Description of Project
Connecting the Dots is a Feminist institute on intersectionality of rights and social change through advocacy, capacity strengthening and civic engagement. The goal is to build alliances and develop capacities across movements and socio-economic sectors; for enhanced broad-based and integral sexual rights advocacy and effective civic participation towards social change. The program hopes to achieve increased civic participation and representation to foster sustainable development. This is an initiative of the International Centre for Sexual Reproductive Rights (INCRESE) jointly supported by Dreilinden and Tides Foundation.
Role – Purpose of Mentors
Mentors will serve as advisors to the young activists who will participate in this initiative. Each mentor will have five participants under her/his wings. (S)he will act as a liaison between the five mentees and will coordinate communication and discussion between them. Mentors will support mentees to create a taskforce in order to work on a topic of their preference. Mentorship will be ongoing for the duration of the project.
Objectives
The mentorship program aims to:
- Engage experts and inspiring individuals to this nationwide initiative and use their knowledge and experience to enhance sustainable social change;
- Assist participants with further improving their knowledge, reaching their full potential and keeping them motivated and active throughout the project;
- Create national networks of young activists that are supported by established individuals.
Expectations
Mentors are expected to:
- Provide guidance and support to five core participants.
- Maintain a personal page on the Connecting the Dots website.
- Keep the five participants in communication with each other, facilitate dialogue and cross-fertilize ideas between them, while enabling an ambiance of open communication and trust between participants.
- Respond timely to requests from mentees and have at least three separate Skype/WhatsApp meetings with them.
- Participate in a coordination webinar.
- Create a personal plan for action with mentees and develop an activity timeline.
- Transmit their knowledge and experience to mentees in order to help them develop strategies for Connecting the Dots – A project envisioned and implemented by INCRESE.
- Encourage participants to have ongoing commitment to aims and goals of the projects.
- Provide feedback to the project coordinator on the process and activities of their mentees.
- Support the organization, production, and dissemination of the project’s Webinars.
- Commit to document and submit communication and ideas to the project team.
- Serve without remuneration.
- Have the right, and are also expected, to use the project, its data and findings to promote their own research, projects, or activities on the conditions explained below.
Benefits for Mentors
Being a mentor means having the opportunity to get involved in an exciting and revolutionary national project and to create a network with a group of young national activists. The individuals involved can enhance their guidance and facilitation skills and gain experience in mentoring. Mentors will benefit from having access to their respective group of mentees plus their shadow participants. They can create a task-force which will work on their agenda and take advantage of these networks to collect data, to promote ideas and implement projects.
The only conditions are:
- The above activities have to be in line with the overall vision and mission of the project.
- The Coordinator(s) of the project must be informed and approve the actions.
- The project must be acknowledged.
If you want to apply to be a mentor you must:
- Send a 2-page CV – highlighting professional experiences relevant to the project – and a page Cover Letter – illustrating your motivation to contribute to sustainable social impact through effective civic participation to increse@gmail.com. Please indicate “CtD Mentor” in the subject line of the application.
- Be able to demonstrate at least 10 years of consistent and verifiable engagement in the social movement.
- Prepare and upload a 120 sec video clip on YouTube (see the “Technical Note Specifications” attachment).
- a) The first 60 sec should focus on why a Core Participant should choose the particular individual.