Mentors blog post outline

content/blog/2024-09-12-mentoring-tools/index.en.md

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+---
+title: "Supporting rOpenSci Mentors with Practical Tools"
+author: 
+- Yanina Bellini Saibene
+date: "2024-09-12"
+slug: "mentoring-tools"
+editor:
+- Steffi LaZerte
+tags:
+- mentors
+- training
+- champions-program
+- community
+description: ""
+---
+
+Mentoring is at the heart of what makes rOpenSci a community. 
+Our members mentoring each other at different moments: 
+when someone new joins and needs help navigating the community; 
+when a member steps into a new role or project and could use some guidance; 
+during everyday interactions, where people share tips and advice with each other; 
+when someone shares an idea and gets constructive and friendly feedback 
+or when a more experienced member helps others grow into leadership roles. 
+Each of these moments is a chance to share what you know, build connections, and keep the community strong.
+
+Since 2022 we have our Champions Program that have a formal role of mentoring. 
+To help our Champions Program mentors do their best work, we've put together a set of resources: a training, a handbook, and a monthly charter. 
+ In this post, we'll walk you through what we've created and show how these resources can support your mentoring easier —whether you're part of rOpenSci or mentoring in another context.
+
+## Mentoring workshop
+The [Mentorship Training and Orientation](https://ropensci-training.github.io/ropensci-mentors/#learning-goals) course is a key resource in the rOpenSci Champions Program, equipping mentors with the skills and tools they need to guide their mentee. 
+
+Key learning outcomes include active listening, effective questioning, providing constructive feedback, and setting expectations for mentorship relationships. The course also provides practical resources to help mentors navigate their roles.
+
+Built on materials from open initiatives like Mozilla Open Leaders and The Carpentries Instructor Training, this training embodies a collaborative and inclusive approach to mentorship. All materials are openly licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0, ensuring they can be freely reused and adapted.  The course includes slides, collaborative note-taking templates, exercises, and instructor notes for instructors who want to use the material to teach. 
+## Mentor Handbook and Guidelines
+We wrote the rOpenSci Mentor Handbook to provide a comprehensive framework to mentors with tools and insights to navigate their roles effectively. It begins with an overview of mentors' responsibilities, emphasizing their role in inspiring and advising mentees while connecting them to valuable resources, networks, and experiences.  The "Mentors Tools" section offers practical guidance on essential resources, including program infrastructure, tools for effective meetings, collaborative note-taking systems, scheduling aids, and a Code of Conduct. In "Mentorship Meetings," the handbook emphasizes the importance of setting an agenda for the meetings, note-taking, setting an appropriate meeting frequency, and maintaining structured tracking to ensure accountability and progress.  It provides templates for all these items. 
+The "Mentorship Skills" section is ment as a reminder of the core competencies mention in the mentors' training,  like active listening, effective questioning, and giving constructive feedback. Additionally, details the GROW model, a goal-setting framework that helps mentors and mentees define clear objectives and actionable plans. 
+We developed it as a living document, and we are always grateful for feedback and updates to ensure it remains a valuable resource for our mentors and the community
+## Monthly charter
+A monthly charter is a document that outlines the action items for a specific month within the Champions Program. It is particularly useful for our structured program because it helps mentors, mentees, and program management stay focused and organized while tracking progress in a manageable, time-bound way.
+## Summary
+
+These tools are designed with rOpenSci Champions Program mentors in mind, but we hope they're also useful for anyone in a mentoring role. 
+We would love to hear if you know of other useful resources for mentors.