Jane Mugo, a professional teacher, engages in life coaching programs for undisciplined teenagers and those in their youthful years, charging a fee for her services.
In an interview with the Sunday Standard, the life coach discussed why parents trust her with their teens and the motivation that sustains her in this business.
Briefly tell us about yourself.
I am a teacher registered with TSC, a life skills promoter, majoring in mentorship, especially for the boy-child. Jane is basically a life coach, teamwork consultant, and boy child ambassador; a graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Education, Arts, and English Literature.
Tell us about your life coach program. When did you start it, and what was the motivation?
Being a teacher, I’m mobile. I counsel by invitation to clients’ homes, or prearranged venues such as church halls, sports grounds, schools, both high schools and primary schools.
Sometimes, I am allowed to do these programs in the constituency’s hall in Kayole whenever I’m holding training sessions or mentorship programs. I started these programs a few years ago, around 2017 while teaching in Kayole. I learned that students, especially boys were being used by drug dealers to ferry drugs to potential buyers as they sold to them too especially tobacco, bhang, and kuber. After an impromptu check on their bags, I confiscated some of the drugs.
This didn’t go down well with the cartels and I was threatened. So serious was the issue that it saw me getting an OB (Occurrence Book) number at Kayole Police Station. This however didn’t stop me from protecting the students from cartels by vehemently discouraging them against the drugs and substance abuse. I create space where many open up and we reason the way forward. We discuss the drivers such as poverty, idleness, negative peer pressure, etc and as such I come up with ways of addressing them.
How do you reach your clients?
I do school visitation. I am invited by either the board members or teachers. Recently, I’ve been to Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls High School in Nyeri, St Joseph Boys Githunguri, Aquinas Boys, and Kayole North Primary, amongst others. In the community, estates organize themselves for an activity such as clean-up exercises and thereafter, we hold talks with the teens and youth
Do these youth come on their own, or are they brought by their parents?
Some do come on their own after being referred to me by those who follow me on Facebook. They come with harrowing stories like sodomy, rape, molestation, amongst others. Sometimes parents bring them.
My clients mainly are boys who I feel are an endangered group now that 99 per cent of individuals and organizations want to do girls’ programs. This intimidated the boys and many resorted to abusing drugs, suicide, and depression. I therefore took it up to me as my responsibility to walk with the boys. However, being a teacher to all, I accommodate the girls too.
Kindly take us through your coaching sessions.
Various activities take place like tree planting and performing arts. For example, on the 28th of this month, we have a dancing concert and competition whereby; the best will be awarded a small token of appreciation as we encourage them that opportunities are there and that we only need to be noble.
We also discuss PCVE (preventing and countering violence extremism) where we get help from different organizations, the current one being YADEN East Africa.
The actual sessions can take from an hour to several hours over some weeks or months depending on the complexity of issues. Often I make follow-ups to ascertain that clients are fully empowered to face challenges that necessitated the interventions.
How do you charge the clients?
A session costs Sh3,000-5,000 per client. I don’t charge schools. In all sessions, I get the opportunity to talk about my book “CAGED” which is deep in life skills and case studies where a client can relate to it and take life challenges head-on.
