The mentee is invited to attend mentorvention circles, which include at least one mentor and a minimum of 2 and up to 5 foreign-born women.
This second phase of the programme includes the creation of Mentorvention Circles. This will provide groups of up to 5 mentees with a learning-to-learn “scaffolding”, which can be built up and taken down, depending on the needs of the mentees.
Discussions and processes in the circle will lead to sharing and reflecting on each mentee’s wishes in regard to achievement, where they come from, and what their overall goals will be for the program.
This stage takes the mentees through a series of activities that focus on strengthening their ability to set and plan out their goals, with an emphasis on developing self-directed learning. The Mentorventions consist of a series of sessions where the mentees and the UPSIM mentor meet up to work on developing self-awareness, structuring their mentees’ learning and ability to learn more about themselves, their plans for the future, and how they intend to get there.
This phase will help the mentees develop the following:
- Reflect on and evaluate
- past experiences
- own strengths
- own limitations
- own motivations
- own interests
- own aspirations
- Develop long-term learning goals
- Locate meaningful learning targets
- Identify effective strategies
- Plan out steps
- Taking responsibility for own learning
- Finding driving questions
- Shaping opportunities
- Seeking input from others
