, thereby <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042813032837">reducing</a> the likelihood of brain drain from the region. But higher education programmes don’t always provide regular mentoring opportunities. And where there are opportunities, there may be other <a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/27170084">barriers</a> to building research capacity. These include scarcity of mentors, ambiguity in mentor-mentee relationships, limited mentoring knowledge and skills, <a href="https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-017-0962-8">lack of formal structure</a> and the nonsupporting cultural atmosphere of African institutions of learning.</p>
<p>Mentoring can confer many <a href="https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/2013/07000/Mentoring_Programs_for_Physicians_in_Academic.37.aspx">benefits</a> to the careers of junior faculty. But there are challenges in finding mentors or sustaining relationships with them. This has already been highlighted by other <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316650133_Challenges_facing_young_African_scientists_in_their_research_careers_A_qualitative_exploratory_study">researchers</a> in the region. It could have serious implications for the development of research in the region. For instance, researchers who do not have mentors may not be motivated to continue their academic programmes or may try to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042813032837">leave the region</a>.</p>
<p>Understanding this need, we conducted <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17441692.2020.1776365">research</a> among doctoral fellows in the <a href="http://cartafrica.org/">Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa</a> (CARTA) programme. The aim was to examine the mentoring experiences of fellows within the programme and highlight how mentoring can be further improved.</p>
<p>Our study established that there is a need to improve institutional capacity for the development of mentoring systems in higher education and research systems in Africa. This matters because mentoring in the region can sustain the gains being made to retain African researchers for development.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/africas-research-capacity-is-growing-thats-good-news-for-pandemic-response-efforts-142293">Africa's research capacity is growing. That's good news for pandemic response efforts</a>
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<h2>Building local research capacity</h2>
<p>The CARTA programme aims to build local research capacity in population and public health by creating a network of locally trained but globally recognised scholars through a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/gha.v3i0.5693">PhD training fellowship </a>. Fellows are usually staff of nine academic and four research institutions representative of Africa. We contacted fellows in the CARTA network through the <a href="https://www.project-redcap.org/">RedCap</a> platform and asked them questions about their perceptions of mentoring and what could be done to improve this aspect of the programme. </p>
<p>At the time of data collection, CARTA had only seven cohorts and each cohort had between 24 and 27 members from diverse academic disciplines and backgrounds. More than half of the respondents worked in health sciences while 35% were in social sciences. Our results showed that only 47% of the fellows had mentors and 20% had mentees. One of the reasons stated for this was the difficulty in finding a mentor.</p>
<p>We also found that fellows perceived mentorship to be a responsibility. They saw it as an opportunity to live up to their duty to scholarship, their mentors and to society. </p>
<p>Several fellows had not received any request for them to act as mentors. We deduced that young scholars within the network may be reluctant to seek guidance useful for their professional development. Poor understanding of the need for and importance of mentoring to academic career growth may also be responsible. It is important that mentees learn the art of networking and gain skills that will help them to confidently seek out mentors within and outside their network. </p>
<p>Peer mentoring, in which CARTA fellows mentor each other, was a striking feature of our findings. Young researchers from different parts of the continent and involved in diverse research topics across varied disciplines help and learn from one another. Peer mentoring should be encouraged as these relationships are likely to increase collaboration among scholars on the continent.</p>
<p>Some fellows who are mentees complained about the delay in getting feedback from mentors. Some of the reasons they identified were time, internet connectivity and geographical time difference. </p>
<p>In the view of the young researchers in our study, a successful mentor-mentee relationship can improve the level of progress in mentees’ research publications and career options. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/international-research-collaborations-how-can-we-shift-the-power-towards-africa-142421">International research collaborations: how can we shift the power towards Africa?</a>
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<h2>Transforming mentoring programmes</h2>
<p>Our results are important as they are quite representative of a broad group of researchers from different countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Mentoring does not seem to be part of the institutional culture or framework in several African institutions. </p>
<p>A well-designed research capacity building programme like CARTA can provide young researchers with mentoring opportunities. Ultimately, combining formal and informal mentoring approaches appears to be the way forward.</p>
<p>The culture of training and capacity building in Africa’s institutions of higher learning must transform to widen the access of young researchers to mentoring opportunities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143030/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mentoring can help build the confidence of young scholars in Sub-Saharan Africa, reducing the likelihood of brain drain.Oluwaseyi Dolapo Somefun, Postdoctoral fellow, University of the Western CapeKudus Adebayo, Research Fellow, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, NigeriaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1372892020-05-05T14:12:55Z2020-05-05T14:12:55ZInsights from Kenya: how to keep children from poorer homes in school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331769/original/file-20200430-42903-16e9f30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pupils take exams in a Kenyan school</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Luis TATO / AFP) (Photo credit should read LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It is widely recognised that education is a public good, which should be accessed by all, as a human right - irrespective of someone’s gender and socioeconomic or disability status. It is a goal that’s enshrined in the <a href="https://iite.unesco.org/publications/education-2030">fourth Sustainable Development Goal</a>. </p>
<p>Yet, the right to education for children is not assured, particularly for those who come from poor households - where decisions have to be made on who goes school - and also for girls. Because of gender norms across sub-Saharan Africa, girls of every school-age group <a href="http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/fs48-one-five-children-adolescents-youth-out-school-2018-en.pdf">are more likely</a> to be excluded from education than boys. </p>
<p>One of the main challenges is for children to finish primary school, and then transition to secondary school. For instance, a study in 2010 estimated that the transition rate for pupils living in <a href="http://aphrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/ERP-III-policy-brief-5.pdf">slums was 46%, compared to 72% for pupils in non-slum households</a>. </p>
<p>My colleagues and I, at the African Population Health Research Center (APHRC), wanted to see what needed to happen to ensure that all children in urban informal settlements proceeded to secondary school and improved grades, leadership skills and social behaviour. </p>
<p>To do this, in 2013, we launched the <a href="https://aphrc.org/publication/advancing-learning-outcomes-for-transformational-change-lessons-learnt">“Advancing learning outcomes and transformational change” (A LOT Change)</a>, programme in two low income settlements: Korogocho and Viwandani. We did this in partnership with community groups that work with teenage boys and girls: <a href="https://misskoch.org/">Miss Koch Kenya</a> and <a href="http://www.u-tena.org/about-us.html">U-Tena Youth Organisation</a>.</p>
<p>Over six years, the programme implemented an after-school support and life skills mentorship programme, provided subsidies, exposed parents to guidance and counselling, and helped young people to develop leadership skills. </p>
<p>We found that the project improved transition rates, exam scores and gave young people more confidence. This is encouraging and presents a model that can be scaled to improve learning outcomes and transition rates for young people living in urban informal settlements.</p>
<h2>The programme</h2>
<p>This <a href="https://aphrc.org/publication/advancing-learning-outcomes-for-transformational-change-lessons-learnt-from-six-year-implementation-and-evaluation-of-an-education-program-in-nairobi/">programme</a> was implemented in two phases. There was also a control group which allowed us to compare the impact that the programme had. </p>
<p>The first phase targeted 2,132 girls aged between 12 and 19 years, their parents and community leaders in the two urban informal settlements. </p>
<p>After-school support sessions were held within the community. These were one hour sessions, twice a week which covered literacy and numeracy. The support was provided by mentors - young people from the community that had achieved a grade of C+ or above in their end-of-secondary school examinations.</p>
<p>The life skills programme was also run by mentors who would spend an hour every month talking to the young people about the challenges of growing up in urban informal settlements. They would cover topics such as; values, self-awareness, self-esteem, drug and substance abuse, relationships, HIV/AIDS, effective communication, effective decision-making, career goals and sexual and reproductive health. </p>
<p>Parents were also given guidance and counselling - by counsellors from the communities - to encourage them to provide support for the education and schooling of children who are at risk of not completing primary or secondary school, or not able to transit to secondary school. These one hour sessions took place once a month for the first three months and once every quarter for the remainder of the project duration. </p>
<p>Finally, subsidies were provided to all students who transitioned to secondary school and scored above 250 marks in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination. This was meant to help them cover some of the costs of joining secondary school, namely buying items like uniforms.</p>
<h2>Including boys</h2>
<p>As the first phase came to an end, data showed that programmes needed to target young men too. For instance, data <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/erykkoh/task-force-finalreportfeb20123">showed that</a> the secondary school transition rates for girls, which stood at 69.1%, was 5% higher than that of the boys. </p>
<p>Boys were being left behind. If the project was going to be truly inclusive, it was important to include boys. The conditions of slum life affect girls and boys from poor and <a href="https://aphrc.org/publication/population-and-health-dynamics-in-nairobis-informal-settlements-report-of-the-nairobi-cross-sectional-slums-survey-ncss-2012/">disadvantaged households in a similar way</a>. </p>
<p>To address this, in phase 2, boys were included as a target group and a leadership skills component was added to the programme. This phase targeted a total of 824 young people in the two sites.</p>
<h2>Successes</h2>
<p>When we evaluated both phases we found that, over time, students developed better grades in numeracy and literacy. </p>
<p>In terms of overall transition to secondary school - between 2014 and 2015 - 68% of girls in this study <a href="https://aphrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/GEC-Policy-Brief.pdf">progressed to secondary school</a>. This transition rate was <a href="http://aphrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/ERP-III-policy-brief-5.pdf">22% higher</a> than before. Though it was still 9% <a href="https://aphrc.org/publication/improving-transition-to-secondary-school-among-girls-in-urban-poor-settings-2/">lower than</a> the national average. </p>
<p>The girls in the intervention group <a href="http://aphrc.org/publications/improving-learning-outcomes-and-transition-to-secondary-school-through-after-school-support-and-community-participation/">were also 62%</a> more likely to aspire for education past secondary school.</p>
<p>We also found that, for all students, they became more self-assertive and were able to speak up more for their rights.</p>
<p>There were several aspects of the programme, in particular, that contributed to these successes. </p>
<p>The after-school support programme gave young people additional support with homework, which helped them a great deal. </p>
<p>The parental counselling - which allowed parents to get involved in their childrens’ education - gave them positive aspirations and encouraged them to resist negative peer influence. </p>
<p>Finally, the leadership component drove self-confidence - which made them approach learning and schooling with more determination to succeed.</p>
<p>Moving forward, there’s a final phase of the programme - to follow the cohort of girls and boys from phase 2 - which is a three year programme. This started in April 2019 and will run up to April 2022. This programme comprises of mentorship in life skills, career awareness, social responsibility and citizenship skills, parental support for children’s education, homework support and digital literacy. </p>
<p>We look forward to seeing how this phase of the programme continues to foster equity, inclusion, and equality for both girls and boys in secondary school.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137289/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benta A. Abuya does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Study presents a model that can be scaled to improve learning outcomes and transition rates for young people living in urban informal settlements.Benta A. Abuya, Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research CenterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1126402019-04-22T17:47:15Z2019-04-22T17:47:15ZMen are mentors in program for adolescent boys about healthy relationships and sexuality<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/270058/original/file-20190418-28113-hx7u9z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4486%2C2374&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Building and maintaining a safe space is critical to engaging young men in challenging conversations.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Social media campaigns <a href="https://theconversation.com/metoo-campaign-brings-conversation-of-rape-to-the-mainstream-85875">such as #MeToo</a> have brought tremendous attention to the <a href="http://www.vawnet.org">issue of sexual violence</a> in North American society, <a href="http://www.aifs.gov.au/acssa/pubs/issue/acssa_issues10.pdf">igniting the call for violence prevention programs that challenge traditional gender norms and promote healthy relationships</a>. </p>
<p>Given the gendered nature of sexual and dating violence, targeting boys with these programs early in adolescence <a href="https://www.csmh.uwo.ca/publications/fourth-r-research.html">may provide an opportunity to shift core beliefs about masculinity, sexuality and violence</a>. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, there is a lack of programming for <a href="http://hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/mcs/article/view/1365">boys, particularly interventions focused on promoting healthy and positive constructs of masculinity</a>. Of those that do exist, there is limited evidence on whether they are effective. My doctoral research addresses this gap on engaging boys in masculinity issues and promoting healthy masculinity by examining the benefits of having <a href="https://www.centreforsexuality.ca/programs-workshops/wiseguyz/impact-wiseguyz/">participated in WiseGuyz, a male-only sexual health and healthy relationship program</a> in Calgary. </p>
<h2>Meet the WiseGuyz</h2>
<p>The WiseGuyz program, run by non-profit agency The Centre for Sexuality (formerly known as the Calgary Centre for Sexual Health), is a school-based healthy relationship and sexual health program that targets boys in Grade 9 (ages 13 - 15) in several schools in the Calgary area. WiseGuyz consists of four core modules — healthy relationships, sexual health, gender and media and human rights — facilitated over 15 weekly, 90-minute sessions. Issues of sexuality, gender and relationships are explored. </p>
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<p>Early in my doctoral program, I became aware of the <a href="http://www.aifs.gov.au/acssa/pubs/issue/acssa_issues10.pdf">potential for comprehensive school-based sexual health education</a> as a way of <a href="https://www.unfpa.org/resources/men-masculinities-and-changing-power">engaging young men in gender equality and gender-based violence prevention efforts</a>. The challenge with this approach, however, is that traditional, <a href="https://arizona.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/invited-commentary-broadening-the-evidence-for-adolescent-sexual-">school-based sexual health education programs fail to consider ways in which gender ideologies contribute to sexual and dating violence</a>. Years of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681810600578818">research on sexual health education in schools</a> also pointed to the fact <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681810701264508">that engaging boys can be incredibly difficult</a>. Given these factors, I was curious how the WiseGuyz program managed to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681810410001678338">engage young men</a>, and whether the program was producing positive outcomes. </p>
<h2>Men as mentors</h2>
<p>Building and maintaining a safe space is critical to the program’s ability to engage young men in challenging conversations. Focus groups with the boys identify how the program structure allowed them to feel safe and explore topics regarding sexuality and masculinity without the fear of being judged. Creating a sense of safety is important, as it supports an <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681811.2018.1506914">environment whereby the boys can begin to openly discuss masculine stereotypes, pressures and expectations</a>.</p>
<p>The program is facilitated by men in their mid-20s to early 30s, whom boys in the program see as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681810802639814">mentors, role models and friends</a>. Having these kinds of facilitators <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681811.2010.515093">is important</a>,
as young men from numerous studies <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681811.2014.917622">say typical sex education is delivered by staff with limited credibility</a>.
By deliberately choosing young, socially relevant male facilitators, the centre has been able to engage program participants in conversations about sexuality, masculinity and relationships.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt61dn6BLg4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>Supporting boys to critically reflect about gender is an important part of the program. According to boys, once they began to examine masculine norms and stereotypes, they began to understand how they were influenced by them. Young men speak about gaining greater awareness of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1060826516661319">the ways in which language is used to police behaviour</a>. For example, one shared that “you don’t realize the destruction that it does” to be called derogatory names that challenge or question your masculinity. </p>
<h2>Empowering boys towards healthy adulthood</h2>
<p>Survey data collected in the program shows boys <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1060826516661319">agree less with traditional masculinity ideologies after the program as compared to when they started the program</a>. </p>
<p>Boys spoke about the way the program supported them to think about masculinity differently. For example, although boys may enter the program aware of the differences between themselves and other group members sometimes with negative judgment, during the program they appear to increase their respect for these differences. This can lead to a greater acceptance of a wider range of qualities and behaviours from both themselves and others.</p>
<p>My preliminary research suggests that WiseGuyz is a promising program in reducing boys’ endorsement of traditional masculinity ideologies that contribute to dating and sexual violence. </p>
<p>Providing boys with skills to address, examine and challenge beliefs around traditional masculinity ideologies allows young men to resist and re-define the highly gendered expectations they face regarding their identities and behaviours. </p>
<p>By empowering boys with the confidence and skills to resist societal constructions of masculinity, WiseGuyz is supporting the young men they work with to attain emotionally healthy adulthood.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/112640/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>I received SSHRC Doctoral Funding. </span></em></p>MeToo has brought tremendous attention to the issue of sexual violence, and a Calgary-based male-only education and mentorship program is responding.Caroline Claussen, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1126392019-03-06T23:12:24Z2019-03-06T23:12:24ZBreaking up the Old Boys club by elevating women coaches<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262259/original/file-20190305-48450-1k4teti.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich has advocated for women in coaching. He's pictured here with assistant coach Becky Hammon at a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in San Antonio, Feb. 6, 2016. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Darren Abate)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The federal government has a goal of achieving gender equity across all levels of sport by 2035. Minister of Sport Kirsty Duncan announced the development of a <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/working-group-gender-equity.html">Working Group on Gender Equity in Sport</a>. </p>
<p>In the group are experts, leaders and <a href="https://www.caaws.ca/working-group-on-gender-equity-in-sport/">advocates for girls and women in sport</a> and in coaching — Olympians <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/hayley-wickenheiser-maple-leafs-hired-player-development-1.4795874">Hayley Wickenheiser</a> and <a href="https://olympic.ca/team-canada/adam-van-koeverden/">Adam van Koeverden</a> and former Canadian women’s soccer team head coach <a href="https://nationalpost.com/pmn/sports-pmn/coach-john-herdmans-challenge-now-is-to-work-his-magic-with-the-canadian-men">John Herdman</a> are just a few of the high-profile members.</p>
<p>Currently, only <a href="https://www.coach.ca/files/Mentor_Guide_EN.pdf">16 per cent of head coaches in Canadian universities and 16 per cent of Canadian national team head coaches are women.</a></p>
<p>In Ontario, several coaching bodies and networks partnered with the province to launch <a href="http://www.ctgctc.ca/">Changing the Game – Changing the Conversation</a> to recruit and support women coaches. </p>
<p>It’s time for leaders in athletic communities to not only celebrate women in coaching, but perhaps also to ask: what can I do to open the door for more women coaches? Then do it.</p>
<h2>Why the low numbers?</h2>
<p>An examination of the research, and my own experience as a former university coach and current community club coach, suggests <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21640629.2012.695891?journalCode=rspc20">there are multiple challenges that make it difficult for women to pursue coaching and to advance in coaching</a>.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262245/original/file-20190305-48441-6a7jty.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser is part of Canada’s working group on Gender Equity in Sport and is now the first woman in the NHL to hold an operations role as assistant director of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Here, in a January 2017 portrait.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://www.coach.ca/files/WiC_Journal_July_2004_Vol_4_No_5.pdf">Old Boys club</a>
presented by many sport organizations makes it challenging for young female coaches trying to enter coaching, as well as for those looking to advance through coaching ranks. </p>
<p>The vast majority of coaches, and those in leadership positions in sport, are men. Studies have shown that <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/doi/10.1123/ssj.8.1.47">people have a tendency to hire from a position of similarity</a>.</p>
<p>Women coaches may also face <a href="https://www.coach.ca/files/WiC_Journal_October_2007_Vol_7_No_4.pdf">expectations about managing domestic labour and caregiving at home</a>; the amount of time expected of women in those spheres can make the non-traditional work schedules associated with coaching challenging. Coaching often requires late nights and long weekends devoted to training, competition and travel.</p>
<p>Issues of harassment, low salary, stereotyping and being the <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/doi/10.1123/wspaj.18.2.25">token woman in a sport organization</a> are also well-documented barriers, but women coaches are not the only ones who face these challenges. </p>
<p>Women in various other professional sectors — business, medicine, law, engineering and higher education — have reported facing similar barriers in their careers. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262554/original/file-20190306-100790-h4a22k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=558&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer talks to Rutgers guard Arella Guirantes during an NCAA college basketball game Nov. 13, 2018, in Piscataway, N.J. Rutgers defeated Central Connecticut 73-44 as Stringer got her 1,000th career win.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, the percentage of women entering into and advancing in these sectors has increased over the years, <a href="https://kpe.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/cis-gender-equity-report---2013.pdf">while the percentage of women in coaching is decreasing</a>. </p>
<h2>Sponsorship makes a difference</h2>
<p>My preliminary doctoral research shows that leaders in non-sport fields such as business and medicine believe sponsorship is responsible for improving the landscape of women in their fields. </p>
<p>Sponsorship, in this context, refers to <a href="https://www.coach.ca/files/CJWC_JANUARY2016_EN.pdf">mentorship but with added advocacy and personal investment in advancing a person’s career</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://hbr.org/2010/09/why-men-still-get-more-promotions-than-women">What makes sponsorship different from mentorship</a> is that a sponsor must be in a senior-level position or a position of leadership with influence and decision-making power. </p>
<p>In mentoring relationships, mentors can sit at any level in a hierarchy of an organization. They serve as role models, provide emotional support and feedback on how to improve professionally. They help mentees learn to navigate corporate politics and to increase a sense of competence, and they have an <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232463073_Mentoring_at_Work_Developmental_Relationships_in_Organisational_Life">overall focus on a mentee’s personal and professional development</a>.</p>
<p>Sponsors use their position of influence to actively advocate for their mentee. They make sure they are considered for promising opportunities, expose them to people who might help advance their careers and ultimately fight to get them promoted.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262252/original/file-20190305-48420-mzmoyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">John Herdman, left, now head coach of the Canadian men’s soccer team, is part of Canada’s Gender Equity in Sport working group. He’s here in Feb. 2016 with Bev Priestman, when he was head coach of the Canadian women’s soccer team and Priestman was on the coaching staff. Priestman is now assistant head coach to England’s women’s soccer team.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Neil Davidson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sponsorship is focused on advancement and predicated on power, which is exactly what women coaches need.</p>
<p>Providing sponsorship opportunities is <a href="https://www.coach.ca/files/Mentor_Guide_EN.pdf">arguably the most important consideration for advancing women’s careers in coaching.</a></p>
<p>In the corporate sector, through the pairing of exceptional executive women with experienced and senior level board members, the Canadian program <a href="https://www.catalyst.org/">Women on Board</a> has appointed more than 100 women to corporate boards since it was established in 2007.</p>
<p>In my doctoral research looking at sponsorship in medicine, I examine how a now-established doctor credits senior-level men for tapping her on the shoulder when she was a junior doctor and encouraging her to apply for a leadership position. This process landed her the chief role at a major hospital in Toronto.</p>
<p>In coaching, we need more senior-level men and women to stick their necks out for exceptional and high-potential women coaches to recruit, retain and advance them in coaching.</p>
<p>What does this look like?</p>
<p>It looks like more athletic directors taking a chance on hiring graduating female athletes; provincial and national sport organizations giving women coaches more opportunities to head coach at major sporting events; and head coaches referring their assistant women coaches for head coaching jobs.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262257/original/file-20190305-48450-1781c4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jenny Boucek, left, former Seattle Storm head coach, with guard Jewell Loyd during a team practice, April 24, 2017, in Seattle. Boucek is now assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It also means seeing more women like Wickenheiser, <a href="http://www.nba.com/article/2018/06/27/san-antonio-spurs-promote-coach-becky-hammon-front-bench">Becky Hammon</a> and <a href="https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-mavericks/mavericks/2018/12/20/ready-choose-motherhood-nba-career-now-blazing-dual-trails-mavericks-first-female-coach">Jenny Boucek</a> in professional sports.</p>
<p>As part of the education and development of women coaches, advocacy from those in powerful positions is key. We all have a part to play in advancing women coaches and shifting the culture of coaching.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/112639/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jenessa Banwell receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). </span></em></p>Sponsorship, whereby a mentor in a powerful role advocates for a mentee, is what’s needed for women to advance in coaching.Jenessa Banwell, Ph.D. Candidate, Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1105392019-02-07T13:36:32Z2019-02-07T13:36:32ZWant to be a woman in science? Here’s advice from those who’ve gone before<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257217/original/file-20190205-86217-tr92l3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">More must be done to draw women into STEM careers.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Burlingham/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Each year on February 11, the United Nations marks the <a href="http://www.un.org/en/events/women-and-girls-in-science-day/">International Day of Women and Girls in Science</a>. It’s a chance to reflect on how the situation has improved for women working in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), and how much remains to be done. For instance, <a href="http://uis.unesco.org/en/topic/women-science">less than 30%</a> of the world’s researchers in these fields are women._</p>
<p>The Conversation Africa’s Natasha Joseph asked researchers working in fields as varied as physics, technology law, palaeontology and biomathematics to share their lessons and experiences as women in STEM – and what those who want to follow in their footsteps should expect.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Mercy Muendo, PhD Student in Climate Change Technology Law University of Nairobi, Lecturer in Information Technology and the Law, Daystar University School of Law</strong></p>
<p>My work is on the legal side of STEM, dealing with technology and the law. For women wanting to get involved in this field passion, innovation, creativity and knowledge are key. Technology is always changing, so you have to keep up to date with those shifts; constant learning is crucial. And, as with any lawyer – no matter your focus – you’ll need deep integrity, a sense of fairness and objectivity.</p>
<p><strong>Dr Ntombizikhona Beaulah Ndlovu, iThemba LABS Post-doctoral Researcher: Department of Subatomic Physics</strong></p>
<p>There’s this idea that clever people, who get the highest grades in school, are those who will go into STEM fields. But cleverness alone isn’t enough to succeed in science. Perseverance, mental strength and toughness as well as being book smart also matter. It can be exhausting to constantly have to try and prove that you are good enough. That’s probably particularly true for <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-personal-journey-sheds-light-on-why-there-are-so-few-black-women-in-science-91165">black women</a> in a country like South Africa, where many sciences are <a href="http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/Report-03-10-12/Report-03-10-122001.pdf">dominated by white men</a>. </p>
<p>There’s also a perception that STEM academics earn really high salaries. Unfortunately, that’s not true. If you’re heading for a career as an academic scientist, make sure it’s something you really want to do and will enjoy: that’ll keep you motivated to wake up in the morning and look forward to your work, even though you’re not earning six figures.</p>
<p><strong>Professor Amanda Weltman, theoretical physicist, University of Cape Town</strong></p>
<p>My father’s words are helpful here: “Listen to everyone, believe no one.” Take the time to listen to the experience, wisdom and advice of others; read about how others approach science, healthy habits and life – but then work it out for yourself, taking only what you need. </p>
<p>Science can be like a family. This brings a positive sense of wellbeing and togetherness, support, wonderful company and advice, ideally working with people who have your best interests at heart and a common goal. It can also bring about some rivalry and competition, which can be good or harmful. Try to find for yourself good mentors and collaborators and spend your energy on collaborations that feel good. The people you interact with really do matter and they do not need to look or be like you to be good mentors and collaborators. </p>
<p>Surround yourself with excellence. This is especially important for women. Don’t underestimate yourself, aim high and be around people and colleagues who intellectually challenge you. </p>
<p>Since I started with my father’s wisdom, I will end with my mother’s: always stick to your principles, trust your own gut and instincts. If you cannot see a path ahead that you want to follow, make your own.</p>
<p><strong>Judith Koskey, PhD student in Environmental Studies at Egerton University and Mawazo Institute Fellow</strong></p>
<p>Pursuing a STEM degree is an opportunity to do stimulating and meaningful work. To rise as a young woman in this space, it’s crucial to build up your confidence and stand up for yourself. Find a support system which could be made up of peers or other women in the STEM space. Also, networking is key if you’re to get past the walls that stand between you and hiring managers who aren’t used to seeing women in such spaces.</p>
<p>It is also important not to shy away from owning how important your contributions are: that is essential to your personal brand and reputation as a scientist. It’s also nurturing.</p>
<p><strong>Amélie Beaudet, research fellow in palaeontology, University of the Witwatersrand</strong></p>
<p>There is a long-standing tradition of maintaining a purely subjective classification between “male-like” and “female-like” jobs. Unfortunately, science is one of the most prejudiced disciplines in this binary world. Women need to know that science is for everyone, and that not being a man shouldn’t be considered an obstacle to their ambitions and aspirations.</p>
<p>This is particularly critical and relevant given that women’s achievements in science are often discarded from history, a phenomenon known as the “<a href="http://www.openculture.com/2018/08/the-matilda-effect.html">Matilda effect</a>” that sees women scientists being effectively written out of history. </p>
<p>Palaeontology suffers from substantial conventional sex-related bias. Yet, women are part of the discipline’s history and have made major discoveries – from <a href="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/anning.html">Mary Anning</a> and the Jurassic fossil beds in England to <a href="https://www.notablebiographies.com/Ki-Lo/Leakey-Mary.html">Mary Leakey</a> and sites in East Africa that held evidence of human ancestors. More people, especially women, should know these stories so they realise there’s plenty of space for them in the sciences.</p>
<p><strong>Melisa Achoko Allela, PhD student in animation and Interactive Systems at Technical University of Kenya and 2018 Mawazo Institute Scholar</strong></p>
<p>Women scientists embarking on their research journeys may not realise how many opportunities exist at the convergence of art and design, science, technology, engineering and mathematics. </p>
<p>Practical examples include enriching how we communicate scientific research outputs; how, aesthetically, can it be made more accessible and inclusive? </p>
<p>This kind of diversity of approaches fuels – even forces – innovation and creativity. And those qualities could help to support the economic growth envisioned by the <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/">Sustainable Development Goals</a>. </p>
<p><strong>Marilyn Ronoh, PhD Student in Biomathematics, University of Nairobi and Mawazo Institute Fellow</strong></p>
<p>Planning for a PhD is an exciting, confusing time. You need a clear road map for your topic, your mentor or mentors, and funding opportunities. So it’s imperative for those who want to take this journey to participate in as many local and international conferences as possible that are relevant to their field of study. There you’ll learn about current research problems, methodology, possible supervision and opportunities for research grants. </p>
<p>When it comes to finding a mentor, make sure you choose someone who’s well versed in your area of research. Narrow your choices down, then use the Google Scholar search engine to assess their research impact before making your final decision.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110539/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ntombizikhona Beaulah Ndlovu receives funding from National Research Foundation.. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amanda Weltman is funded by the NRF/DST South African Research Chairs Initiative. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amélie Beaudet receives funding from the Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Judith Koskey is a Mawazo Institute Scholar.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marilyn Ronoh is a Mawazo Institute Scholar.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melisa Achoko Allela is a Mawazo Institute Scholar.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mercy Muendo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Women are drastically under-represented in the science, technology, engineering and maths fields.Ntombizikhona Beaulah Ndlovu, Postdoctoral research fellow, iThemba LABSAmanda Weltman, South African Research Chair in Physical Cosmology, Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Cape TownAmélie Beaudet, Postdoctoral fellow, University of the WitwatersrandJudith Koskey, Part time lecturer and PhD student, Environmental Science, Egerton UniversityMarilyn Ronoh, PhD student and part-time lecturer in Mathematics, University of NairobiMelisa Achoko Allela, Assistant Lecturer in Animation and Interactive Media Design, Technical University of KenyaMercy Muendo, Lecturer, Information Technology and the Law, Daystar UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/828752017-09-14T22:34:25Z2017-09-14T22:34:25ZThis is why most teachers need Indigenous coaches<p><em>“I hear a lot about this so-called ‘inequality’ when it comes to First Nations populations… The problem is the victim mentality… They have to stop seeing themselves as constantly being oppressed.”</em></p>
<p>As an educator, when I read this university student’s response — to an online discussion post about the existence of social inequality in Canada — I was taken aback.</p>
<p>Education, according to the final report of <a href="http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/File/2015/Findings/Exec_Summary_2015_05_31_web_o.pdf">The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC),</a> can foster renewed relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. Educators, from elementary to post-secondary, have been called to action to support reconciliation — by <a href="https://www.kairoscanada.org/what-we-do/indigenous-rights/windsofchange-report-cards">incorporating Indigenous content into classroom learning</a>. </p>
<p>Our task is to ensure that students have a respectful understanding of Indigenous peoples and perspectives. To pass on knowledge of residential schools and legacies. When I first read the above student response, this responsibility became even clearer. </p>
<p>But, as teachers, how do we do this? Where do we go for support?</p>
<h2>What if we say the wrong thing?</h2>
<p>My research examines <a href="http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol8/iss3/2/">educator and parent perceptions</a> of the province of Ontario’s commitment to Indigenous student success. In 2007, Ontario developed a policy framework that calls for inclusion of Indigenous content in schooling curriculum. I interviewed 100 Indigenous (mainly Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe and Métis) and non-Indigenous parents and educators to find out what encouraged and limited implementation of this curricular policy.</p>
<p>I found that some non-Indigenous educators are unaware of Indigenous cultures and histories. Some are intimidated to say or do the wrong thing. Others have difficulty finding, interpreting and using <a href="https://www.ctf-fce.ca/Research-Library/CTF-Survey-Teachers-Perspectives-on-Aboriginal-Education-Summary-Report-web.pdf">Indigenous curricular resources</a>. </p>
<p>As a result, some students may complete high school and go on to post-secondary education <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/debunking-myth-canadian-schools-teach-indigenous-peoples-1.3376800">knowing very little about Indigenous peoples in Canada</a>.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TFQHtkBs68I?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Teach Our Children: Education for Reconciliation, produced by KAIROS Canada.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As a non-Indigenous educator at the post-secondary level, I also question how best to incorporate Indigenous material into my classrooms. Informal conversations with colleagues suggest that others share similar concerns. For me, the solution has been to reach out and get involved with a community organization.</p>
<h2>Amiskwaciy Academy</h2>
<p>In September 2016 as I began my first year as an assistant professor at MacEwan University, a colleague invited me to attend a community feast hosted by <a href="http://amiskwaciy.epsb.ca/">amiskwaciy Academy</a>. Fred Hines, school principal, welcomed me into the school. Right away, I knew I wanted to be part of this community.</p>
<p>Amiskwaciy Academy is an Edmonton Public School program of choice that provides academic programming within an Indigenous context. The school has a large Indigenous population. It also has strong connections to local Indigenous communities and two full time Elders on staff. </p>
<p>I began volunteering weekly at the school, getting to know students individually and supporting classroom and school activities. I also facilitated opportunities for amiskwaciy students to visit and attend lectures at MacEwan University. And I supported MacEwan students to tutor and assist teachers in the classroom at amiskwaciy.</p>
<p>The time I have spent at amiskwaciy has benefited the students, the school and myself.</p>
<h2>Indigenous mentorship</h2>
<p>During this time, Fred Hines and the Elders have supported my learning of Indigenous cultures, traditions and ways of knowing and doing. I now consult with Fred on a regular basis. Fred has provided advice and guidance about how to incorporate Indigenous content into my teaching. He has also helped me better understand how to support Indigenous learners.</p>
<p>All experiences and knowledge gained from my time at amiskwaciy have directly informed my university teaching. The school provides similar support to a number of other elementary, secondary and post-secondary educators in the area as well as the broader community.</p>
<p>My experience at amiskwaciy parallels the <a href="http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/iipj/vol8/iss3/2/">successful professional development experiences</a> shared with me by non-Indigenous elementary and secondary educators in Ontario. These educators benefited from working one-on-one with an Indigenous coach in the classroom. Coaches had intimate knowledge of Indigenous cultures and worldviews. Through co-teaching and on the ground support, coaches helped educators to meaningfully and authentically incorporate Indigenous content into their regular teaching practice.</p>
<h2>Get out and get involved</h2>
<p>The TRC suggests that educators, at all levels of schooling, can play a role in reconciling the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. It suggests they do that by raising students’ awareness of residential schools, treaties and Indigenous peoples and perspectives.</p>
<p>For example, on Sept. 30 — on <a href="http://www.orangeshirtday.org/origin.html">Orange Shirt Day</a> — school children across Canada will wear orange to honour survivors of residential schools and commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"907668133443522561"}"></div></p>
<p>Much progress has been made over recent years to establish resources and professional development to support <a href="http://cdnsba.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Indigenous-Project-Final.pdf">elementary, secondary</a> and <a href="https://www.univcan.ca/media-room/media-releases/survey-shows-canadas-universities-advancing-reconciliation/">post-secondary educators</a> — to integrate Indigenous content into classrooms and to implement <a href="http://www.universityaffairs.ca/features/feature-article/indigenizing-the-academy/">Indigenous strategic plans and initiatives</a>.</p>
<p>But learning and professional development does not always have to come from top-down policies and initiatives. Any educator, anywhere, can take the initiative to connect with local Indigenous groups and organizations. Get out into the community and get involved. Volunteer time and attend public events. Reaching out to Indigenous centres at your own university or school board office is a great place to start. </p>
<p>My experience has been that by fostering mutually respectful relationships with a community organization, knowledge and understanding follows.</p>
<p>I have so much enjoyed my time with amiskwaciy Academy and admire the educators and staff for the work that they do. I look forward to being part of this school community for many years to come.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82875/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emily Milne does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many Canadian teachers worry about how to incorporate Indigenous content into the classroom. For one sociology professor, finding Indigenous mentorship was richly rewarding.Emily Milne, Assistant Professor of Sociology, MacEwan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/739202017-03-07T14:23:25Z2017-03-07T14:23:25ZAfrica needs more women computer scientists. How to make it happen<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/159773/original/image-20170307-14966-4wvdvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Computer scientists can make important contributions to fixing societal ills.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">UNAMID/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In Africa, a continent grappling with many social ills, it’s critical that universities produce more Computer Science graduates. It’s also one that equips students with crucial skills. </p>
<p>Computer Science graduates are problem solvers and logical thinkers who can apply their technical expertise in a range of ways – including to socioeconomic problems. For example, Dr <a href="http://pubs.cs.uct.ac.za/archive/00000868/01/Final_Thesis_Chepken_CHPCHR004.pdf">Christopher Chepken</a> used ICT tools to provide interventions for day labourers in a developing country’s context. <a href="http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2516632">Maletsabisa Molapo</a> worked on a project that designed a tool to help rural health trainers to create digital training content for low-literate community health workers (CHWs) in Lesotho. </p>
<p>But there’s a problem: Computer Science is an especially male-dominated university course <a href="http://europe.newsweek.com/how-can-we-encourage-more-women-study-computer-science-328538?rm=eu">all over the world</a>. </p>
<p>For instance, I was the only girl in an undergraduate class of ten students. That’s not unusual in Kenyan universities, even today. I teach 108 undergraduate computer programming students; just 19% of them are women. The same is true around the country. A 2015 <a href="http://akirachix.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Women-Who-Tech_2015.pdf">report</a> found that although 41% of students at a sample of Kenyan universities were women, just 17% of them were pursuing degrees in science and technology subjects.</p>
<p>Drawing from my own experiences, I have some ideas about how to throw open more doors for women computer scientists. Collaboration, inspiration and mentorship are key. And, in keeping with the tag line for <a href="https://www.internationalwomensday.com/">International Women’s Day 2017</a> – “Be bold for change” – it will require bold, committed action.</p>
<h2>My journey</h2>
<p>I’ve always been fascinated by mathematics and other sciences. At school in Kenya I found there was something about maths in particular that tapped into my innate ability to think logically. </p>
<p>Once I’d finished high school I registered for a degree with majors in Mathematics and Computer Science at <a href="http://www.kemu.ac.ke/">Kenya Methodist University</a>. The catch? I had never consistently used a computer before – my family, like <a href="http://www.pewglobal.org/2015/03/19/internet-seen-as-positive-influence-on-education-but-negative-influence-on-morality-in-emerging-and-developing-nations/technology-report-15/">most in East Africa</a>, didn’t have one at home. I had visited cyber cafes to send emails or browse the internet, but that was all.</p>
<p>I excelled as an undergraduate and an Honours student, but craved a new challenge that would push my limits. So I applied to Oxford University in the UK. One lost application form, a new form and a gruelling scholarship interview later, I was admitted for an MS.c in Computer Science at Oxford’s St Catherine’s College. </p>
<p>I was on cloud nine for several months, but then reality hit: during orientation and the first weeks of class, I had to learn UNIX – a multiuser computer operating system – from scratch, complete practical lab assignments within short periods, and adapt to a faster and more dynamic learning process than I was accustomed to. </p>
<p>My interactions with other friends attending Oxford and similar institutions, who had completed undergraduate degrees in Kenya, revealed that most of us had to work twice as hard to bring ourselves on par with our classmates. </p>
<p>It was a big lesson. Many of Kenya’s universities simply aren’t preparing their Computer Science students for the wider world. To many people in Kenya, a computer scientist is someone who knows all the ins and outs of a computer and can fix their friends’ mobile phones and laptops. To others, computer scientists are the people who build apps. This thinking suggests that computer science involves providing a technical solution to a technical problem.</p>
<p>Sadly, this means universities mainly produce technicians – not computer scientists who can solve real, complex socioeconomic problems.</p>
<p>This knowledge stayed with me while I pursued and completed a Ph.D in Computer Science at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. I was able to do this because of great mentorship and support, and came to realise how vital those elements will be to keep developing and producing computer scientists in Africa, particularly women.</p>
<h2>Inspirational women</h2>
<p>The good news is that there are many inspiring female computer scientists in and from Africa. As their public profiles grow, hopefully they’ll be able to inspire young women who might otherwise avoid computer science courses or think the field is only suitable for men. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/159753/original/image-20170307-14966-1xa22hv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/159753/original/image-20170307-14966-1xa22hv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/159753/original/image-20170307-14966-1xa22hv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/159753/original/image-20170307-14966-1xa22hv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/159753/original/image-20170307-14966-1xa22hv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/159753/original/image-20170307-14966-1xa22hv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=605&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/159753/original/image-20170307-14966-1xa22hv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=605&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/159753/original/image-20170307-14966-1xa22hv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=605&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The author at an international convention for women in computing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Some of the women who inspire me include <a href="https://ke.linkedin.com/in/mercyorangi">Mercy Orangi</a> of Google Kenya. She’s got a stellar track record in mobile development and actively participates in initiatives that empower female computer science students. An amazing quartet of women established the <a href="http://wcs.cs.uct.ac.za/">Women in Computer Science Society</a> at the University of Cape Town: <a href="https://za.linkedin.com/in/imaculatemosha">Imaculate Mosha</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorgina-paihama-447a3979">Jorgina Paihama</a>, <a href="https://za.linkedin.com/in/maletsabisam">Maletsabisa Molapo</a> and <a href="https://za.linkedin.com/in/omowunmiisafiade">Omowumni Isafiade</a> are all inspirational. </p>
<p>Further afield, I’ve had the enviable chance to meet and listen to women at international platforms like the 2014 <a href="http://www2.ea.com/news/relive-the-2014-grace-hopper-celebration">Grace Hopper Convention</a>. I was among 8000 women in technology who attended. Professor <a href="http://people.csail.mit.edu/shafi/">Shafi Goldwasser</a>, who delivered the keynote address, is one of the few women who has received the <a href="http://amturing.acm.org/">ACM Turing Award</a>. This is one of the highest honours in Computer Science and technology.</p>
<p>All of these women – and many others – do remarkable work to drive conversation, offer support and <a href="https://theconversation.com/good-mentorship-has-the-power-to-unlock-university-students-potential-73280">mentorship</a> and get more women involved in computing. Their example should be followed by every woman who’s travelled the often rocky path to a computer science degree. Now, more than ever, we must be bold and we must become the doorways for young women to pursue their passion and interest in science, technology, engineering and maths.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/73920/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr. Chao Mbogho does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There are many inspiring female computer scientists in and from Africa. They have the power to inspire young women who might think that computer science is ‘only for men’.Dr. Chao Mbogho, Researcher and Lecturer of Computer Science, Mentor, Kenya Methodist UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/732802017-02-28T14:52:44Z2017-02-28T14:52:44ZGood mentorship has the power to unlock university students’ potential<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/158490/original/image-20170227-26337-ldh84p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Good mentoring can open up entirely new worlds for university students.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When I sent out an informal notice to my computer science students offering mentorship to anyone who wanted it, I wasn’t expecting many replies. After all, how many students rush to get involved in voluntary activities when they’re already so busy with academic work?</p>
<p>I was wrong. </p>
<p>Within two days 40 students had signed up. More requests followed – five of them from students who don’t even attend my university. The mentorship program kicked off in September 2016 and has been running for nearly six months. </p>
<p>In that time the students and I have learned a great deal about what it takes to mentor and be mentored in a structured, meaningful way. </p>
<p>There’s a vast amount of research evidence that proves how valuable mentorship can be. It improves students’ <a href="http://www.academia.edu/6993034/EFFECTS_OF_MENTORING_AND_INCULCATING_LIFE_SKILLS_TO_UNIVERSITY_STUDENTS_A_CASE_STUDY_OF_DAYSTAR_UNIVERSITY_PRE-UNIVERSITY">academic performance</a> and, at its best, also equips them with the skills they’ll need to excel in a <a href="http://www.mentoring.org/why-mentoring/mentoring-impact/">professional environment</a>.</p>
<p>I have started to see all of this for myself, and have learned a number of lessons about what works when it comes to good mentoring programs. These lessons may be valuable to others who want to establish mentoring programs at their own universities.</p>
<h2>Ask questions before you start</h2>
<p>I conducted a survey to determine what the students expected and whether they’d had any prior experience with mentoring. 83% had never been mentors or mentees. My next step, using their survey answers, was to categorise students’ expectations into themes so I could tailor the mentorship program to these.</p>
<p>Four themes emerged: professional development, innovation, community involvement, peer-mentorship, and scholarship. </p>
<p><strong>Professional development:</strong> 80% of the students said they wanted to work on their “soft” skills, such as the ability to express their skills in a scholarship or a job interview, confidence in presentations, and their writing skills. All of this was in a bid to become all-rounded graduates. This suggests that highly structured university curricula may not be enough: students may need additional support to prepare them for the working world.</p>
<p><strong>Innovation:</strong> most of the students said they wanted to improve their ability to develop quality ICT solutions, and to increase their confidence to participate in collaborative software projects. The students worried that the university curriculum may not be drawing from cutting-edge industry standards, leaving them at a disadvantage once they graduate.</p>
<p><strong>Community involvement:</strong> 60% of the students said they hadn’t participated in or attended a tech event while at university. And 83% hadn’t been involved in any peer-to-peer mentoring where they could learn from each other. The best teaching must happen within lecture halls, but students need to connect with each other and with different forums outside the classroom.</p>
<p><strong>Scholarship:</strong> Many of the students weren’t aware of the many scholarship or grant opportunities available through the university or external organisations. They also had little experience in how to write a good scholarship application.</p>
<p>Armed with all of this information, I was able to design a mentorship program that directly addressed the students’ needs.</p>
<h2>Responding to students’ needs</h2>
<p>We’ve focused on responding to the four themes students identified in the survey. For instance, the students have attended writing workshops as well as “soft” skill workshops hosted by industry professionals. Some have even attended international conferences, giving them a chance to develop their networking skills and meet professionals in the ICT industry.</p>
<p>There’s also been a lot of work around the issue of collaboration and innovation. The mentees have been involved in collaborative sessions with other Kenyan tech institutions like Moringa School and Nairobits. Some have also participated in Google’s Hashcode online programming competition for the very first time.</p>
<p>Some of mentees have taken the initiative and registered Kenya Methodist University’s Nairobi Campus’ first ever Computer Science Society. This organisation encourages students to get involved in software design and programming competitions.</p>
<p>Networking has been crucial. Whenever I get an invitation to speak at or attend any tech event, I ask whether I can bring my mentees along. </p>
<p>In some cases, the mentees have become mentors: they’ve volunteered to work with other students, participated in outreach activities at local tech schools and have even taught classes on software development aspects such as <a href="https://github.com/">GitHub</a>, a collaborative platform where programming projects can be hosted; web design, and programming using Java and C++. </p>
<p>The feedback from students attending the peer-training has been overwhelmingly positive, with 100% of the attendees asking for additional classes. </p>
<p>There’s also been great success on the scholarship front. The students now feel empowered to apply for scholarships or similar support. <a href="https://www.kemu.ac.ke/index.php/news-items/573-one-of-our-students-is-a-grace-hopper-scholarship-winner">Nyariak Deng</a>’ became the first-ever student from our university to attend the 2016 Grace Hopper Conference in Houston, Texas, on a full scholarship from Anita Borg Institute. This is the largest annual gathering of women technologists in the world.</p>
<p>Her achievement is particularly worth celebrating since 70% of those studying computing at my university are men. It is crucial to encourage women students to get involved in mentorship programs. </p>
<p>But it’s also important to note that the mentoring program I run is open to both men and women – universities shouldn’t ignore male students who need support and assistance.</p>
<h2>Mentoring matters</h2>
<p>All of this has proved to me how much university mentoring programs can offer. The quality of higher education in Kenya has been <a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/news/World-Bank-raises-concern-over-Kenya-s-graduates/-/1056/2893556/-/14wh4u2z/-/index.html">repeatedly criticised</a>. Some of the “fixes” are obvious: hire more quality academics, improve research culture and improve university facilities.</p>
<p>But immersive, active mentorship is also vital. It is a way to introduce students to the world of work in more ways than just through curriculum and classroom activities. </p>
<p>It is also a way to keep academics engaged and excited about their work. I am humbled to have recently been nominated for a “<a href="http://www.kenyanvibe.com/kenyan-women-trailblazers-feted-zuri-awards/">Zuri Award</a>” which recognises women who contribute positively to their communities in Kenya. This recognition, along with the mentees’ excitement, has given me the much needed impetus to continue holding the ladder for students in computer science.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/73280/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>A Women Techmaker's mentorship session that formed part of this mentorship program was funded by Google. </span></em></p>Mentoring programs can be enormously valuable for students, both in terms of their academic performance and their professional development.Dr. Chao Mbogho, Researcher and Lecturer of Computer Science, Mentor, Kenya Methodist UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.