| The Project’s
E-Mentoring program consists of a partnership between Mentors,
professionals in the field of ICTs and the youth
participating in the employability training project. Communication
between the Mentors and their youth mentees is carried out via
the Internet using a variety of communication tools including e-mail
and instant messaging. The objectives of the E-Mentoring program
include enabling our youth to: |
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gain
access to information about the IT job market; |
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familiarize
themselves with professional communication and electronic
networking; |
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discuss
their professional objectives with a role model; |
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help
them start creating a professional network in the IT field |
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learn
to use different electronic communication tools;
and |
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help
the youth improve their writing abilities and to practice
professional communication. |
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| Mentoring
is a way to provide youth with support and guidance from an adult
role model and to help these youth develop positive attitudes toward
integrity, commitment, and perseverance. Through the mentoring
relationship, the youth will be provided with positive model to
help them form a successful personal and professional life. |
| As
mentioned above, the e-mentoring program uses a variety of Internet
communication tools including: |
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instant
messaging (synchronous on-line chat); |
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e-mail;
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the
construction of the personal profiles within the project’s
web site; and |
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the
publication of the youth’s on-line journals where
they discuss different aspects of their experiences including
their mentoring activities. |
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| The
objectives of our e-mentoring program are similar to those of face-to-face
mentoring, Over time, the youth and their mentors establish a trusting
relationship with mutual respect. Through their mentoring relationship
the youth have access to an adult with whom they can share their
feelings, fears, concerns and successes. The mentor is given an
opportunity to make a positive difference in someone’s life
and help their organization achieve their social responsibility
objectives. |
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| Identifying
and Recruiting e-Mentors |
| A
full-time e-Mentoring Coordinator, Aparecida
Cavalcante, of Porto
Digital, was hired by the Project to coordinate all e-Mentoring
activities. It is important to note that establishing and maintaining
a successful e-mentoring program is not a passive activity. It
requires active continuous attention by a dedicated professional.
To identify and recruit mentors for the e-Mentoring program Ms.
Cavalcante first identified companies in Recife and other parts
of Brazil that have some link to the information technology sector
that would possibly provide 50 mentors (one for each youth in
the program). |
| Through
this effort, Ms. Cavalcante located about 80 professionals at
different levels in a variety of companies. In addition to making
direct contact to people at companies, the Coordinator also promoted
the e-Mentoring Program via the local press. The Coordinator
then contacted these potential mentors by phone and introduced
the e-Mentoring Program to them. The Coordinator then created
a database of those professionals who expressed an interest in
actively participating in the e-Mentoring program and making
a commitment to being a mentor for the length of the training
program. The potential mentors were then invited to attend an
orientation session where the Coordinator and some youth made
a presentation about the e-Mentoring program and answered questions
about the Project. At the end of this process, 50
professionals made a commitment to be e-Mentors. |
Training
of the e-Mentors
To prepare the e-Mentors to effectively carry out their responsibilities,
the Coordinator organized and implemented e-Mentoring training activities.
This training included: |
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The distribution of study aids about e-mentoring
to the youth and mentors; |
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A
one-week training-of-mentors activities that was carried
out via the Internet; |
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The
distribution by e-mail of mentoring activity suggestions
to the e-Mentors;
and |
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Providing
on-going support to the Mentors via e-mail and instant
messaging. |
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| Soon after the
training was completed, the Coordinator, with help from the Project’s
instructional staff, organized the first e-Mentoring activity where
the youth and their e-Mentors met each other online
for the first time and started exchanging communication. |
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