BIG Mentoring Pilot scheme - Mentee expression of interest

OVERVIEW

BIG is a membership group that works to enable skills-sharing for the benefit of its Members. Back in 2019, some Members expressed interest in a Mentoring Scheme and it was recognised that BIG Members would benefit from the mentoring process both as mentors and as mentees. The purpose of this Pilot project is to test the feasibility of a BIG Mentoring Scheme. The Pilot will run over the course of 6 months and will be evaluated at the end of 2021. 

The Pilot will be a mix of peer-peer mentoring and senior-junior mentoring. Peer-peer will enable participants to feel at ease and be able to share their own knowledge while at the same time gaining insight from a peer. However, we recognise that at some point, the peer-peer groups might need someone with more experience to remove blockages identified by the peer-peer group. A more senior/experienced mentor can then guide the peer-peer group. 

MENTEE SIGN UP

This form will enable BIG Members to express their interest in becoming a Mentee in the Pilot. There is limited space available and the sign up form is on a first-come-first-served basis. 

By completing this form, you are expressing interest in: 

1. being mentored by a more senior/experienced volunteer Mentor; 
2. being assigned a peer and participating in peer-peer mentoring; 
3. meeting approximately 6 times with your peer-peer group and meeting approximately 3 times with you Mentor over the next 6 months, and 
4. offering feedback/taking part in the evaluation of this Mentoring Pilot scheme. 

CHOOSING A MENTOR

Mentors have been anonymised to avoid bias during the sign up process. Each Mentor has listed the skills they are offering to mentor people in and these are listed below. Mentors have been assigned a letter (A to G) and you will need to know the letter of your preferred Mentor to successfully complete your sign up. 

Mentor A - SOLD OUT (not actually sold out, but they have reached Mentee capacity and you can no longer choose this mentor, sorry)

• Managing teams
• Strategy development and delivery
• Navigating the UK Sci-Comm landscape
• Schools

Mentor B - SOLD OUT (not actually sold out, but they have reached Mentee capacity and you can no longer choose this mentor, sorry)

• Creative thinking in STEM engagement
• Community engagement projects
• Science festivals
• Nurturing curiosity with schools and youth groups

Mentor C - SOLD OUT (not actually sold out, but they have reached Mentee capacity and you can no longer choose this mentor, sorry)

• Working with, developing and presenting demonstrations
• Working as a freelancer
• General presenting (including TV and radio)
• Writing an effective science show

Mentor D - SOLD OUT (not actually sold out, but they have reached Mentee capacity and you can no longer choose this mentor, sorry)

• Training and professional development
• Evaluation
• Leadership
• Culture change / senior influencing

Mentor E (spaces running out)

• Universities: working in/engaging with them/academics
• REF and impact
• Project and event management
• Engaging with audiences/the public/stakeholders

Mentor F

• Universities: working in/engaging with them/academics
• Communication, especially in unfamiliar subjects
• Identifying and learning new skills
• Career changes and adapting to them

Mentor G

• Strategic approaches to public engagement
• Creative development of engagement ideas
• Presentation skills for small or large audiences
• Script development and filmmaking for beginners