MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME
MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME FOR THE DEVELOPMENT
OF YOUTH WORKER’S DIGITAL COMPETENCES
OBJECTIVES:
DURATION:
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To develop the digital competences of youth workers.
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To provide a structured and supportive learning environment for youth workers to acquire new digital skills.
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To enhance the ability of youth workers to use digital tools and technologies effectively in their work with young people.
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6 months (If the mentors are getting financial compensation)
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3 months (If mentors are volunteers)
SKILLS
KNOWLEDGE
ATTITUDE AND
VALUES
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Analytical & Critical thinking skills
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Skills of listening & observing
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Empathy
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Cooperation skills
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Flexibility & Adaptability
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Problem-solving, Risk/conflict prevention, and Management
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Communication skills
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Self-development and self-assessment
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Digital content creation
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Information and data literacy, Management
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Media and information literacy, Media making, Storytelling
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Learning to learn, Peer-to-peer approach
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Learning from others
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Civic-mindedness
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Freedom of speech and its limits, Hate-speech
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Openness to different cultures, ideas, views & practices
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Respect
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
1. Internal assessment and preparation:
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Before recruiting mentors, it is important to have a clear understanding of the
role they will play in the programme. Define the responsibilities, expectations,
and time commitment required for mentors. -
Create a profile that outlines the ideal mentor candidate. Consider the skills,
experience, and personal qualities that would make a good mentor for the
programme.
2. Application and selection:
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Interested youth workers will be invited to apply for the mentorship
programme. Potential mentors should be reached out through various
channels, such as social media, email, or simply in person. Applications of
potential mentees and resumes of potential mentors will be reviewed in order
to ensure they meet the criteria. -
Applicants will be assessed based on their experience, skills, and motivation to
develop their digital competences. Conduct online or in-person interviews to
assess their fit for the program. -
The number of participants depends on capacity of the organisation. It is
recommeded to have a maximum of 15 participants.
3. Mentor-Mentee Matching:
Each participant (mentee) will be matched with a mentor who has expertise in the
digital field and can provide guidance and support throughout the programme. This
could also happen through online matching where mentors and potential mentees
have their profiles on an online platform (e.g. can be just secured Google Drive). In this
way, they will have time to check the profiles (even have online calls) and then submit
form where they indicate with whom they would like to pair (1st, 2nd, and 3rd
preference). Then the organisers will check the responses and make final pairs on basis
of preference matching (e.g. those who indicated each other as a first preference are
matched in the first place).
In case we have a few mentors, they will have the option to have more than one mentee.
Uniting mentees, making them help and support each other, and making them
engaged in solving issues not only for themselves but for others as well can be beneficial
for all involved mentees.
4. Induction and orientation:
At the beginning of the programme, all participants will attend an induction and
orientation session, which will cover the following:
Joint session for all mentors/mentees
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Overview of the mentorship programme and its objectives.
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Introduction to the mentorship process and expectations.
One-on-one session
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Identification of individual learning needs and goals.
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Agreement on the frequency and mode of communication between the mentor and mentee.
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Review of the programme schedule and milestones.
5. Learning sessions:
The programme will consist of a series of learning sessions designed to provide
participants with new digital skills, knowledge, and abilities.
*To view them in more details you can download the PDF file
6. Mentoring sessions:
Participants will have regular one-on-one sessions or group mentoring sessions (depending on how many mentees each mentor has), where they will discuss their progress, challenges, and learning needs. Mentors will provide feedback and guidance to help participants develop their digital competences and apply them in their work with young people.
7. Assignments:
Participants will get regular assignments from their mentors which they would work on individually or in groups. These assignments would cover all topics of the programme and typically include research or production of media materials.
8. Peer learning:
Participants will have opportunities to share their learning and experiences with each other, through in-person activities such as team-building events, workshops, etc., which will be organised by the organisation that hosts the mentorship programme, or through online forums and peer learning sessions.
9. Peer learning:
Participants will undertake a digital youth work project as part of the programme, which will enable them to apply their learning in a practical setting. The project will be designed to meet the needs of young people they work with and address a specific digital challenge. For example:
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Creating inclusive digital events for my community
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Transforming my knowledge in the field of youth work to the digital environment (which would be focused on their strengths)
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Promoting my digital youth work for a broader audience
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Using media in youth work to make it more inclusive, interactive, and appealing
10. Final review and evaluation:
At the end of the programme, participants will attend a final review and evaluation session
with their mentors to reflect on their learning, achievements, and challenges. They will
also receive feedback on their digital projects and recommendations for further
development. The mentors will also evaluate their own learning outcomes, they will review
the goals that were set for the mentorship programme and assess whether they were
achieved or not. This will help them identify areas of strength and areas that need
improvement. Also, they will reflect on their personal experiences during the mentorship
programme and evaluate their effectiveness in providing guidance and support to their
mentees.