The Alliance’s Advocate Mentorship Program is a unique opportunity for bicycle and pedestrian advocates to share strategies, approaches, resources and experiences on an ongoing basis. We believe this program will improve the effectiveness of new advocates and strengthen connections within our grassroots network.
How The Program Works
The purpose of the Advocate Mentorship Program is to pair new or emerging bicycle and pedestrian advocates who seek guidance on one or multiple aspects of their work with more experienced active transportation advocates. The commitment is small but the returns could be huge for the confidence and strength of the bicycling and walking movement.
This 6-month program is offered twice each year, in the winter and the fall. Participants will have the opportunity to continue the program past 6 months or to exit earlier.
Goals of the Program
The goals of the Alliance’s Mentorship Program are to:
- Build relationships between leaders of Alliance member organizations
- Assist advocates who are new to the movement, feeling alone, marginalized or challenged by expanding their support network
- Energize experienced leaders with the opportunity to share the knowledge they’ve gained from their advocacy efforts
- Connect young or new advocates with tools and support to cultivate the next generation of leaders in the movement
We hope that by providing this resource, advocates new to the movement will:
- Find solidarity and support
- Learn best practices and avoid common pitfalls
- Develop strategies to maximize the impact of their campaigns and organizations
Similarly, we expect the program will aid our mentors by:
- Providing them with opportunities to use the knowledge they've gained from their own grassroots efforts
- Enhancing their skills
- Reenergizing them
Program Expectations
The ideal Mentor is a good listener and strategist, has valuable knowledge and teaching capacity, can serve as a good role model, and both affirms and challenges the mentee. The Mentor is also accessible and committed to the success of the relationship.
Mentees participating in this program should take initiative in identifying learning objectives, be open to feedback, and be willing to develop new competencies.
The following are expectations we would have of all program participants:
- Review the pre-program resources
- Talk with your partner at least once a month for six months
- Check in with the Program Coordinator at least once during this time
- Participate in an evaluation of the program at the end of the mentoring period
How to Participate
The next round of this 6-month program will run from September 2014 through February 2015. If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
