On 12 July 2025, Start Walking Foundation joined Tujenge Youth Initiative at Mathari Mixed Secondary School for a mentorship engagement focused on one of the most important transitions in a young person's life: preparing for what comes next.

The session brought together students — many of them in their final year of secondary school — for a conversation centered on self-awareness, life skills, and career preparation.

At a stage where many young people are asked to make decisions about their future with limited guidance, the importance of these conversations cannot be overstated.

For us, this was not simply a school talk.

It was an opportunity to create space for reflection, perspective, and practical preparation.

What the session covered

The session focused on helping students think more intentionally about who they are, how they make decisions, and what it means to begin preparing for life beyond the classroom.

We spoke about self-awareness as the foundation for growth. About understanding strengths, values, and personal direction. About life skills that shape not only academic success, but everyday decision-making. And about career preparation as something that begins long before employment.

These were practical conversations, but they were also deeply personal ones.

Because for many young people, the challenge is not only access to opportunity. It is access to guidance.

And mentorship, at its best, helps close that gap.

What made it meaningful

What made the engagement meaningful was not only the content shared, but the openness in the room.

There was curiosity.
There was honesty.
And there was a clear willingness among students to engage questions about identity, purpose, and the realities ahead of them.

That mattered.

What we believe about mentorship

At Start Walking Foundation, we believe that mentorship is one of the most practical forms of early intervention.

Sometimes what young people need most is not immediate answers, but the space to ask better questions — about who they are, what they value, and how they want to move through the world.

Our time at Mathari Mixed Secondary School was a reminder that preparing young people for the future is not only about academic readiness.

It is also about helping them build the self-awareness, confidence, and life skills to meet that future well.