“What does it take to start a mentoring program? Lots of determination, lots of organization, and lots of coffee.” Those are the words of Dan Voss and Bonnie Spivey in the 2005 Proceedings for the STC Summit, as they discussed the process of starting a mentor program between the STC Orlando Chapter and the University of Central Florida. The program, started in 2003, is now in its eighth year and can serve, with other community mentoring programs, as a model for other communities interested in setting up their own.
“We decided to pilot the project by establishing a personal mentoring relationship,” Voss says today of his relationship with Spivey. “We found ourselves in a four-hour marathon session over several cups of coffee at Borders. As they turned the lights out and booted us out, literally, we had generated the basic guidelines and administrative forms which remain in use in the program today.” Voss remains in the program today, too, as the manager of the program from the professional side, mentor within that program, and CAC member focusing on the student communities.
“The heart of the program,” explains Voss, “is the mentor/protégé (we use the word mentee) or expert/apprentice relationship.” He suggests this relationship is best nurtured with regular, face-to-face meetings and reinforced with phone calls and emails to follow up on items discussed during the meetings.
Patricia Cruz, manager of the program from the student side, states that “the mentor-mentee relationship is more symbiotic than one-sided,” as both the student and the professional gain from the relationship. She says of her current mentor that he “has helped me jump-start my career in technical communications. He has helped me edit resumes, improve my previously nonexistent networking skills, and increase my involvement with STC. His recommendation no doubt helped me land my first real technical writing job.”
Voss is currently mentoring Sarah Baca, who says that in addition to all the things she’s learned from him, “I think he’s gained some from our relationship as well. … I’ve been able to explain a little bit about newer technologies that he is less familiar with. I really think we’ve had a mutually beneficial relationship.” STC benefits, too, as 40 percent of mentees have gone on to join. It’s cyclical as well, as Voss reports that many former Orlando mentees later became mentors, including two who have become chapter presidents.
So how can you start a mentor program in your community? Voss gives four key ingredients for a successful program:
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An active STC geographical community whose leadership and members are interested in educational outreach
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An active student organization focusing on technical communication (most likely an STC student chapter, although there are other alternatives) whose leadership and members are interested in partnering with a professional organization
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A member of the geographical community who is passionate about the project and willing to put in some time to organize and get it off the ground
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A member of the student community who is passionate about the project and willing to put in some time to organize and get it off the ground
Voss states there’s no need for “reinventing wheels”—the Orlando Chapter stands ready to advise and assist. His first suggestion is to read the Orlando mentoring program website, at www.stc-orlando.org/education/mentor/mentor.asp. That site includes a description of how the mentoring program was conceived, implemented, and sustained; the guidelines governing the program; and many of the administrative forms they use. The Community Affairs Committee (CAC) can help any community that wishes to set up a mentoring program as well. Many other communities have mentor programs, including Wisconsin, Toronto, and France to name a few. Research their sites and speak to their leaders. Let your STC connections work for you!
Even if your community isn’t close geographically to a university with a tech comm program, that shouldn’t necessarily stop you, says Baca. “I really think our model could be modified to fit the needs of student chapters that aren’t geographically close to professional chapters. The benefits are so numerous that I think it is really important to pursue a mentorship program.” Indeed, Voss has set up a virtual, overseas mentoring program between Orlando and STC France’s partnership with University of Paris-7 (Diderot). There are many other formats the CAC is researching, so keep an eye out.
“To STC communities that would like to start a mentoring program,” enthused Cruz, “I say go for it! It’s good for the mentees, the mentors, and the technical communication community as a whole. Plus, the program can really get more young people to be excited in the field, and mentors everywhere can make this happen.”
