Info Session on Mentoring Opportunity for Postdocs at East End House! E25-202 @ 530 pm - Wed. May 6

[Paulo Garcia]

Hello postdocs,

Hope you enjoyed this fantastic weekend! Due to a positive response to our email announcing this initiative, we have coordinated an info session at MIT with the Ambassador of the East End House who coordinates the Mentoring Program (Wednesday May 6 from 5:30 - 6:00 pm in E25-202). The mentoring ambassador will give an intro presentation about the mentoring and/or tutoring opportunities at East End House. The postdocs will then have an opportunity to ask questions and meet other postdocs interested in participating. We will provide some food/beverages so PLEASE CONFIRM VIA EMAIL TO pagarcia at mit.edu if you will be attending so that we can order to right amount. Some additional information is also included in red below in case you are interested in the mentoring program but cannot attend the info session this wednesday (http://www.eastendhouse.org/).

Looking forward to seeing many of you there,

All the best,

Community Building Committee Co-Chairs: Virginia & Paulo

1) What are the exact roles of the mentoring program?

As far as the role of the mentor goes, we're looking for someone who is reliable, available for at least a year, is able to attend most of the Thursday meetings, is interested in connecting with and supporting middle and high school aged youth, and can persist through a bit of initial awkwardness at the start of the match. That's about it!  There are no financial expectations placed upon the mentor and no perfect mentor candidate.  All of the activities will be planned by the program coordinator and paid for by East End House. Past activities have included arts and crafts, trips to sporting events and cultural venues, family nights, STE(A)M programming, college trips, and the occasional mentor job site visit.  Mentors need to show up and be engaged, we take care of everything else!

2) Should we request a minimum of 6 or 12 months commitment to the program in order to have some continuity?

Thank you for reaching out to me with your questions and for starting the conversation with your cohort! Our minimum match requirement is 1 year; studies show that matches lasting shorter than 12 months can be detrimental for the well-being and self-esteem of the mentee. We accept new mentees throughout the year, so the postdocs are welcome to apply to join the program at any time provided that they are prepared to make that 1 year commitment.

3) Can postdocs sign up whenever during the year or would you prefer all of them at once?

We welcome folks to apply together or individually and have no real preference for either style.  We emphasize good fit for mentors and mentees, so there's no fixed application-to-match timeline.  It's really about the personality and availability of the mentor. Anecdotal evidence shows that some mentors like to apply in groups so that they can support each other through the process of getting to know their mentees, adjusting to being a mentor, and reminding each other about upcoming match events.

4) Is the commitment/activities only for the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the months or is this flexible and could be 1st and 3rd Mondays for example... Or potentially vary week to week?

As of right now we only meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month, but I'm in the process of getting approval for off-site match meetings.  This would allow for matches to schedule independent meetings in the Greater Boston area, score some extra meeting time, and better meet the scheduling needs of everyone involved.  I'll keep you updated on these efforts as details become available.

5) There are postdocs that have contract uncertainties and they would like to start asap... However, the funding in our positions is not guaranteed and they might have to stop by Jan 2016... That is an unknown though so what should we advice?

I understand the uncertainties surrounding funding and contracts and want to be sensitive to the interests of the postdocs, while also being realistic.  It takes a while to get from the application phase to the match phase and there is generally a bit of a drop off in mentee attendance during summer vacation. Given the uncertainty of the timeline and of summer attendance, it might be best for the January 2016 cohort to engage with our youth in a different way.  Perhaps they could tutor some of our middle school youth or come in to teach a short class to the mentoring group.  Let's discuss some creative ways to get everyone involved!
________________________________
From: Paulo Garcia
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2015 7:14 PM
To: mit-postdocs at mit.edu
Cc: Dana Bresee Keeth
Subject: Mentoring Opportunity for Postdocs at East End House!

Hi Postdocs,

Mentoring is a great way to make a difference in the life of a child or teen. Caring, reliable mentors can help young people acquire the developmental assets they will need in college, in a career, and beyond.

The MIT PDA would like to invite you to join us in mentoring a child or teen at the East End House in Cambridge, MA. This is a great opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others that are less fortunate than us.

Who: MIT Postdocs
What: Mentoring a child or teen
Where: East End House, 105 Spring Street, Cambridge, MA 02141
When: 2nd & 4th Thursdays each month, 6-8 pm (minimum commitment = 1 year)
Why: Making a difference in people's lives

Mentees are matched one-on-one with mentors for a year or more. Meetings include dinner, free time, structured group activities, and occasional field trips to local sports games, mentor work sites, and other locations of interest. The East End House is also piloting a High School Mentoring Program with a more community based curriculum and are looking for a couple of mentors to work with the graduates of the Middle School Mentoring Program.

If you are interested in this outreach opportunity, please email the MIT PDA Community Building Committee’s Co-Chair, Paulo Garcia (pagarcia at mit.edu<mailto:pagarcia at mit.edu>), for more information. http://www.eastendhouse.org/

All the best,

Paulo
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