The benefits of mentoring on the SistersIN project
Donna Kettyle and Edel Quinn recently completed their first year as mentors in the SistersIN leadership and mentoring project in Northern Ireland.
The initiative, aimed at sixth form students, seeks to empower young women through direct workplace exposure and mentorship. Both Donna and Edel, based in Derrylin, described the experience as very rewarding and are now encouraging more colleagues at Encirc to get involved.
For Donna, her journey began with an opportunity missed. “I saw the call for mentors the first year but couldn’t take part. The interest was always there though,” she said. “When Becky (Dilworth) and Sarah (Abernethy) reached out again last year, I knew I wanted to be involved, so I applied.”
Donna mentored two students from Mount Lourdes over a nine-month period, coordinating regular meetings around her busy schedule. “We met monthly, and I made sure to plan all sessions ahead. It was valuable for me to understand how this next generation views the workplace and where we need to be heading to meet their needs.”
Edel was drawn to the project from a personal place. “I went to an all-girls school and really had no idea what I wanted to do. I relied on family for direction,” she recalled. “When I did my own placement, I was just allocated a spot—I ended up in a hospital ward, and I knew that wasn’t for me. I wanted to give students better guidance than I had.”
Mentoring one student, Edel found the commitment manageable and meaningful. “She was quite quiet but very focused. I had to think creatively about how to support her. The onsite visit was great, and we also went to Mount Lourdes—it was a good way to connect with the student.”
Both mentors appreciated the training provided by Sisters-In, especially the flexibility of recorded sessions. “There’s one mandatory safeguarding session, but the rest are optional. That helped make it easy to fit in,” said Edel.
Looking back, both Donna and Edel gained as much as they gave. “I hope I learned just as much from them as they did from me,” Donna reflected. “They asked really insightful questions and were way ahead of where I was at that age.”
Edel agreed: “It was my first time being a mentor, and I’ve already learned how I’d approach it differently next time. It’s helped my own development, and I’d love to see more of us from Encirc get involved. We could then learn from each other as well.”
If you would like to put yourself forward to be a mentor with SistersIN for the next academic school year, please contact Sarah Abernethy for more information.
Ella from SistersIN will also be hosting a walk-through session with a Q&A on Wednesday, June 25th at 2.00pm via Teams. If you’re interested or have any questions, this is a great chance to join the conversation! To get the link, just reach out to Sarah.
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