Importance of Mentorship
By Lorna Jean Banks 

      First of all, I have to say mentorship isn’t just for kids, or the Big Brothers, etc.  It’s a concept we all need to explore and one we all benefit from. This has been brought home to me in a rather embarrassing way this past summer and one that I should have known and been practicing! 

      As breeders of any animals, teachers of any craft, doer of life, we are mandated by the positive forces to be good mentors to anyone that crosses those paths.  In other words, do our best to help those folks meet success with what they take from us.   
 

      This is a high standard, and some have it naturally.  But this is mainly for the new breeders, or first time owners too.  Still, it is a standard that the best and most respected breeders are known to adhere to.   

      What is mentorship in relation to breeding angoras?  If you look back on your own journey with these wonderful little bodies, what did you have to learn?  What trials did you have to overcome, and we all did and still do from time to time.  Now, what were the best responses to those problems from others?  What did you do to achieve success in the final outcome? 

      Mentorship is just that, simple but one of the hardest things to do sometimes.  Be there for answers, be there for sympathy, and be there for help.  Be the kind of breeder that backs their animals 100% in education.   Yes, those who practice this all ready know, as I have learned, that sometimes this comes back to slap us, there are ‘users’ out there.  But for every user I’ve met, I’ve been granted to see many who have taken what they needed from my mentorship folder, and gone on to become outstanding representatives themselves.  I’m as proud of that as I am of my bunnies!   

      Now, the lesson I’ve learned about all this lately, is that it can be hard to keep that ideal in my breeding program.  I raise other critters too, and a young 4-H family bought some goats from me.  The young man is excited and has shown and done very well.  Due to life happening around here, I didn’t get my transfers done on registration papers until just recently, causing those folks untold problems in trying to register their animals.  I’m mortified, and even more so when I had to put it back into their laps to fix it.  It has been a very humbling experience, and one that taught me to not be sleepy about my own ideals. 

We’re still working out the kinks on the goat deal, and if I’d been the breeder I hope to be, we’d never have had those problems. 

      So it is important, that no matter what’s going on in your own life, no matter how tired or ‘sore’ you are, once you start down the path of being a good mentor you do have to stick to it.  But also, as many of you have found, breeders with those of ethics are the best to have as friends when the chips are down for you!  It is true, what goes around comes around!  One more truism, you get as good as you give! 

      And lastly, if more breeders would strive to be as good mentors as their bunnies are well bred, etc, our angoras would become one of the more popular instead one of the rarest species!  Let’s strive to make every angora experience as positive as possible for each customer, onlooker, and even our families.  For the angoras themselves can be wonderful ambassadors on their own, but with our help, well, the rest is yet to come! 

      I’m looking forward to meeting most of the folks someday who read this, and compare notes on the trials and pleasures of mentorship!