Mentorship Program for Samvera Connect 2019

Goals

• Bring people together to build individual capacity and empowerment
• Increase diversity in participation, interaction and presentation at Samvera Connect
• Break down barriers to entry and provide a welcoming orientation to the Samvera community
• Strengthen the Samvera community by learning from mentees and diverse voices

Structure

The structure of the relationship between mentor and mentee can and should be defined at the outset by the parties involved. However, here are a few simple guidelines you may want to consider so that both of you can define a rewarding relationship:

• Define clear, achievable goals for what you're hoping to get out of Samvera Connect. "Learn about Samvera Architecture" or "Engage with the community" are OK, but may not be specific enough to help you succeed. "Determine what level of architecture should hold this feature or design" or "What group(s) could I contribute to, and how, given my interest and skills in linked data" would be better.
• Be explicit about your expectations. For example:
  • Set aside time each day of Samvera Connect to check in.
  • Establish a communication plan including preferred channel(s) and expected response time in advance.
• Evaluation: We would love to know what worked or didn't work for advice to future mentors and mentees. Please send feedback to steering@samvera.org. A survey will also be sent out post-Samvera Connect which will help inform future events.

Signup

Communication Channels

This is generally worked out between the mentor and the mentee.

• Instant Messenger
• Slack: http://samvera.slack.com/, Signup form
• Email
• Text/Phone

Consider signing up to edit Samvera wiki pages, subscribe to community emails, etc. at the "Get in touch!" page:

Get in touch!

Participants

Participants will be paired by the Samvera Connect Program Committee based on responses in the sign-up forms.  Mentors and Mentees will be notified of pairing approx. the week prior to Samvera Connect 2019. If you have concerns about your match-up or would like to be matched up with someone else, you can let us know.

Adapted from Code4Lib's Mentorship Program