Mentor with us
Our mentoring scheme
The Agents of Change mentoring scheme is open to participants on the Agents of Change Women's Community Leadership Programme. It is designed to align with the Programme, and aims to build on the knowledge and skills the participants will gain through the sessions.
Our mentor pool is made up of women (and some men) from various backgrounds, with diverse industry knowledge and experience.
Before being matched with a mentee, potential mentors will be asked to complete an application form to identify areas of interest, expertise and knowledge as well as their mentee preferences and what they hope to achieve from the mentoring relationship.
The mentoring relationship
The Agents of Change mentoring role is a combination of helping the mentee with problem solving, building confidence, helping the mentee to identify new opportunities, providing encouragement, and most importantly, listening. The mentoring relationship entails establishing a partnership of mutual respect based on working together with the mentee to define and achieve common objectives.
It is important to understand that the Agents of Change mentoring relationship is a learning process for both mentors and mentees. Whilst some mentors might have had prior experience with mentoring, those who have not are still equally as valuable and bring their own unique experiences to the mentoring relationship. Both mentors and mentees all come from different cultural, professional and economic backgrounds, with experiences widely varying.
Benefits for mentors
Mentoring can be deeply satisfying and provides an opportunity to develop your skills, widen horizons, be of service, and connect with someone often very different from yourself.
New perspectives
Keeping in touch with the realities and challenges facing an individual's development
Development of interpersonal skills
Personal satisfaction
"As a mentor for Agents of Change, I value being able to help women discover and bring out the best of themselves and seeing their positive transformation throughout their learning journey. It has been a very rewarding experience."
Mentor, 2018
"The mentoring scheme has been good fun. Working with someone who comes from outside my industry has been insightful - and I think I've learnt quite a bit about the motivations, returns and challenges of working in the third sector!."
Mentor, 2018
Matchmaking
If we are able to successfully match you with a mentee, you will be required to have an informal telephone chat with a member of our team.
You will then be introduced to your mentee via email, and you will be responsible for setting up an introductory meeting where you will identify mutual expectations and objectives upfront.
Can you commit?
Our mentors and mentees are required to commit to at least four sessions (with a maximum of six) with a duration of up to 1 hour per session. We strongly recommend that sessions take place monthly to maintain a good relationship.
Before you apply, please ask yourself whether you can commit.
"I'd encourage anyone to become an Agents of Change mentor, to inspire and empower the next generation of women leaders, making a positive impact to their local communities."
Mentor, 2018
How to apply
If you would like to apply to be an Agents of Change mentor in 2021/2022, please complete the online application form here, or download a paper form and email it to: agentsofchange@imperial.ac.uk