Mentorship is an integral part of Toastmasters, with benefits that reach far beyond the club meeting. The Pathways Mentor Program is designed to help you build and reinforce the skills needed to provide a positive mentoring experience for protégés. The program is comprised of three projects that must be completed sequentially. The projects cover a range of topics from understanding your role as a mentor through a comprehensive assignment that includes a mentoring commitment lasting six months.
Congratulations! You have elected to complete the Pathways Mentor Program. This learning is composed of three mentoring projects in addition to the “Introduction to Toastmasters Mentoring” project you completed at Level 2. You will find them as a separate curriculum on your transcript.
The mentor projects cover a wide range of topics from understanding your role as a mentor and assessing your readiness through a comprehensive assignment that includes a six-month mentoring commitment. To be designated a Pathways Mentor, you must be a member in good standing for six months, and complete one entire path in Pathways as well as the Pathways Mentor Program.
Important information to know before you begin:
■ Notify your vice president education (VPE) as soon as you have requested the Pathways Mentor Program.
■ Your VPE is responsible for assigning you an in-club protégé when you reach the “Mentoring” project and will need time to identify an appropriate member.
■ Remember, your protégé does not need to be a member who is new to your club or younger than you. You may be the perfect mentor for a veteran club member who is looking for help with a skill you possess.
■ Part of your work will be to honestly evaluate your readiness to mentor.
■ The resources in the first project, “Prepare to Mentor,” are designed to help you clarify your goals and expectations. When you have completed the project and are comfortable acting as mentor to a fellow club member, submit a project completion form to your VPE indicating you have completed the assignment.
■ Mentoring benefits the protégé and the mentor.
■ As you guide you also learn. One of the most important distinctions in the Pathways Mentor Program is the difference between coaching and mentoring.
■ Remember, a mentor is a guide who helps each protégé find their own way. Though there may be opportunities to coach, or give specific instruction, your most important job is to listen to your protégé, guide them to information and provide the support they need to reach their goals.
■ You may choose to work with protégés outside of Toastmasters.
■ When you reach the “Advanced Mentoring” project, you are welcome to choose a protégé outside your club.
■ Feedback is still required for both the protégé and the mentor during the six-month mentoring assignment.
■ Take advantage of the record-keeping and communication resources to give and receive feedback and to help manage your time.