Be a mentor
What is mentoring?
Mentors guide, motivate, encourage and inspire.
"Mentoring is a one-to-one, non-judgemental relationship in which an individual mentor voluntarily gives time to support and encourage another." The Home Office
Who can be a mentor?
Mentors need to be working at a senior level within the voluntary sector. You can be working in areas such as fundraising, finance, human resources, senior management, development, communications or policy. You should have leadership skills and management experience which you can draw on to support your mentee.
Mentors should also be committed, patient, reliable and open minded.
The selection process will include a short interview.
Who are the mentees?
Mentees will be leaders of Refugee Community Organisations (RCOs).
RCOs are run by and for refugees providing advice and support and acting as vital bridges to mainstream services and other local groups. They are among the most under-resourced organisations in the voluntary sector.
RCOs are run by highly committed individuals who often lack the appropriate support in areas such as finance, personnel and project management. Mentees will be working at management level in an RCO, whether in a paid or voluntary capacity.
What training and support will I receive?
You will attend two evening training sessions, each lasting three hours. The training will be interactive and utilise the skills and knowledge within the group to explore themes such as leadership and learning styles. External trainers who are experts in refugee community development will give a valuable insight into the challenges faced by RCOs. There will also be opportunities to meet RCO leaders, ask them questions and gather information about ways to support your mentee. The training will equip you with all the knowledge and understanding you need before you are matched with your mentee. Once you have been matched there will be opportunities to get together with other mentees and mentors to share experiences. You will also receive ongoing support from the Leaders Together project manager.
Mentees also attend an induction session which will explain the project's aims and objectives, and manage their expectations.
How will mentors and mentees be matched?
You will be asked to provide information about your skills and experience and your expectations of the project. We will use this information to match you with an appropriate mentee and you will also have a chance to discuss potential matches with the project manager. We take into account primarily the needs of the RCO leader but also things such as proximity to each other, age, gender, background and interests.
We do understand that some matches just don't work so we have a procedure in place to deal with the situation if you're not happy with your match. The most important thing in ensuring a successful mentoring match is to make sure that both parties are absolutely happy from the outset.
What else is involved?
At the start of the relationship, each pair will define objectives and develop an action plan.
During the time you are involved in the mentoring process, the project manager will keep in touch with you to offer resources and support and find out about the progress you are making.
There will be Leaders Together networking events, offering you the opportunity to meet other mentors and mentees and learn from their experience and expertise. You will also be updated regularly on other events and opportunities that might be of interest.
At the end of the mentoring relationship, there will be an evaluation process to help mentors and mentees reflect on the mentoring experience and what they have learnt from it.
Where is Leaders Together running?
At the moment the scheme is only running in London, so if you wish to take part from outside of London you must be able to meet with your mentee in London on a regular basis.
Please register your details here if you would like to be a mentor.
