On the 8th and 29th of January 2005, 67 student mentors from the BP Mentoring Network were at Republic Polytechnic for the launch of the Mentor-to-Mentor (or M2M) Programme. These students were paired up with a staff from BP who will serve as their mentor for 12 months. Anthony Lee, an undergraduate at Nanyang Technological University, expressed a common sentiment: “Like many of my peers, I signed up for the M2M Programme with little expectations. All I know was that I’m going to meet someone from within the BP management who will be guiding me as I graduate from University.”

The inaugural session was aptly named “Knowing Me, Knowing You”. It was split into 2 parts: Meet-up and Self-Discovery (morning), and “Around the World” (afternoon). During the Meet-up, the mentors and mentees were paired up for the first time and spent some enjoyable moments getting to know each other. For the Self-Discovery segment, the participants learnt about the different types of communication styles, and tried to identify the type that they predominantly belong to. Surprising discoveries were made about the various strengths and weaknesses of the various communication styles. Towards the end of the activity, it was clear to everyone that the exercise was not merely about learning about ourselves, but also about getting to know other people deeper, and how we can learn from them.

After lunch, the participants embarked on “Around the World”, an amazing race-style game where they ran around the RP campus and attempted to clear various obstacles and quizzes. This team-bonding game gave the students the opportunity to observe their mentors “at work”. Anthony enthused that he was bowled over by the level of confidence his mentor exuded and the persistence he had in overcoming obstacles.

The first M2M session was capped off with a BBQ dinner. By that time, the student mentors were heartened that the event had gone beyond some of their initial expectations. Becky Cheung, from Nanyang Polytechnic, reflected that “It was not only a fun-filled event but a meaningful one; it teaches me the concept of selflessness and paying it forward.”

Becky also neatly summed up the spirit of mentoring:

“Mentoring is all about reaching out, serving, and believing a vision that we could make a difference. I am really thankful for the wonderful chance to be attached to my mentor, Chloe. We found out that we have a lot in common and I feel good and touched that despite their (the mentors) work and busy lives, they are willing to share and be our guiding light!”