What can mentoring do?

Adam attends Alcoholics Anonymous, Bilal runs a business, Chris studies chemistry at college and Diane lives with diabetes. What do they all have in common? They could all share the lessons they've learned from experience with fellow horsesmouth members  facing the same situation.  If you have successfully faced an important choice, challenge or change in your life - and who hasn't -  you could help people by signing up to be a mentor. And if you're going through something,  getting over something or simply want to get on with something - there's probably someone out there who's been in your shoes.  Everyone has something to give and gain. That's why we like to call it the Wisdomocracy.

What's in it for you?
Drawing on your life experiences to help others is rewarding and allows you to breathe the heady air of the moral high ground. But think about it  - Its just like e-bay - all that stuff you've got locked up in your head  that you rarely think about and that no-one really benefits from can now be unlocked and shared with people who will really value it.  In short - this is an easy and fun way to give something back. Or if you're a younger mentor it can be very helpful in building the kind of skills that employers love - listening, problem-solving and learning from experience.  And if you're competitive - or think you have an aptitude for it - the MFactor rating system allows you to build your reputation as a mentor - which in some way, some day you may well be able to take to the bank.

What's in it for our community?
Communicating with someone who has been in your shoes can be really helpful, no matter who or where you are. While it may not substitute for professional advice, family or friends, sometimes it's exactly what you need. But often social, geographic, physical and emotional barriers can make it hard to find that someone.  Horsesmouth breaks down those barriers to access and allows people all over the UK to come together anonymously and confidentially, to share their life experiences. 

Cool tools for mentors: The M-Factor
To help you keep track of your impact on horsesmouth as a mentor and to help our community see which mentors are busy and highly rated, we've created the M-Factor, You can be rated and you can rate others in terms of usefulness, friendliness and timeliness. Our system then generates a running total of your ratings as well as displays your strong suit. We'd encourage everyone to use this rating system as it really helps motivate individuals and the community to participate.