Introduction to the mentorship program

Youth Connect’s mentorship program is organized by the Social Entrepreneurship Incubation team and connects ongoing social initiatives, or students who wish to launch a new initiative, with experienced social entrepreneurs. Our team of mentors comprises a group of passionate, international social entrepreneurs who wish to inspire and guide youth initiatives. The goal of the mentorship program is to strengthen the impact of ongoing social initiatives, or to successfully convert an idea into reality. The mentorship period will last for a minimum of 4 to 6 months and require mentors and their associated social initiatives to connect fortnightly, at a minimum, to ensure the program can be an enriching and fruitful experience. 

Information for social initiatives/students wanting to register for the program: 

  • Your initiative/you will be assigned 1 dedicated mentor who will be consulted on a fortnightly basis to get assistance in developing your initiative. 
  • You will gain access to the network of Youth Connect Members. This includes access to our mailing list to promote your activities and recruit volunteers for your initiative.
  • You and your initiative will be recognized in our magazine and/or newsletter. This would be an opportunity for you to amplify your work at the international level, while also creating a call to action to enable more dedicated and like-minded volunteers to join your venture. 
  • Your initiative will be featured and promoted on Youth Connect’s social media platforms.
  • Your initiative may get access to occasional support for funding on a case-by-case basis.
  • You will have the opportunity to participate in our biannual/annual youth conference and be considered for our annual “Youth Changemaker” awards.

 

After joining Youth Connect we would require you and your initiative to: 

  • Formally recognize Youth Connect as an affiliate partner by featuring our logo on your posts, or mentioning our partnership. 
  • Since Youth Connect is an international foundation this provides legitimacy and a sense of reliability to those interested in joining your initiative.
  • Offer your mentor a place in your initiative either in the capacity of an advisor/co-founder/core team member. 
  • This recognition would allow your mentor to be personally invested in your project and not only give you advice on how to implement it better, but also contribute to it.
  • Cross-promote: whenever Youth Connect shares posts about our affiliation with your initiative and shares about the work that you are doing, we would require your initiative to feature those posts as well as introduce Youth Connect on your social media platforms. 

 

Information for social entrepreneurs wanting to register as mentors for the program: 

  • You will have the responsibility to mentor 1 youth social initiative either at its outset, or one that is in need of assistance, for a minimum of 4-6 months. 
  • You will be expected to conduct fortnightly meetings with the leaders of the initiative to assist them and gauge their progress.
  • A monthly meeting will be held with all the mentors, for which attendance is necessary. This meeting will not last more than 1.5 hours. 
  • At the end of your mentorship period, you are required to prepare and submit a brief report on the goals achieved and your involvement. 
  • You will be officially appointed as either an advisor, co-founder, or core team member of the social initiative you are working with.