Mentoring

Background

Migdal Emunah was founded in February 2013, providing a support service for Jewish children, women and men who had experienced sexual abuse. The charity now also provide education for the Jewish community in the UK and professionals from other communities across the UK, as well as a variety of practical and emotional support for anyone affected by the trauma of sexual abuse.

Migdal Emunah actively engages in raising awareness of sexual abuse and challenging the myths and taboos surrounding abuse.

Mentoring

In November 2022 Erica Marks approached Cranfield Trust and applied to take part in our mentoring programme. Erica leads on the running of the charity and at the time was faced with challenges that she had no time to reflect on.

She was matched with Gordon Walker, a volunteer mentor who was able to provide the right support and guidance.

Impact

In Erica’s own words:

'My Cranfield Trust mentor was experienced, kind, thoughtful, and knowledgeable. He helped me to understand my own needs, so I could work efficiently and effectively, and serve our clients and staff team better. I felt supported all the way and am hugely grateful to Cranfield Trust for this help. It has made a huge difference and helped us work more effectively.  I have confidence that we can move [forward] in a better position than we were in a year ago.

Cranfield Trust Mentoring is a powerful tool for charity leaders looking to develop personally and professionally. Whether to advance their career, or grow their skills as a leader, a mentoring partnership can be a rewarding and beneficial experience. 

Erica's reflection underscores the transformative power of mentoring as she continued:

Carving out time for reflection is one of the hardest things to find time to do, but probably the most important thing we all need to do. Gordon’s support helped me to reflect and find creative solutions to many issues I was facing. It also gave me the impetus to continue reflecting on my practice, even once our coaching sessions had finished.’

This experience highlights how mentoring can lead to significant improvements in leadership capabilities and organisational effectiveness.

Mentoring is two-way relationship and both mentee and mentor can benefit from the learning process. The project also had a positive impact on Gordon:

‘Mentoring through Cranfield Trust enables me to draw on my business experience and my coaching expertise while fulfilling a personal ambition to make a difference and be relevant.’