By: Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang
WestCare in partnership with Koror State government mentored 25 Youths last Saturday September 18 at Koror state’s Constitutional Hall. The youth participants were students from grade 7th to high school juniors. The students selected to be part of this mentorship program were chosen based on their participation in past West Care programs.
In this mentorship program, Koror State Youth Division selected eight mentors who are well-known community members. The mentors were professionals in different fields such as education, journalism, dentistry, as well as people involved in the medical field and individuals who were advocates of people with disabilities. The mentors spent the whole day doing numerous activities and telling inspiring stories were aimed to bring out the interests of the mentee students. Through such activities, the students were able to share their dreams and career interests. In return, the mentors had conversations with the students and discussed with them ways their dreams and career interests could be achieved. By helping the mentee students what careers they dream of having in the future, the mentors helped them identify the types of schools they should consider attending and even gave them life tips on how to make those dreams a reality. This is the 4th mentorship program of its kind that had been done through a partnership with WestCare and Koror State Government.
WestCare is a US-based global organization with a general goal of uplifting the human spirit through its wide range of social programs such as providing help to veterans with Post-traumatic disorders, providing aid to decrease homelessness, and even helping drug addicts’ rehabilitation programs. West Care opened its doors here in Palau in 2015 and their office is located at the 2nd floor of Kebtot el Blai building in Medalaii. Since its inception, Westcare has been working mostly with Palau’s Youth by doing sessions and visiting schools to raise awareness about sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy, and conducting similar mentorship programs.