The first conversation with Adi and Marina will show two completely different people. Always very communicative, smiling and motivated, Adi had the opportunity to learn from Marina – quiet, focused, full of knowledge and experience, an expert in the field of finance, always ready to encourage and say a kind word.
Although the first conversation highlights differences, the mentoring process they went through was a great opportunity to recognize and unite all their similarities – the daily desire to learn, to continue spreading their wings, to share the knowledge they possess, to improve society and, very importantly, to continue to support and help young people who want to bring and initiate positive changes.
Vision and plan are the first steps towards improvement!
After six months of intensive work, socializing, and important advice, Adi proudly says that he and his mentor were a “real tandem . “
“Our meetings were very energetic, positive and useful. Marina helped me a lot and she is truly an expert in her field. When I told her that we planned to make the organization sustainable in the future, she immediately had a vision for us and a plan for how we could make it happen ,” says Adi Salčinović from the INPUT Youth Center.
“Adi was a very interesting mentee who is very inspiring. The INPUT Youth Center is very interesting, as is everything it does, and I think that is attractive in the Zenica area, and I especially consider it important that it provides services and opportunities for young people to learn something new ,” said Marina Jovović from the Sarajevo Open Center.
That’s why, in addition to working on an individual level, Marina and Adi worked on skills useful for the benefit of the entire organization.
“My mentor held a training with me and the employees of INPUTS, where she gave us guidelines on how to implement certain financial procedures, calculations, etc. She also helped us with a budget project, which meant a lot to us. She constantly suggested that we be sustainable, that we find funds and ways to hire more people to work on our projects and activities ,” Adi points out.
Although a very interesting and inspiring process, mentoring is not one-sided and sometimes brings dilemmas, questions and doubts.
“I am especially grateful to the Institute for creating such an important and useful process, not only for mentees but also for mentors. In this way, we exchange experiences with each other, it is not a one-sided transfer of knowledge but learning and finding out how other organizations function, discovering myself and the eternal question of how can I adapt myself to their needs?” says Marina.
People need encouragement to achieve their goals and dreams
They built their relationship in the mentoring process primarily on mutual understanding and recognition of what they need both as a mentor and as a mentee.
“Marina was always available and we could easily make arrangements. We understood each other, she understood the needs of our organization and I’m glad we had time for everything we planned. Our Center offers a lot, so Marina said that she enjoyed being with us and I am extremely happy about that, that feedback means a lot to me. She was particularly interested in 3D printing, so I tried to bring my knowledge in that field closer to her. I especially liked the fact that while she was with us, she was always thinking about how everything we have can be used for our activities and how it can be our income ,” says Adi.
“I often, even in this process, think about how much I can transfer my knowledge without it being something that is taken for granted and that in today’s digital age is easily accessible with a few clicks on Google. Then I realized that, apart from my experience, it is the encouragement of a person who may even know everything that I offer, but needs to be encouraged to go towards something that is important for her or her organization” , concludes Marina.
The series of stories about mentoring was created as a result of the implementation of the Mentoring Program in Civil Society, which is an integral part of USAID/LWCDA activities. By introducing this program, the Institute for Youth Development KULT has rounded off the support it provides to civil society organizations through strengthening organizational capacities and performances, as well as personal capacities of representatives of these organizations.
Source: mladi.org
