Mentorship in SCAWe encourage you to explore the

mentor/mentee relationship between you and your intern.

SCA members are looking for someone to engage them in a challenging learning experience, provide them with critical feedback, and connect them with people who will build their career support network.

Benefits of Being a Mentor:Increase the likelihood of a successful SCA

program experience.Support participants in experiencing and

connecting with conservation careers.Support participants in identifying personal

and/or career goals.Provide professional development though

experience exchanges and guidance.Gain fresh perspective and knowledge from

participants.Feed off participant’s optimistic

enthusiasm!

Mentorship Requirements Time

◦ Make time to get to know your intern. Understand what he/she wants out of this experience.

◦ Set aside time every week for an in-person check in

Communication◦ Provide a site orientation and set your intentions. Be honest and thorough

about your expectations of your member. We suggest you review the position description together early on.

◦ Discuss and make agreements to set and review professional and personal goals with your member

◦ Give constructive feedback to your member throughout his or her term of service

Professional Development and Networking◦ Engage in networking by referring members to your colleagues and peers◦ Provide shadowing opportunities for the intern to experience other types of

jobs◦ Discover whether your member has professional interests outside of the

scope of your position description, and explore opportunities for them.

Establish a Positive Developmental Relationship!

Developmental Relationships

Developmental relationships are powerful connections through which young people learn to strive to be their very best in work, and life.

Express CARE – Developmental relationships are grounded in a strong bond of mutual affection.◦ Be warm – Show me that you are sincere, kind, and good-natured. ◦ Be present – Pay attention and make an effort to know me and understand

my perspective.◦ Enjoy – Make it clear that you like being with me.◦ Invest – Invest time, energy, and concern in me because you care about

me.◦ Be dependable – Be consistent, reliable, and trustworthy.

Give SUPPORT – Developmental relationships offer tangible and emotional supports for growth.◦ Encourage – Offer appropriate support and foster my confidence.◦ Respect – Take me seriously, treat me fairly, and recognize my competence.◦ Model – Be an example I can admire of values, attitudes, and behaviors that

are worth following.◦ Guide – Provide practical help and offer constructive feedback.◦ Advocate – Stand up for me, when needed.

Developmental Relationships

CHALLENGE Growth – Developmental relationships push us to learn, grow, and be our best.◦ Inspire – Help me see who I can become and what I can achieve.◦ Stretch – Push me to articulate, defend, and expand my capabilities, ideas, and

choices.◦ Expect – Believe in my potential, and express your hopes for who I can be.◦ Limit – Set and hold me accountable to consistent, appropriate boundaries and

rules.

Share OWNERSHIP – Each person values the relationship and has a meaningful role in shaping it.◦ Respond – Adjust to each other’s needs, priorities, abilities, and circumstances. ◦ Negotiate – Each person has a voice in how decisions are made and conflicts are

resolved.◦ Collaborate – Work together to learn, solve problems, and identify possibilities.

Expand POSSIBILTIES – Developmental relationships expand our horizons, experiences, and connections.◦ Explore – Expose me to new ideas, experiences, and places.◦ Connect – Introduce me to people who can help me grow and achieve my goals.◦ Navigate – Help me learn how to work through barriers that get in the way of

achieving my goals.

The SPARK!When it is expressed, we feel alive. We

feel useful. Life has a purpose. We feel we are drawing on our best potential.

Three Types of Sparks:• Something they are good at – a talent or skill• Something they care deeply about – such as the environment or serving their community• A quality they know is special – caring for others or being a friend

Identify the Spark

Help your intern identify his/her spark by asking the following questions:◦What is your spark?◦When and where do you live your spark?◦Who knows your spark?◦Who helps feed your spark?◦What gets in your way?◦How will you use your spark to make our

world better?◦How can I help?

In a Nutshell…

“The staff member I worked with is an amazing, intelligent, knowledgeable women, and I am proud to have worked with her. The atmosphere along with the personalities at the center made my internship very enjoyable. I learned a great deal of information…Not only of the local wildlife and geology, but also of people, environmental education, and how to make programs fun/exciting. Educating the public has always been something I've enjoyed, but to pull off a successful program for an audience that genuinely cares about the topic and wants to do something to help our Earth…the feeling is amazing.”

- 2014 SCA HV Corps member