Mentor Training

1. Mentor Training

2. Section One: Introduction Boundaries and Confidentiality What Should Simon Do? Section Two Getting started on the site Just for Me Good Message, Bad Message, Your Message Evaluation Session Outline

3. In this session you will: • Start to understand ementoring and your role as mentor • Learn how to deal with scenarios • Learn who to contact with questions • Learn to use www.brightlinks.org • Write your first message

4. Introductions... • Dorothy Spencer • Project Manager, Brightside: • Education charity • Developed Bright Links website • Provide online resources and tools to help individuals overcome barriers to education and employment

5. Ementoring is… A structured relationship where mentees talk to their mentor about their future A supportive, safe way to communicate online Accessible any time of the day, anywhere in the world Section 1: What is ementoring?

6. Goals of mentoring: • To help someone… • Manage problems more effectively • Develop unused or underused opportunities and resources more fully • Become better at helping themselves in their everyday lives

7. Food for thought… • Who has been your mentor? • When did they come into your life? • Which of their qualities or skills helped you? • What have you learnt from them?

8. Underpinning principles • Underpinned by a trusting relationship • All about learning and development • The mentee identifies and owns their own issues and development goals

9. What makes a good mentor? • Good communication skills: • listening • asking questions • providing constructive feedback

10. What makes a good mentor? • Wants to help others build confidence: • Encouraging and motivating • Mentees don’t know range of possibilities and how to take advantage of opportunities • helps mentees become fully aware of ability to succeed • Can explain how to access valuable resources

11. What makes a good mentor? • Non-judgemental • Committed and reliable • Setting clear boundaries to build mutual trust: • Mentees should feel confident to discuss wide range of issues confidentially • Exception: if the mentor becomes aware of anything that might indicate that the mentee is at risk of harming others or of being harmed

12. Good practice – dos • Respond to mentee’s developmental needs, not your own agenda • Respect your mentee’s privacy • Be truthful and open • Acknowledge the limits of your own knowledge – if you don’t know the answer, say so! • Empower your mentee to accept increasing responsibility for managing the relationship – you are trying to help them become more confident and autonomous

13. …And don’ts! • Expect completely perfect replies from your mentee • Try to be a counsellor or careers adviser • Engage in criticisms of the student’s home situation. If they sound serious, you may choose to refer these to your project coordinator • Do your mentee’s homework for them!

14. Setting boundaries • Set boundaries together at the beginning of the relationship. • Discuss subject areas that will be covered • How often you’ll communicate • Any other ground rules you can think of • Make ground rules which would help you feel more comfortable as a mentor. • Write a mentoring contract together

15. Advice on advice… • At first, don’t give too much advice, just listen • Reserve advice for later, when the mentee has established it’s OK to have their own independent views • Ask permission to give advice or guidance e.g. 'would it be useful if I shared my experience of/views on this?‘ • Stress that your views are opinions, rather than the answer • Avoid 'parent' mode, return to offering support and challenges as soon as possible

16. ✔ Improve your communication skills ✔ Develop people management skills ✔ Learn how to deal with different personalities ✔ Learn how to encourage and motivate others ✔ Be creative and innovative ✔ Help others to reach their potential ✔ Personal and professional growth ✔ It looks good on your CV! The Benefits of being a Mentor

17. Your mentee(s): Looking for support through transition (eg into education and employment) Has individual interests and anxieties about the future Has expectations about ementoring - discuss these! From varied social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds Often confused or worried about their future Who’s Who?

18. You! Provide encouragement, support and guidance through regular contact Respect boundaries and confidentiality and follows programme guidelines Signposts your mentee towards additional information and resources Visits the www.brightlinks.orgementoring website regularly Who’s Who?

19. Your ementoring coordinator Matches you with your mentee Looks after your scheme First point of contact if you have problems or concerns, or want to talk about your place on the programme Who’s Who?

20. Brightside Education charity, developed ementoring website Can support you with technical problems on the website Contact 0207 922 7800 or email support@thebrightsidetrust.org, state your programme and that you are a mentor. Who’s Who?

21. Don’t share your email address or phone number Don’t agree to meet your mentee, unless arranged by your coordinator as part of the programme You should not feel obliged to be your mentees’ friend Avoid uncomfortable conversation topics The ementoring site has automatic filters. Your message may be delayed whilst your coordinator checks: Swear words Attachments External URLS Boundaries

22. The relationship with your mentee is confidential, except where you become aware that your mentee may be at risk of being harmed or harming others. In this situation, you should seek advice from your ementoring coordinator about what to do next. The websiteis moderated. All communication is monitored by Brightside and your coordinator Confidentiality Statement

23. What Should Simon Do?

24. You can turn to the following for support: Your ementoring coordinator Brightside – technical issues My resources – information My activities – mentor training and activities Mentee activities – activities for my mentee Mentor handbook and website guide Mentor group conversations Other websites - links to other useful websites can be very helpful Support for Mentors…

25. Using the ementoring website Section Two

26. You will learn how to… Check your conversations Write your first message Change your profile Look at the resources on the website Use the activities area Go to www.brightlinks.orgto see the website!

27. Login here If you forget your details click on ‘forgotten your password?’

28. Shows a summary of your activity Shows recent messages and notifications Tabs navigate across the site

29. Filter messages by sender View messages received, sent or archived

30. Report a message if it is inappropriate Reply or archive the conversation

31. Write a new message Or click ‘contact’ on people’s profiles

32. Select your recipient Give your message a title Click here to add attachments

33. Online training modules build your ementoring skills

34. Monitor your progress though each course View your course progress Save and return to continue course Click here to view each course module

35. To assign a course, select a mentee from the drop-down menu Click here to review and assign your mentee a course.

36. Activities can be self-started or assigned Mark or give feedback to your mentee.

37. Review your mentee’s answers and leave feedback Course progress is displayed here

38. Submit feedback on your mentees modules

39. New articles from our knowledge bank Articles linked to your areas of interest Search function to find useful articles

40. You can also browse by topic

41. Automatically attach the article to your new message Forward the article or add a comment Useful related and trustworthy links

42. www.brightlinks.org Let’s Get Started

43. Just for Me

44. Good Message, Bad Message, Your Message

45. Please fill out evaluation forms Collect a mentor handbook Take your handbook and activity handouts with you! Evaluation

46. Brightside 0207 922 7800 info@brightsideuniaid.org