Jegna or Mentorship ?

It may have been noted that the terms 'Jegna' and 'Mentor' have been used in describing our program. Some culturally concerned scholars have advanced the term Jegna when describing our activities. While The Golden Fold describes our movement as a Jegna, we may still use the term Mentorship to aid those who are unaware of the roots of the term 'mentor' or those who are not concerned with the roots of the term as opposed to it's current use.

Jegna is an Ethiopian (Amharic) word that means “a very brave person who is a protector of a culture, the rights of his or her people and their land.” A jegna is more than a “leader.” She or he is someone who is not afraid to speak truth to power, is uncompromised, full of integrity and at the very core of his or her being sees the welfare and protection of their people as paramount. They are literally prepared to die for the community they represent. It refers to those who are altruistically commited, out of an unqualified duty to their people and nation, to teach our children the art an science of a politically concscious adulthood.
Jegna (Jenoch, plural form) are those special people who have (1) been tested in struggle or battle (2) demonstrated extraordinary and unusual fearlessness, (3) shown determination and courage in protecting her/her peoples, land and culture, (4) shown diligence and dedication to our people, (5) produced an exceptionally high quality of work, and (6) have dedicated themselves to the protection, defense, nurturance and developement of our young by advancing our people. place, and culture.
-Wade W. Nobles (“From Na Ezaleli to the Jenoch”)

Mentor is derived from the mythical Greek character Mentor who Odysseus left to care for and educate his son Telemachus in his absence. As was the reported culture in ancient Greek society, and as was the relationship between Mentor & Telemachus, a significant part of his role as a teacher and guardian (mentor) was to become physically intimately involved with the male boy. Those who distance themselves from the term 'Mentor' do so to distance themselves the aspect of the historical term 'Mentor' which would be considered today to be male-on-male statutory rape.

The Golden Fold Movement serves boys aged 11 – 17 as mentees and males aged 18 – 23 as movement interns by providing seminar based guidance activities in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Participants enjoy a structured, supervised Jegna (mentoring) relationship with men of the community who have guidance, and life experiences to share with the youth. We employ a Bonding-Presentation-Guidance model in most sessions. Contact: thegoldenfold @ yahoo (dot) com or call/text message 757-353-7008.