Oregon 4-H Mentoring Program

Transcription

1 First Two Weeks on the Job Oregon 4-H Mentoring Program Check List for Mentors: Months One - Three Getting Started Call the mentee within the first 1-3 days of starting, and introduce yourself as the mentor. Explain the basic outline of the mentoring program for the first year (see Mentor Manual). If at all possible schedule an in-person meeting with the mentee within the first two weeks of the mentee s start date. If meeting in person is not possible, set a videoconference (e.g. Polycom or Zoom) meeting to go over the following items during the first two weeks. If you are meeting via distance, you might consider a two weekly meetings to get started. Organizational Management Help mentee develop a communication protocol with office staff regarding what should be said to callers or clients when the mentee is out of the office. Help mentee to develop strategies for supporting a culture for work life balance with office staff. Go over the agent role for working with volunteers, associations, committees, etc. Help develop a calendar of professional and programmatic priorities. Encourage mentees to understand the importance of building positive Interoffice relationships with RA,CL, other agents and office staff (e. g. remember and acknowledge birthdays, work anniversaries, other special days). Professional Development Review aspects of professionalism business cards, signature, professionalism on , name tag, thank you note stash, computer, how to be professional (dress, mannerisms, communication, office space, etc). Ask mentee if the following have been covered by the RA or County Staff. Go over each item, and encourage mentee to go over the same with his or RA as well. Review of the position description, particularly the mentee's allocation of time to different areas. Provide insight into what each area means, and brainstorm ideas for doing all areas well. Planning, Evaluation and Reporting Walk mentee through important websites: State 4-H website, Extension Service Website, EVALS, Digital Measures. Oregon 4-H Mentoring Checklist Version 1.0, May 1,

2 Ask mentee if the following have been covered by the RA or County Staff. Go over each item, and encourage mentee to go over the same with his or RA as well. How to keep track of what needs to be reported and when. Go over the supervision structure of RA/County Leader/Program Leader and who to turn to for what things. Help mentee determine the multiple persons to whom she or he will report (e.g., County Commissioners) State (e.g., Program Leader, Regional Administrators) and Grantors. Program Management Go over protocol and policies for contracts and requirements for signing them. Assist mentee in creating a list of who to contact in case of an emergency in the program. Go over the 4-H policy manual- where to find it, and what is in it. Encourage mentee to create a calendar for all statewide events and county events, major community events, and local sports. Partners and Networking Encourage mentee to become engaged in the community: share information about 4-H, attend community meetings, join local service groups, develop partnerships. Help mentee develop a system for keeping track of people and agencies in the community. Explain the importance of building and maintaining trust/relationships (volunteers, partners, colleagues, etc). Encourage mentee to establish contact with neighboring counties faculty and office support staff and assist in facilitating meeting if possible. Statewide Program Participation Emphasize the importance of attending 4-H monthly meet-ups and county staff meetings to receive important ongoing communication and information. Emphasize the importance of paying attention to communication from the state 4-H office, even if they do not think it is important at the time. This will help the mentee stay connected and aware of upcoming opportunities. 2 [Type the document title]

3 First Month on the Job Organizational Management Go over the role of RA s and how to determine encourage mentee to be clear about performance expectations and the annual review process. Assist mentee in establishing goals using EvalS. Help mentees become familiar with the roles of volunteers, associations, committees, etc. and check in to how things are moving forward in these relationships. Help mentees identify and locate the resources and budgets that they have available (travel, supplies, etc). Encourage mentee to work with support staff to develop ways to work together, share expertise and work together most efficiently. Emphasize the importance of getting to know other office staff/faculty/ra, and to communicate and share mutual expectations for working together. Encourage mentee to become familiar with state and county 4-H websites. Professional Development Encourage mentee to become members of OSUEA, OSUEA4-HA, and NAE4-HA, and emphasize the importance of connecting with these professional organizations. Make sure mentee has dates of OSUEA, 4-H and NAE4-HA conferences on their calendar. Explain what these conferences are for and why they should attend. Encourage and assist mentee in joining professional development organizations (OSUEA, OSUEA4- HA, others). Program Evaluation and Reporting Go over the process for peer evaluations, locate the form, and explain the requirement for three client evaluations and one peer evaluations each year. Help mentee to set short term and long term goals and continually reassess. Program Management Encourage mentee to work with advisory councils to determine needs and priorities. Help mentee identify multi-county and/or regional events in which the county participates. Encourage mentee to clarify roles and expectations with the collaborating partners and help recruit participants. Encourage mentee to work with neighboring counties to identify opportunities for joint programs and collaboration- rather than duplicating. Oregon 4-H Mentoring Checklist Version 1.0, May 1,

4 Partners and Networking Encourage mentees to learn who their community partners and key volunteers are in the county are and to set up interviews to meet them. Go over state list of state staff, their positions, and what they do, areas of responsibility, and who to contact for what things (may just be a quick review if mentee has already had campus visit). Encourage mentee to build relationships with state 4-H staff and to see the state staff as partners to support local county work. Ensure that campus visit with state staff has been conducted or is scheduled. Statewide Program Participation Share the expectation of, and the importance of attending the spring 4-H/FCH joint conference for networking, training, planning, recognition, and professional development. Volunteer Management Go over policies for volunteer screening (e.g., how many references, what forms to use, criminal history background checks, etc.) Go over resources available for volunteer development and management Encourage mentees to connect with county staff/ra s (in neighboring counties if necessary) who can share helpful information regarding potential key issues and areas of concern related to volunteers in the county. Encourage mentees to be strategic about meetings that they organize and attend (e.g., attend meetings with hot spots, they don t need to attend every meeting of a project that is running smoothly, etc.). Encourage mentees to be engaged and resolution-focused with difficult volunteer situations. Provide strategies for addressing any current concerns. Provide guidance for delegating tasks and empowering volunteers. Provide guidance for conducting volunteer exit interviews. Work-Life Balance Encourage mentees to use their cell phone as a tool, not a leash (e. g. turning off settings on weekends/days off, using out of office messages, etc.). Encourage mentee to find something they love to do that is not work related passions. Encourage mentees to set aside time each day for physical activity walking meetings, walk break, exercise appointments. Help mentee set boundaries with staff and volunteers about time off. Help mentee determine methods to release guilt for creating a healthy work-life balance. Encourage mentees to leave the office to enjoy lunch once a week. Encourage mentees to make a date with spouse, significant other, or friend regularly. Encourage mentees to find a 24 hour period, once a week, in which they do no job-related work. 4 [Type the document title]

5 Explores ideas for creating a good time management system First Two to Three Months Access, Equity and Inclusion Encourage mentee to identify existing organizations related to inclusivity in their county and what they do (provide ideas). Encourage mentee to meet with key organizations in your county and build a relationship (provide ideas). Fund Development Encourage mentee to meet with 4-H Foundation staff for an orientation to basic fund development and management. Organizational Management Go over the multiple list-serves and when to use which list. Take care to explain the different campus lists that the mentee may be on (e. g. college, department, etc.) Encourage mentee to communicate with RA about new opportunities and travel/time support that is needed. Encourage mentee to receive training on using Outlook tasks, share, events, multiple calendars, use of private, contacts to record specific areas of expertise and contact info, etc. Encourage mentees to work with office staff to determine how much time is needed to process things (getting a check, meeting deadlines, etc). Professional Development Help mentee input vita into Digital Measures and encourage them to keep it updated Assist mentee in developing a CV (Curriculum Vita). Especially for those in PoP or Tenure Track positions. Work with mentee to develop a calendar and plan for professional development Program Evaluation and Reporting Encourage mentee to visit with RA about their process for measuring success. Clarify expectations for program evaluation for their position. Encourage mentee to participate in the 4-H program evaluation learning circle, either live, or by viewing the archived versions. Determine a reasonable scope for beginning evaluation, and strategies plan for ramping up evaluations. Encourage mentee to develop a system for tracking two or three most significant goals for the year. Remind Mentee that more is not necessarily better. Be a positive ambassador for program evaluation. Oregon 4-H Mentoring Checklist Version 1.0, May 1,

6 Program Management Go over required reporting for accidents and where to go to find appropriate documents. Go over policies for required paperwork (e. g. health forms). Go over the on-line registration system for state and regional events (e. g. summer conference). Encourage mentee to have a weekly/monthly information share could be newsletter, blast, etc. Create a timeline for annual needs (e.g. when to hire fair judges). Encourage mentee to check with volunteers, staff, members, and community to schedule events and determine what is needed. When and where are they held? ( e. g. new leader training, record book trainings, livestock weigh-ins). Go over current schedule of meetings and events with mentee. Provide encouragement to cut back, or do things differently it the schedule is overloaded. Encourage mentee to incorporate training into advisory meetings leader training, volunteer training, record book and other skill training. Encourage mentee to leave some time unplanned for unforeseen opportunities. Share that just because a colleague asks doesn t mean you have to say YES. Encourage mentee to be strategic and find what is most beneficial professionally and what things most benefit the county program. Go over county 4-H Association structures and related policies. Go over guidelines for club accounts and reporting. Partners and Networking Encourage mentee to be engaged with others through meetings and conferences to help build professional network. Statewide Program Participation Review state and regional events understanding the events (why they are important to youth), who should attend, registration process, timelines, and how to promote and recruit members. Encourage mentee to attending trainings (e. g. animal science, shooting sports, global citizenship) based on needs of program. Share the expectation that first year faculty/staff should be focused on building county relationships, volunteer rapport and program management rather than on state service. Volunteer Management Encourage the mentee to educate volunteers about the breadth and depth of their position - FTE, position description, etc. Share tools for conflict resolution/mediation (e.g., training for staff, workshop to be offered every other year so more staff have access to experience it/skills can stay honed). Discuss volunteer responsibilities vs staff responsibilities. 6 [Type the document title]

7 Help mentee create standard policy PowerPoint slides that can be inserted into county presentations (e.g., Positive Youth Development, Youth Protection, Risk Management, etc.). Work-Life Balance Encourage mentee to work on quality programming and impact, not necessarily growth in numbers, especially at first. Encourage mentees to manage events. More is not necessarily better create balance-spread events out. Share the importance of, and examples for, delegating responsibilities, empowering and allowing volunteers and staff to do their work Provide guidance on how to say NO and who to whom mentees can say no. Encourage mentee to find (and pursue) an interest not related to work. Encourage mentee to make non-work related friends. Help mentee envisage and define what work life balance looks like for them. Encourage mentee to build support systems for balancing work and life. Oregon 4-H Mentoring Checklist Version 1.0, May 1,