Connecting4Success 2012 Advice Guru Training Danielle Handsor Program Coordinator University of Windsor

Program Overview YOUR Responsibilities The Power of Communication Behaviors to Avoid FAQ’s Presentation Overview

Connecting4Sucess is a mentorship program that runs out of the Educational Development Centre Third year of the program Last year’s program numbers: Advice Guru’s: 187 Mentees: 172 Upper year students are paired with incoming, First Generation students based on their program/faculty of study Program Overview

Time commitment: Approximately 5 hours/month The program runs for the entire academic year (August-March) Advice Guru Recognition: Position can be added to the Co-curricular Transcript Program certificate Program t-shirt End of the year gift Monies deposited on your UwinCARD to treat both you and your mentee to beverages and snacks during your meetings End of the Year Celebration Program Overview

C4S Website: The C4S website features: Monthly Reporting Templates Monthly Reporting Feedback documents Monthly Newsletters Upcoming events Pictures Join our Facebook Group! “Connecting4Success ”

1. Maintain regular contact with your Mentee 2. Submit monthly reports on time 3. Maintain confidentiality regarding your mentee 4. Offer insight about the 1 st year student experience (personal, social, academic) 5. Participate in monthly meetings and social events Advice Guru Responsibilities

Determine a preferred method of communication: BBM Facebook Cell Phone/Texting U of W Webmail Frequency of Face to Face Meetings: September (3X’s) October (2X’s) December- You are not required to meet face to face with your mentee, just check-in (i.e. how did final exams go? Wish them a happy holiday) November, January, February, March (1X a month) Refer to “Topics for Discussion” (pg. 10) document All meetings must take place on campus Monies will be deposited on your UwinCARD to treat both you and your mentee to beverages and snacks during your meetings 1. Maintain Regular Contact with your Mentee

Monthly Reporting Template Refer to “Monthly Reporting Template” (pg. 21) Encourage your mentee to set both short- term and long-term goals Refer to “Goal Setting document” (pg. 23) Monthly reports are due on the last day of the month by 12 pm. If an Advice Guru submits 2 late reports, they will be removed from the program. Completed reports can be ed to Please don’t submit reports in PDF. 2. Submit Monthly Reports

As an Advice Guru you will encounter confidential information, such as your mentees’ academic standing, personal difficulties, and/or contact information You are required to keep this information CONFIDENTIAL. You may only discuss these details with the Program Coordinator. By signing the Advice Guru Code of Conduct you agreed to maintaining confidentiality when it comes to your mentee. Breeching confidentiality will result in your dismissal from the program. 3. Confidentiality

Reflect on your first-year of university… Familiarize yourself with the common first- year challenges Refer to “Common Issues Faced by First- Year Students” (pg. 13) document Making Referrals: You can not solve the students problems for them. But… you can refer them to the appropriate services on campus to get their problems/questions answered You are coaching your mentee, not advising, tutoring and/or fixing Refer to “UWindsor Services” (pg. 8) document 4. The First-Year Experience

At your tables brainstorm a list of the student support services that are currently being offered through your department (i.e. Math Resource Centre). ACTIVITY Brainstorm Session: What’s Going on?

Every month (except for December) the C4S program holds a monthly meeting on an academic topic or a social event You are encouraged to attend with your mentee! Refer to the document “Calendar of Events” (pg. 25) 5. Participate in Monthly Meetings and Events

Lending money or purchasing gifts for your Mentee Proof reading or editing your Mentee’s assignments Making judgments about your Mentee’s life, experiences or beliefs Blaming your Mentee If a student misses a meeting, don’t get angry with them. You may want to express your concern for them and restate the goal of the meetings. Work together to schedule another meeting and remember to follow-up with the student. Making negative comments Behaviors to Avoid

Remember that you are a role model and an ambassador of the university. You should always be professional in your actions and speech. Share you experiences in a positive manner. If you found a course highly challenging, talk about the ways you adjusted your study methods to succeed. Negative Comments

Empathy- Put yourself in your Mentee’s shoes Active Listening Strategies for active listening: Open-ended questions Closed-ended question: Did you have a good day at school? Open-ended question: What did your professor discuss in class today? Reflecting Walk in your Mentee’s shoes Power of Communication

Paraphrasing Repeat what your Mentee’s says in your OWN words “I” Statements Tim YOU didn’t show up for our meeting yesterday Tim I was disappointed that you didn’t show up for our meeting yesterday. I feel…. when you… because… Power of Communication

Coach your Mentee on solving problems and making decisions Problem Solving 1. Clarify what the problem is 2. Have your Mentee identify and reflect on their feelings about the problem 3. Brainstorm possible solutions 4. Evaluate each possible solution 5. Choose a solution 6. Make a plan 7. Follow up and evaluate

My mentee … is doing poorly academically Is entering the winter term on academic probation Is difficult to get a hold of fails to show up at our scheduled meetings Doesn’t need an Advice Guru as they are doing fine academically Has a personal problem Behavior makes me feel uncomfortable Asked me a question and I don’t know the answer Bounced back Mentee s FAQ’s

ANY QUESTIONS?