Mentor Training

Session Outline

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

• 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

In this session you will:

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

Section 1: What is ementoring?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

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

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?

Underpinning principles

• Underpinned by a trusting relationship

• All about learning and development

• The mentee identifies and owns their own issues and development goals

What makes a good mentor?

• Good communication skills: – listening – asking questions – providing constructive feedback

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

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

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

…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!

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

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

The Benefits of being a Mentor ✔ 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!

Who’s Who?

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?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.org ementoring website regularly

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?

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?

Boundaries• 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

Confidentiality Statement• 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 website is moderated. All communication is monitored by Brightside and your coordinator

What Should Simon Do?

Support for Mentors…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

Section Two Using the ementoring website

Go to www.brightlinks.org to see the website!

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

Login here

If you forget your details click on ‘forgotten your password?’

Tabs navigate across the site

Shows recent messages and notifications

Shows a summary of your activity

Filter messages by sender

View messages received, sent

or archived

Report a message if it is inappropriate

Reply or archive the conversation

Write a new message

Or click ‘contact’ on people’s profiles

Select your recipient

Give your message a

title

Click here to add attachments

Online training modules build

your ementoring skills

View your course progress

Click here to view each course module

Save and return to continue course

Monitor your progress though

each course

To assign a course, select a mentee from the

drop-down menu

Click here to review and assign your

mentee a course.

Activities can be self-started or assigned

Mark or give feedback to your mentee.

Course progress is displayed

here

Review your mentee’s answers and leave

feedback

Submit feedback on your mentees

modules

Articles linked to your areas of interest

New articles from our

knowledge bank

Search function to find useful articles

You can also browse by topic

Forward the article or add a comment

Useful related and trustworthy links

Automatically attach the article to your new message

Let’s Get Startedwww.brightlinks.org

Just for Me

Good Message, Bad Message, Your Message

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

Brightside

0207 922 7800info@brightsideuniaid.org