AWIS DC Mentoring Circles Program
“…having a feeling of solidarity would be better than trying all this on my own.”
A Mentoring Circle is a group of participants that meets for the purpose of discussing careers and professional development topics. Participants simultaneously act both as mentors and mentees as they exchange experiences, challenges, opportunities, and advice for the purpose of enhancing self-confidence, communication skills, leadership practices, and commitment to one’s career.
The Mentoring Circle program will be a bit different in 2021; these changes are based on the input from chapter members, and we hope they will better meet the chapter’s needs.
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- Mentoring circles: We still hope that you will find and maintain mentoring relationships, but we won’t be placing you into small groups or circles this year. Instead, all participants will be considered part of the same large circle. From that large circle, each participant will be responsible for identifying, establishing, and maintaining their own mentoring relationships as they deem appropriate.
- Monthly meetings: To assist you in identifying your own mentors and mentees, we will organize monthly events to host speakers, moderate discussions, or facilitate networking. A tentative schedule is included below; we expect to cover topics such as how to network virtually, leadership and inclusion, navigating challenges, career planning, and more. These events will be virtual until the public health situation allows the option of in-person events.
- Low commitment for participants: Participants will not be asked to commit to attending a minimum number of meetings; they will decide how many to attend. This program is free for members of AWIS, however individual events may include a small fee to compensate the speaker. You can find information about AWIS DC membership here.
- Slack: Another way we plan to foster a community for those in our chapter who are hoping to find or serve as a mentor is through a new Slack channel. Current AWIS DC chapter members should have received an invitation by email. If you are a current member and would like an invitation to join the conversation on Slack, please email awisdc@gmail.com.
We will also continue to make use of the awisdcforum@googlegroups.com, if you would prefer to share resources on that listserv.