Feedback from Harraseeket mentees:
➢ “[Talking with mentors] been very interesting and less confusing. Instead of looking on websites it's helpful to have people actually tell you what work is like.”
➢ “Harraseeket Foundation has provided me with a lifelong network of inspiring, brilliant, and welcoming professionals who have given me direction in my career and an exciting path forward. I am forever grateful for this extraordinary organization.”
➢ In high school I was a mentee in the [Harraseeket] program. My experiences demonstrated that Harraseeket is an organization full of great people with a strong mission. The mentorship program creates intergenerational connections that are rare to find.”
➢ “I would say thank you so much for the amazing opportunity [Harraseeket] gave me. I enjoyed every second of every day I was [at my internship]. I really did learn a lot of new things I didn’t know before. The skills I have learned as well as the information will most definitely help me out later down the road in my future.”
➢ “I've been asked questions that help me focus on what really matters to me, rather than what is the next logical step."
➢ "The [Harraseeket] program has given a meaningful, protected space to explore questions... and really think through what future we want to bring about for ourselves.”
➢ {Harraseeket’s mentoring program] is an atmosphere of complete trust... it's people that come with open hearts and a willingness to share and listen."
➢ The connections I’ve made have helped me explore job opportunities, feel more confident in my abilities, and think about my career from a fresh perspective.”
➢ “My ... conversations with my mentor were incredibly organic, supportive, and fun. I learned a valuable perspective from her, that career paths aren’t always linear and are often enriched by your openness to opportunities. I intend to carry this with me on my career journey, and have greatly enjoyed our newly fostered relationship and correspondence.”
➢ “My mentor conversations have been really helpful. They’ve suggested some other career paths that I wouldn’t have considered before. I’d been getting career tunnel vision— where I could only picture myself doing a few things— my mentors have helped me break out of that thinking. I’ve returned to job searching with a renewed energy.”
Feedback from Harraseeket mentors:
➢ This is so helpful for our youth, and I wish I had it available to me when I was going through the process many moons ago. I think it’s very valuable to help them see that they have access to a wider network than they may realize at first. Religious and social communities (peer friendships, parents’ friends) can allow them to extend their network of knowledge and experience.”
➢ “I served in a mentoring role for a high-school senior... [We] met on a regular basis throughout the senior's last high school year. As with so many mentoring experiences, I felt I learned as much as the folks earlier in their careers. Harraseeket leadership did an exceptional job of identifying and sharing thought-provoking materials. They struck the right balance of guiding us toward content and conversations in line with their mission with letting us create the schedule, agendas, and structure that worked best for us. I've encouraged my own children to participate, having seen the great conversations, growth, and connections made through this program.”
➢ “The [Harraseeket] program has been such an invaluable resource for young adults in their discernment about vocation, meaningful work, and what it means to live a life of meaning.”
➢ “I have thought time and again how important it is for EVERY young person to have a supportive environment to have deep, no pressure self discovery conversations. It is often too late in our lives that we realize we don't have to run the same "race" as everyone else in life, but can be happier if we are intentional about the path we choose for ourselves. Harraseeket helps bring that conversation forward in the lives of young people and allow them to arrive at their own conclusions informed by open ended questions and discussions with mentors who are at different phases of that journey themselves.
➢ “I understood the need immediately--at certain times in life it is essential to have a guiding hand from a caring adult. What was not clear until after my experience with mentoring was that I was also blessed in the process. We need to give of ourselves in meaningful ways to make life meaningful; and mentoring is a great way to bless and be blessed. Give it a try!