Mentorship has been one of the highly appreciated key elements of the Fellowship Program in the past years. It not only allows Mentors to share knowledge and experience with the Fellows, but good mentoring will benefit the sustainability of the APrIGF community by engaging new and passionate members in the long term.
Mentoring could enlighten and inspire ones to be continuously involved in the dialogue regarding the Internet governance sphere in the Asia Pacific region and their local communities. Successful mentoring can be a rewarding experience to see your mentees grow and become outstanding individuals, making significant contributions to the community. It is truly a legacy reward which you will enjoy over the years of your journey in Internet governance.
Under this Mentoring Program, each buddy group will consist of 1 Mentor and 3-5 Fellows. Ideally, we encourage most Mentors to attend APrIGF in person as the Fellows are expected to travel to Singapore as well.
Mentors should be part of or be highly familiar with the Internet Governance Community. Mentors are required to commit to regular time blocks both of their own scheduling and within the Fellowship Committee Schedule to work with their assigned Fellows both 1:1 and in peer groupings:
- leading up to APrIGF,
- during the Conference, and
- in a wrap-up and feedback for the program.
Mentors will also be able to act as their own peer group supporting each other and having access to specific support from an experienced mentoring and peer support facilitator.
Previous experience in Mentoring Programs is a benefit and advantage, and recommendations for known high quality Mentors will be appreciated. It is essential that Mentors also are able to fully understand and commit to the objectives of the 2022 Fellowship Program.
As outlined in the more detailed ‘Guideline for Mentors’ documentation; “It is not expected for the mentors to be subject matter experts. However, these volunteers should have a clear understanding of the APrIGF process (have attended at least two of the past 10 APrIGF events), and a sufficient level of experience in Internet governance (IG) related issues, preferably with the issues in the Asia Pacific region.”
Expected Activities
- Mentors should attend the specifically designed orientation session to learn the requirements and be prepared for the role.
- Mentors are expected to work closely with the Fellowship Committee (FC), to make sure the program runs smoothly according to plan. They may be invited to FC meetings to report the fellows’ progress and discuss any issues that arise during the program.
- Buddy groups should be formed after the mentors and fellows have acquainted with each other, through profile matching and communications.
- Mentors should identify their Mentees’ strengths, weaknesses and interests, and help them find the activity which best suits their interest and personality. Activities include (but not limited to):
– Becoming a speaker in a session of their interest, contributing to the discussion.
– Organizing fellows’ own session on a selected topic, led by their mentors.
– Doing a presentation as a rapporteur in the summary session. - Weekly online meetings (e.g. Zoom or Skype) are supposed to be organized for mentors and fellows, or individual buddy groups. Mentors can suggest topics to be discussed at the meetings and encourage fellows to think and express their views on IG issues.
- Direct communication channels (instant messaging) are expected to be created within each buddy group, to share IG issues and discussions, to update on any progress and to immediately inform any APrIGF program news and updates.
Upon completion of the event, Mentors will receive an official Certificate of Appreciation.
For the duration of the program, both mentors and participating fellows should adhere to the MSG Operating Principles, Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct.