'Five reasons why I loved the Routes Mentoring Programme - and you might too’
Zara Salih is a business owner and alumni mentor of the Routes Mentoring Programme. She joined Routes in October 2024, to work with her mentee Helen, to support Helen with confidence building and work-related goals.
Zara signed up to Routes, whilst working at the innovation agency Nesta and relaunched her own yoga business during her time on the Programme. In this blog she talks through her experience of learning to mentor with Routes, and how it enhanced her own skillset as a professional and a woman leader.
5 reasons why Zara is rooting for Routes
The Routes Mentoring Programme offers a unique opportunity for you to enhance your own leadership and communication skills whilst simultaneously helping to empower a female asylum seeker/ refugee to work towards achieving her goal(s).
For any potential mentors out there who may be unsure whether or not to sign up to volunteer with Routes I hope that this blog encourages you to go for it.
A manageable time commitment
The time commitment is very manageable. There are two main training dates and the training is so worthwhile. The exercises are interactive and genuinely thought-provoking. The sessions are delivered empathetically and seamlessly by Routes' fantastic facilitators. You also get to hear from alumni and ask questions to previous mentors and mentees. I found the midway point phone call to be especially helpful and I felt supported with ways to seek effective feedback.
Learning by doing
There are lots of break-out rooms and opportunities to build meaningful connections with other mentors in your cohort. Through the exercises you do one-to-one or in small groups you get to have conversations which deep-dive into a real-life scenario and by employing the techniques you learn in the training you can guide each other to a solution. I sometimes found myself with some of the same mentors and in this way we quickly built up rapport. It was really wonderful when we actually got to meet in person at the end of the programme celebration party.
Learning by doing
Zara with fellow mentor Mareen at the Mentoring Programme Celebration Event, January 2025.
Access to resources
You will learn practical ways to navigate problem-solving and you will be equipped with a wealth of resources which could help your mentee to reach her goal(s).
Developing your leadership and communication skills
You will develop your leadership and communication skills. One of the greatest takeaways from this programme for me was the way it elevated my personal relationships as a result of adapting my communication style. I am conscious of how much more mindfully I hold space in conversations with colleagues, friends and family. I have become much better at getting comfortable with silence, listening attentively and non-judgmentally (the latter which given my legal background is something I can find quite challenging!).
“One of the greatest takeaways from this programme for me was the way it elevated my personal relationships as a result of adapting my communication style. I am conscious of how much more mindfully I hold space in conversations with colleagues, friends and family. ”
Supporting another woman to achieve her goals
Most importantly of all, this programme gives you the chance to empower a female asylum seeker/ refugee to work towards achieving her goal(s). Admittedly, I was nervous before knowing who I would be paired with for the programme and in the run up to meeting my mentee, Helen, online for the first time. And of course some of that nervousness remained with me but by the end of our first session I felt confident that we would work well together to achieve her goals.
During our sessions together I was repeatedly humbled by Helen's humility and struck by a persevering positivity which we both share though we have lived quite different lives. My nervousness soon transformed into excitement as I looked forward to hearing news and developments from Helen in our sessions. Around the midway point I noticed how often I would say "we're running out of time" when I realised the programme was coming to an end. But that's where the beauty of this mentorship programme lies.
Celebration time!
Zara with her mentee Helen, marking the end of their time on the Routes Mentoring Programme, celebrating their relationship and the progress they’ve achieved.
In truth, like all things in life, you will get out of this programme as much as you put in.
Just because the programme was coming to a formal end did not mean that my connection with Helen should cease. I am pleased to say that we have agreed to keep in touch and meanwhile I have already signed up to join the next cohort of the Routes mentoring programme as it really is as good as it sounds.
Routes runs two Mentoring Programmes a year, one in spring and one in autumn. Applications for our autumn 2025 Mentoring Programme are open now! Find out more on www.routescollective.com/mentoring and express your interest.
Mentor Zara writes about her time on the Routes Mentoring Programme. Read about Zara’s meetings with her mentee, connecting with fellow mentors, and the benefits of the training components for her leadership skills.