Mentoring Program

Mentoring program update –  seventh round begins

The seventh round of our Mentoring Program is beginning following a kickoff meeting on June 4. Those interested in participating in the next round, presumably starting in the fall, should write to mentoring@learninggroup.org.

There is also a Worcester Area branch of this program. Inquiries may be sent to worcestermentoring@learninggroup.org. 

Program specifics

The Mentoring Program provides a structured way for Learning Group members to be paired with other members in mutually beneficial mentoring relationships. The program starts out with a Kick Off Meeting to discuss mentoring and provide an opportunity for interested participants to meet. After the initial meeting, participants are matched according to mutual interest and personality. Participants are encouraged to schedule an initial meeting to outline goals and expectations and then to decide whether they are both interested in continuing the mentoring relationship.

Mentoring pairs are encouraged to meet for about fifteen hours over a three month period. However, the specifics of how and when to meet are determined by the individual pairs. The Mentoring Coordinator will periodically check in with pairs to make sure the relationship is going well, and individuals are welcome to contact the coordinator with questions or concerns at any time.

After the three month period, a follow-up meeting will be scheduled for all mentoring program participants. This gives participants a chance to share their experiences, talk about mentoring in general, and continue to network with other members.

These guidelines have been developed over time based on participant feedback and will continue to evolve as suggestions are made. Therefore, if you have any ideas for how to improve the mentoring program, please do not hesitate to write us at mentoring@learninggroup.org.

Benefits of mentoring

For more on the benefits of being a mentor or mentee, click here. 

History of the program

For more on the history of our Mentoring Program, click here.

Spread the word

If you know of someone within or outside the Learning Group who may be interested in participating in the mentoring program, please let them know that it exists. You can do that by  sending them a link to this page: http://www.learninggroup.org/mentoring.htm. Note that membership is required for mentees but not for mentors.  

Further reading

A useful collection of articles on Mentoring is available at the Mentoring Group Archive.

The notes for our November 2003 meeting on Mentoring provide links to many other sources.