Finding a mentor

Identifying a mentor:

Finding a Kinyarwanda mentor may be easy or challenging, depending on your current connections to Rwanda. Because Kinyarwanda is so universally spoken in Rwanda, if you know any people who are from there, you may quickly find a mentor or find someone who can connect you to a potential mentor. However, the language is much less commonly spoken outside of Eastern Africa, and very rarely spoken in America.

Establishing connection:

If you know someone who is from Rwanda, who lives in Rwanda, or who knows people in Rwanda, this connection will be a great tool to find a mentor. If your direct contact speaks Kinyarwanda, you should consider your previously established relationship with them before deciding if you want them to be your mentor, or someone else. For example, if this person is a good friend, it can be hard to set boundaries and intentions for a mentor relationship because your time with them may be easily distracted or unfocused on your learning goals. You may consider asking them if they know someone else, who you don’t have a previous relationship with, that would be willing to become your mentor, understanding the purpose of this role.

If you don’t know anyone from Rwanda or with country connections, there are a few ways you may find new potential mentors. There are online resources, for example through italki, though these tutors have set fees and may have different viewpoints of the mentoring relationship as they may be used to more instructional roles. Additionally, you should consider if there might be community members in your local area who know Kinyarwanda. A way to identify these people may be through African cultural organizations or language groups, or even through your personal social network. It can be useful to ask other African studies students or language learners if they happen to know someone you can connect with. Finding a mentor through in-person networks can be useful for face to face learning, but again you should be mindful that if you choose them to be your mentor, that role should be established early in your relationship.

What is the mentor’s role?

Your mentor need not be a native speaker but should be someone who has deep knowledge of Kinyarwanda. Their role is to help guide and correct your personal journey towards your language learning goals. Your mentor is not a friend to chat with, nor a traditional teacher. It is your responsibility to decide your plan for language learning and how you will work towards that plan on a regular basis. You will choose your weekly goals and spend your independent study time practicing towards this achievement. When you meet your mentor, they can help you solidify your confidence in speaking through demonstrating pronunciation, correcting grammar, or answering questions about the nuances of daily speech or cultural norms. However, they should not be designing your studies, conducting formal lessons, or instructing you as a normal teacher would. Ideally, your mentor is someone you trust to evaluate and correct your personal progress.