Guide for Lampe Foundation Mentors

Introduction

Each year, the Lampe Foundation supports education by awarding heritage scholarships to local high school students and designated awards in various levels and fields of study. These areas include vocational training, health care and leadership from the vocational levels to the post secondary level. We welcome your participation as a mentor, a person who can provide advice, encouragement, and guidance to the specific award winner. The purpose of this Guide, in conjunction with The Guide for Lampe Foundation Award Winners is to provide information on achieving a successful and productive partnership. Both guides plus the listings of scholarships and their requirements are accessible by consulting the top bar of the homepage of www.lampefoundation.org.

The purpose and benefits of being a mentor

We define mentoring as a partnership. Each partner has a role and both need jointly to invest in the relationship in order to get the most from it. For the mentor the relationship provides the meaningful opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences with a person who wishes to benefit from this exchange. It also provides the opportunity to acquaint yourself with upcoming talent and learn from them.

Steps in the Mentoring Relationship

The person will be approached by a member of the Mentoring Committee to become a mentor to a specific Award Winner (mentee).
The mentor will be notified that the mentee has been sent his/her contact information.
When the mentor is contacted, the mutually preferred means and place of contact will be established.
The mentee should provide some background knowledge and career goals (if they have them).
Since each relationship has its own rhythm, participants should discuss and establish their own frequency of meetings or communicating. It is suggested that intervals between contacts should be no more than six weeks.
Mentees may use the suggested questions listed in the Award Winner’s Guide as a basis for your initial discussions. Broad topics include:
• Career path and training
• Current position and responsibilities
• Working conditions and goals
• Recommendations
All discussions will be confidential.
The relationship between you and your mentee will depend on your own situation. Some Lampe mentoring relationships have lasted six months while others have lasted years.
When the usefulness of the mentoring relationship has reached its end please advise a member of the Mentoring Committee.
Do not hesitate to contact members of the Committee with any feedback, questions or concerns.

The Committee members appreciate your participation in this important educational experience and would value receiving any comments on how we could improve the procedure.

Wendy Durrant
Esther Barnett
Joanne Craig
Carol Mooney

Last update 08.02.2017