MODULE I

Social mentoring on lifestyle self-employment as a new non-formal learning pathway

 

The aim of Module I is:

To introduce for youth workers the social mentoring on lifestyle self-employment as a new non-formal learning path way in order to encourage, promote, and support mentees’ personal and professional development towards starting their own business.

Main objectives of the Module I are:
  • to define the concepts of mentoring on lifestyle self-employment: Why social mentoring is innovative and valuable non-formal learning pathway for lifestyle self-employment for young people with fewer opportunities, including NEETs;
  • to define the main roles and tasks of mentee and mentor in social mentoring on lifestyle self-employment;
  • to explain explicitly the main roles and tasks of a mentor in the social mentoring on lifestyle self-employment;
  • to explain the benefits and challenges of mentoring on lifestyle self-employment;
  • to define the main steps of a social mentoring on LSE process;
  • to define the ways on how to ensure an effective social mentoring on LSE;
  • to introduce methods on how to select mentors and to match them with young people-mentees;
  • to explain how to ensure the desired quality standards of social mentoring on lifestyle self-employment;
  • to introduce how to organize initial, mid-term and final sessions of social mentoring on lifestyle self-employment;
  • to define the aims of monitoring of quality of social mentoring on lifestyle self-employment;
  • to define the ethical and professional codes for both youth-workers mentors and young mentees;
  • to introduce the managing tools for the social mentoring on lifestyle self-employment.
Learning outcomes of the Module I

By the end of Module I the participant (youth-worker) will:

  • understand the concepts of mentoring on lifestyle self-employment, mentee, mentor and manager;
  • distinguish the roles of the manager, mentor and mentee in the process of social mentoring on lifestyle self-employment;
  • be able to identify and explain the benefits, strong points and challenges of social mentoring on lifestyle self-employment;
  • understand the importance of facilitating tools used during the process of social mentoring on lifestyle self-employment;
  • be able to organise and manage effectively the social mentoring process on lifestyle self-employment (including matching of mentees and mentors, organizing initial session, mid-term monitoring and final sessions);
  • know how to set the quality standards and ethical and professional codes for managers and mentors.

Self employment


Source of picture: Pixabay

Self-employment is the state of working for oneself rather than an employer.

Self-employed people generally find their own work rather than being provided with work by an employer, earning income from a trade or business that they operate. In some countries governments (the United States and United Kingdom, for example) are placing more emphasis on clarifying whether an individual is self-employed or engaged in disguised employment, often described as the pretense of a contractual intra-business relationship to hide what is otherwise a simple employer-employee relationship.

Self-employed people have different kinds of jobs, different levels of income, different responsibilities (single, family, caring for others), live in places with vastly different costs of living, and have different goals for what they *want* to earn. You will have self-employed people who are very wealthy and in the top tax bracket, and you will have self-employed people earning below minimum wage and claiming working tax credits. Some self-employed people will have partners so they aren’t the sole earners in a household so don’t determine the ‘lifestyle’ level, while others are completely self-sufficient. Some will own a home, others will rent. Even between people earning the same, some may choose to spend their money on a “high life” of travel and extravagance while others might be perfectly happy with nights at the pub and a good book collection. Some may prefer to save their money for retirement while others live day to day.

Differences of self-employment, entrepreneurship, and start-up

Self-employment provides works primarily for the founders. Entrepreneurship refers all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend to grow big or become registered, but start-ups refer to new businesses that intend to grow beyond the founders, to have employees, and grow large.

In summary:

  • self-employment: an organization created with the primarily intention to give a job to the founders.
  • entrepreneurship: all new organizations.
  • start-up: a temporary new organization created with the intention to be bigger (at least have employees).

Mentoring


Source of picture: Pixabay

Mentoring – from the educational point of view mentoring is a developmental partnership through which one person shares knowledge, skills, information and perspective to foster the personal and professional growth of someone else. There are two types of mentoring: pair and group. Mentoring may also have many forms: e.g. face-to-face, e-mentoring and blended mentoring. Mentors support, courage and open their own networks for mentees. During mentoring on employment-related issues, mentors help mentees to get employed or to start an enterprise.

Primary aim of mentoring on employment

The primary aim of mentoring on employment is to encourage, promote and support the mentee’s professional and personal development towards getting employed or starting his/her own business. The mentoring process also increases the mentee’s knowledge, capability and self-esteem. Discussions taking place during the mentoring relationships should be relevant to this basic aim and the mentee should focus on the employment/entrepreneurial plan and issues which affect this. However, there may be some additional discussions not directly related to the basic aim but still have an impact on personal and professional growth.


Source of picture: Pixabay

Pair mentoring: a mentor communicates with one mentee; they become acquainted with each other and begin to build a relationship. Pair mentoring is suitable for a mentee who feels more comfortable to develop his/her abilities by directly interacting with his/her own mentor. The mentor can totally concentrate on the employment-related issues of one mentee.

Group mentoring: a mentor works with a group of 4–5 mentees. Sometimes, it may take more time for the mentees and the mentor to get acquainted with each other and begin to build a strong working relationship. However, in group mentoring an individual mentee usually acquires many new ideas because everyone is sharing his/her knowledge with others. In addition, mentees in group mentoring often become peer mentors to each other. They also build networks for future purposes in the group: they can find suitable jobs more easily or, if they start as entrepreneurs, they can gain more customers by benefiting from the mentoring network.

Face-to-face mentoring: a mentor regularly meets his/her mentees and communicates with them during face-to-face individual or group meetings.

e-mentoring: ICT tools and e-Learning are used. The Internet is the main area where e-mentoring takes place. e-mentoring requires mentors and mentees who stick to a secure web environment to be able to communicate with each other on a variety of employment-related issues.

Blended mentoring: face-to-face mentoring and e-mentoring. A mentor communicates with his/her mentee(s) by using the e-mentoring web environment and by meeting them face-to-face a few times during the mentoring process. It is recommended to conduct at least three face-to-face sessions with the mentor during the e-mentoring process – one at the beginning, one in the middle and one at the end of the process.

Main roles in mentoring process

The main roles of actors participating in the mentoring process are manager, mentor and mentee. Each role has different responsibilities in the mentoring process.


Source of picture: Pixabay

Manager is a person experienced in management who organizes the whole mentoring process from the selection of mentees and mentors to the collecting of feedback after the process has ended. The manager supports the mentors and mentees throughout the mentoring process. The manager may be a person responsible for human resources development in his/her company or a person working within the educational system aiming to support different target groups like students or adult learners by using innovative methods. In mentoring on LSE process the youth worker could take a manager’s role.

Mentor is a skilled, experienced and esteemed person who is willing to support and advise a less experienced person. The main reason for becoming a mentor is the genuine desire to help mentees to succeed in their lives. In the mentoring process, the age of the mentor is not crucial but his/her experience is. In mentoring on employment-related issues, mentors are employers, employees or experienced entrepreneurs. The mentor gives constructive feedback to the mentee(s) in order to help them with their development plan and does this by asking appropriate questions, offering different alternatives and solutions to solve problems and overcome barriers. The mentor facilitates the self-evaluation of decisions made by the mentee and offers feedback where appropriate. The mentor does this in order to protect the mentee from a wide range of beginner’s mistakes. The mentor helps to build or increase the self-confidence of the mentee; stimulates professional behaviour; teaches by example; confronts negative behaviour and attitudes; helps in career growth; gives professional and experienced advice; ultimately empowers and enables the mentee to reach determined goals. The mentors in mentoring on LSE could be the successful lifestyle entrepreneurs, wishing to share their knowledge and experience with youth learners in order to motivate them starting their own lifestyle businesses.

In some cases, manager and mentor could be the same person. Experienced and motivated mentors are able to take manager responsibilities and proceed mentoring in effective way.

Mentee is in general a person with a strong desire to develop personally and professionally by setting targets/goals for him/herself and by developing action plans to work towards these goals. This is done in cooperation with the mentor. The mentee can also be a person who needs improvement for acting in particular situations, develop solutions and coping strategies through the guidance and support of his/her mentor. The mentee should have a genuine desire to get guidance and support from the mentor. In mentoring on LSE, the mentees can be youth or adult learners who wish to get self-employed or start a lifestyle business.

Main steps of a social mentoring on LSE


Source of picture: Pixabay

The structure of a mentoring on LSE process includes the following steps:

  • selection of mentors-youth workers and mentees-youth learners;
  • training of the mentors;
  • forming pairs or groups by matching the most suitable mentor with the mentee(s);
  • the initial mentoring session: starting the mentoring process;
  • further meetings of groups or pairs: thematic mentoring sessions;
  • monitoring sessions (the mid-term and final);
  • the final mentoring session – evaluating results and concluding the relationship.

5 things to consider selecting and pairing mentors and mentees:

  • values
  • communication
  • willingness
  • expectations
  • personalities

Selection of mentors and mentees and forming the mentoring on LSE pairs or groups

The first step of mentoring on LSE process is selection of the mentees-youth learners. It is the responsibility of the manager-youth worker to select the mentees wishing to participate in the mentoring on LSE process. In order to facilitate the selection process, it is recommended to use the template “Mentee’s Profile”, which could be found here. The manager should give this template to fill-in for every person wishing to become a mentee. By filling-in the template a future mentee provides basic information about himself/herself, his/her needs for the mentoring on LSE process and wishes about the mentor she/he would like to have. This information would help to find out if the mentee’s needs on the planned mentoring process could be fulfilled and to select the most suitable mentor for himself/herself. A manager could also arrange personal interviews with possible mentees, which could support the identification of mentees’ needs.

The next step of mentoring on LSE process is to find appropriate mentors. Again it is the responsibility of the manager-youth worker to do this task. This is done by comparing the needs of the mentees with the specification and skills of mentors. The manager may have to contact various suitable persons and offer them to become a mentor in mentoring on LSE process. Then he/she has to compare their skills and experiences with the needs and expectations of the mentees.


Source of picture: Pixabay

For the selection of the mentors’ personal interviews could be used. During the interviews the manager should collect the basic information about the mentor, his/her skills and competences, possible experience in mentoring and his/her expectations for the mentoring on LSE process. Talking in person with mentors the manager can get an authentic impression, which eases him/her the further selection.

When the required number of mentees and mentors are selected, the next step for the manager is to match the appropriate mentor with his/her mentee(s). The information collected through need analysis and interviews helps to do the matching:

  • wishes and expectations of the mentees and the mentor;
  • motivation and commitment;
  • interaction skills;
  • educational background and experience of life;
  • similarity of values;
  • age;
  • gender;
  • family;
  • hobbies;
  • line of business.

But also a feeling for the right “chemistry” is important!

If a manager needs to form a mentoring group, he/she needs to find a mentor and mentees, who can form a working team. A well matching could be more successful, if some common features are found. It is suggested to form small groups of the mentees, 4-5 per group maximum, as it is easier for the mentor to build up trust and to communicate to each other within such a small mentoring group.

The initial mentoring session: starting the mentoring process


Source of picture: Pixabay

For group mentoring – in the first meeting of the mentor and the mentees, the formed group meets each other as a group for the first time and get acquainted with their mentor. The main purpose of this meeting is to get to know each other as individuals and to find out if the group and the mentor are ‘well matched’. Also in blended mentoring, the first meeting is recommended to be face-to-face and can be organised in the manager’s office, a cafe, a public park etc.

In the meeting, the mentees learn about the other members in the group and possibly think of a name for their group. After the mentor has introduced him/herself to the group, the mentees present themselves to the mentor, tell about their background, family, hobbies, values, education, profession, etc. The mentor listens and asks questions if necessary.

For individual mentoring – in the first meeting of the mentor and the mentee, they meet each other for the first time and get acquainted. The main purpose of this meeting is to find out if the mentor and the mentee are ‘well matched’. In the meeting, the mentee presents him/herself to the mentor, tells about his/her background, family, hobbies, values, education, profession, etc. The mentor listens and asks questions and presents him-/herself.

In order to succeed in mentoring, there must be a clear understanding between the manager, mentor and the mentee(s) on how to establish and build their mentoring relationship. The mentor and his/her mentee(s) should discuss and agree upon various items such as:

  • duration of the mentoring process (start/end);
  • the mentee’s/(-s’) commitment and responsibility for setting and reaching the targets;
  • the mentees’ support to each other;
  • the necessity for mentee(s) and mentor to be open in discussions;
  • obligation for all participants to keep the confidentiality of discussions even after the mentoring process;
  • emphasizing that the advices given by the mentor or the other mentees are only guidelines and the mentees are responsible themselves for their own decisions;

These items should be committed to Contract. The “Contract” specifies the rules of their mentoring relationship and how they will continue to communicate. Also it is also recommended the mentor to enforce and facilitate the defining of the “Code of Ethics” (see section “Communication types, rules and ethics” below) and including it into the “Contract of mentoring on LSE related issues”, which template could be found here.


Source of picture: Pixabay

The mentees should set their goals during the initial mentoring session. In group mentoring the first mentees set their personal goals (using the tool “Personal goals and objectives of a mentee for a mentoring on LSE”) and only then the mentor facilitates the setting of common group goals. The tool for setting mentees’ group goals and objectives is placed here.

In individual mentoring the mentee sets the goals and objectives only for him-/herself and fills-in the form of “Personal goals and objectives of a mentee for a mentoring on LSE”, which could be found here.

During the initial meeting mentor and mentee(s) also have to agree on the “Session plan for mentoring on LSE”. (This tool can be found here). The dates and topics of next meeting should be planned there. This plan could be changed during the mentoring process so it is recommended to update it during every mentoring session.

The mentor has to be aware that manager will ask mentee(s) to fill in the Initial Monitoring Questionnaire (the template could be found here). This is an important tool for the manager to organise the monitoring of the mentoring process. The initial questionnaire defines the initial needs of the mentee(s) and their expectations for the mentoring process. This questionnaire can also contain questions about the mentees strengths and weaknesses as well as some information a mentee would like to share with the group. It is complementary with the final monitoring questionnaire for mentee(s) (a template can be found here), which helps the manager to evaluate, how the needs of the mentee(s) have been fulfilled within the mentoring process.

The further meetings of the groups or pairs

The further mentoring meeting are organised according the Session plan agreed during the Initial mentoring session. At the end of each session the “Mentoring Diary” (could be found here) should be filled in the mentees.

In group mentoring at the beginning of each meeting, the group should decide who will fill in the diary and how. The suggested method for filling in the diary is that one of the mentee fills in the diary by rotation. In individual mentoring, the mentee always fills in the diary by him/herself. At the end of each meeting, the mentor writes some comments at the end of the diary.

The mid-term monitoring session – important control point of mentoring process


Source of picture: Pixabay

It is strongly recommended in the middle of the mentoring process, the manager of the process to arrange a face-to-face monitoring session. This session should be attended by the mentor, the mentee(s) and the manager. This will strengthen teamwork and the participants will have a possibility to evaluate the mentoring process. The following agenda is suggested:

  • How have the goals of the mentees developed?
  • The mentees can e.g. think about a scale from 4 to 10 and define where they were at the beginning of the mentoring process and where they are now.
  • Each mentee defines the next steps in order to achieve his/her goal.
  • The mentor and the mentees clarify their mentoring session topics for the rest of the mentoring (if necessary).
  • Comments from the mentees, the mentor and the manager (in that order):

Is there anything to improve for the rest of the project?

The final mentoring session – concluding the relationship

When the mentoring process comes to an end, the manager should organise the final meeting/discussion of the mentors and the mentees. During the final meeting, the mentor in cooperation with the mentees should evaluate their achievements during the whole mentoring process, to analyse whether the mentees have reached their goals and how their lives have changed for better. Each group or individual should prepare the conclusions of the mentoring process and should evaluate such points as: where they were when they started, how they worked together to achieve the goals, what were the subjects they succeeded in, what they got from the process, were there any problems during mentoring, what they would change in the process, where they stand now – what are the next steps for the mentee?

During the final meeting/discussion a set of questions are discussed. They can be found here.

Manager or mentor should ask mentee (s) to fill in the Final Monitoring Questionnaire (the template could be found here). This questionnaire is complementary with the Initial questionnaire for mentee(s) (see the section “The initial mentoring session: starting the mentoring process”) and it helps the manager to evaluate how the needs of mentee(s) were fulfilled within the mentoring process.

How to ensure an effective and quality mentoring on LSE process?

In order to ensure an effective mentoring on LSE process, the templates for special managing and mentoring tools, mentioned above, are developed. These templates should be used within the mentoring on LSE process and the list of them could be found here.

Also it is recommended for manager to make a monitoring of the mentoring on LSE process, in order to ensure the quality and effectiveness of it.

The main aim of monitoring of quality of social mentoring on LSE is to evaluate, how the needs of the mentee(s) have been fulfilled within the mentoring process.

In order to reach the define aim, the special developed in advance templates for monitoring tools (the Initial Monitoring Questionnaire and the Final Monitoring Questionnaire for the mentees) should be used within he mentoring on LSE process. The detailed usage of these tools is described above under the sections “The initial mentoring session”, “The mid-term monitoring session” and “The final mentoring session”.

Benefits and challenges of mentoring


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Some key benefits for mentors include:

  • Recognition as a subject matter expert and leader
  • Exposure to fresh perspectives, ideas and approaches
  • Extension of their professional development record
  • Opportunity to reflect on their own goals and practices
  • Development of their personal leadership and coaching styles

For mentees, some key benefits of business mentoring include:

  • Exposure to new ideas and ways of thinking
  • Advice on developing strengths and overcoming weaknesses
  • Guidance on professional development and advancement
  • Increased visibility and recognition within employment
  • The opportunity to develop new skills and knowledge

Here are some of the most common challenges in mentoring relationships—and strategies for overcoming them:

  • Meeting and doing tasks as scheduled
  • Excessive time and energy commitments
  • Unrealistic expectations
  • Overdependence on the mentor/mentee
  • Unfair manipulation on the part of the mentor/mentee
  • Resentment or jealousy from others
  • Ineffective mentoring pairs

Communication types, rules, ethics and quality standards


Source of picture: Pixabay

It is very important for the mentor to agree with his/her group of mentees on the rules of communication in order to help the group to work smoothly together in seeking individual and group goals. If individual mentoring is selected, the mentor shall also agree on communication rules with his/her mentee. The rules of communication are the rules of ethics which will be agreed on in the first mentoring meeting and which will be complied with during the whole mentoring process. It is suggested that the mentor will facilitate the creation of the “Code of Ethics” during the first mentoring session. The mentor should ask the mentee(s) to discuss the issues which can be added to this code and coordinate in drafting the “Code of Ethics”. The following key issues can be discussed and included:

  • respect the time of all group members;
  • keep all the information received confidential during and after the mentoring process;
  • respect the opinions of others;
  • think before saying/writing something;
  • be honest;
  • be open;
  • attend all regular meetings as established in the mentoring schedule;
  • if a mentee is not able to attend a regular meeting, he/she is responsible for informing others (e.g. manager, mentor) and for finding a solution how he/she can follow the mentoring process;
  • if the mentor is not able to attend a regular meeting, he/she has to inform all mentees in advance, at least two days before, and find some other time suitable for the whole team for the next regular meeting.

Confidentiality in e-mentoring process


Source of picture: Pixabay

Persons attending the mentoring process will sign a Contract. In this document will be agreed that all the information between the actors of the process is confidential. Any information received during the mentoring process remains between the mentor, the mentees and the manager. The confidentiality also continues after the mentoring process. The mentor is not even allowed to reveal the mentee’s identity to anybody since he/she has agreed on to keep the relationship confidential. The Contract is described and provided above (“The initial mentoring session: starting the mentoring process”).

This module is supported by the practical exercises / group discussions which are based on the experiential learning methodology. These practical exercises are developed to be used during the classroom based training in order to deepen knowledge on theory presented in Module I. Three exercises are presented in a website under ‘Youth worker as Learner – Methodological materials – Module I – Practical exercises’.
List of the References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-employment