Life Buddies Mentoring Scheme Mentor Handbook Organiser Table

“Life Buddies ”Mentoring Scheme Mentor Handbook Organiser：

Table of Content 1. Scheme overview of “Life Buddies” 2. Roles and responsibilities (R&R) of different partners v Secretariat, Commission on Poverty v Mentoring Team v Schools 3. Points to note for mentors 4. Suggestions on mentoring activities 5. Training for mentors and support 6. Others 2

1. Scheme overview • A cross-sectoral career-based mentoring scheme launched by the Commission on Poverty, which was first launched in 2016/17 school year and approaches its five anniversary in the 2020/21 school year • Objectives of the scheme : – Promoting mentoring culture, fostering upward mobility of youth, thereby reducing inter-generational poverty – Encourage participating volunteers to inspire and guide senior secondary school students, broaden their horizons and explore multiple development pathways, with a view to advocating early life planning of youth and promoting positive life values 3

1. Scheme overview Providing career exposure to youth in an early life stage Career Focused School Based Group mentoring 4 Emphasising active school participation and long term collaboration Allowing greater flexibility in the coordination and execution of mentoring activities

1. Scheme overview • The scheme lasts for at least one school year, and mentors are advised to arrange 6 -8 mentoring activities within one school year • Mentees are F. 4/ F. 5 students from local secondary schools (mostly are grassroots students), which are recruited and selected by the participating schools • Mentoring team arranged career-focused mentoring activities for their mentees after taking the feedback of its paired school(s) into consideration • Advised to conduct the activities in small groups (e. g. 23 mentors paired up with 2 -5 mentees) to allow more in -depth discussion 5

2. R&R of the Secretariat • Overall coordinator of the scheme • Responsible for recruiting interested partners, as well as the relevant publicity and support work, monitoring the scheme’s progress and conducting overall impact assessment 6

2. R&R of the Mentoring team • Organising and implementing mentoring activities • Assigning one member from the team as team coordinator who participates in mentoring activities – As the main contact point for the Secretariat and school – Coordinating the activity content and attendance of mentors – Submitting activity plan at the beginning of the school year – Completing a simple online activity report within two weeks after each mentoring activity (link: https: //www. idea. gov. hk/csapo-hrppcu/2020 -21 -lifebuddies-mentoring-scheme-activity-report) 7 – Consolidating and relaying the mentors’ feedback on the scheme to the Secretariat at the end of the school year

2. R&R of the Mentoring team • Upon receiving the matching result(s), mentoring teams should contact the partner school as soon as possible with a view to – Understanding the background information of the school (such as its vision and mission, teacher/ social worker team, etc. ) – Introducing the vision, work nature and resources of the mentoring teams, as well as a list of possible activities to be organised – Understanding the interests, characteristics and needs of the mentees, as well as their expectations on the scheme – Formulating a timetable for the scheme (consisting of 6 -8 activities) – Understanding the activity expenses and responsibilities that can be borne by the school – Reaching a consensus with the school on whether mentees are allowed to maintain contact with mentors outside of the mentoring activities 8

2. R&R of the Mentoring team • Should actively participate in the pre-service orientation and mid-service sharing sessions arranged by the Secretariat to solidify their mentoring techniques and share their learning with mentors from other organisations • Should leverage the resources and networks of their organisations to arrange mentoring activities most suitable for their mentees • When planning for the mentoring activities, mentors should try incorporate an element of exploring life and career planning, such that these activities could help their mentees to plan ahead and broaden their horizons • Mentors should actively participate in each mentoring activity, be proactive in sharing their thoughts with their mentees and be willing to establish long-term mentormentee relationship 9

2. R&R of the School • Recruiting mentees and providing assistance for mentoring activities • Assigning a teacher-in-charge who knows the mentee well to follow up on the implementation of the scheme and serves as the main contact point • Recruiting and selecting motivated F. 4/ F. 5 students who are interested in understanding themselves, life planning and the scheme to participate voluntarily (schools are recommended to arrange briefing for students beforehand) • Leading the mentees in attending each activity and encouraging them to participate actively • Conducting post-activity debriefing if necessary 10

3. Points to note for mentors Dos ü Establishing and maintain healthy relationships with mentees while setting clear boundaries ü Assisting mentees to set their personal growth targets ü Identifying and developing mentees’ strengths ü Understanding mentees’ feelings and problems from their perspectives ü Encouraging mentees to find solutions on their own ü Sharing personal growth experiences with mentees and encouraging them to reflect 11

3. Points to note for mentors Don’ts × Having pecuniary dealings with mentees or promoting products/ services to mentees × Criticising mentees × Imposing your own perspectives on your mentees × Preaching or acting as a parent/ psychologist/ counsellor × Making casual commitment × Discussing a mentee’s matters with others 12

3. Points to note for mentors Communication Skills 1. How to get along and communicate with mentees • Actively and sincerely communicate with mentees to make a good first impression • Be at ease and open minded • Observe and be sensitive to the reactions of mentees, pay attention to their behaviours, including their body language, tones, facial expression, etc. 13

3. Points to note for mentors Communication Skills 2. Basic skills of asking questions and communication • Start with simple and open questions to invite answer • Try to raise leading questions after understanding mentees’ views • Be encouraging • Show your understanding and empathy towards your mentees’ feelings during your communication 14

3. Points to note for mentors Meeting in the absence of the teacher in charge • Upon getting the school’s agreement, mentors may meet with the mentees in the absence of the teacher in charge, following the below guidelines – – 15 All face-to-face meeting should be conducted in public places The meeting should not affect the study progress of mentees Dangerous or expensive activities should be avoided If a mentee always fails to show up, is unreachable or displays behavioural or emotional problems during the meeting, you should report to the teacher in charge and the Secretariat for follow up

3. Points to note for mentors Emergency Management (Mentees feeling unwell or getting injured) • If this happens in the school, please immediately inform the teacher in charge on site, who will decide if the mentees need to be sent to hospital or clinic for treatment • If this happens outside the school, you need to make decision according to the severity of situation – call the police immediately if the situation is serious, then inform the teacher in charge and the Secretariat for necessary follow-up actions 16

4. Suggestions on mentoring activities • Each mentoring activity should last for about 90 -120 minutes, so as to ensure mentors and mentees have sufficient time to exchange thoughts and establish meaningful relationships • Mentoring activities should be career-focused (e. g. in the form of briefing, small group games and projects, and could cover company introduction, work experience sharing, mock interviews, CV writing workshops) with a view to enhancing the mentees’ understanding of your company/industry • Besides having mentors who routinely participate in mentoring activities, you are encouraged to invite other colleagues to attend thematic sessions occasionally to increase activity variety 17

4. Suggestions on mentoring activities Reference framework for first mentoring activity Suggested Framework（About 90 -120 minutes） Time (Minutes) 20 -30 45 -60 15 -20 10 18 Activity Remarks Ice-breaking Thematic interaction Sharing and discussion In the form of small group games Conducting thematic and interactive activities Conclusion Sharing in small groups Consolidating learning and providing prelude for the coming activities

4. Suggestions on mentoring activities References – Possible topics for discussion Work experiences Career planning Stress management School matters Personal relationships tips 19 Job hunting Unforgettable personal experiences

5. Training for mentors and support Training for mentors • Similar to previous years, the Secretariat arranges preservice orientation (2020 Oct) and mid-service sharing (tentatively 2021 Feb/ Mar) for participating mentors • The service provider in this school year is Teengineer 20

5. Training for mentors and support Support • If you need any support during the process, please do not hesitate to call the Secretariat at 2810 2445 during office hours (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm) or send an email to lifebuddies@cso. gov. hk, we stand ready to help 21

6. Others Scheme’s Timeline (Tentative) 2020 June Recruitment and matching 2020 Oct Pre-Service orientation 2020 Sep Commencement of the Scheme 22 2020 Nov Submitting 1. Mentors List 2. Activity Plan

6. Others Scheme’s Timeline (Tentative) 2021 Feb/ Mar 2021 May Mid-Service Sharing Recruitment for 2021/22 2021 Apr Submitting inputs for commemorative album 23 Two weeks after last activity Submitting final-stage questionnaire

6. Others Withdrawal mechanism • The Secretariat does not advocate any team to withdraw • If a team decides to withdraw from the scheme, the team coordinator should inform its partner school and the Secretariat as soon as possible with sound justification Volunteer insurance • The Secretariat has purchased a “Group Personal Accident Insurance” for participating mentors, in case mentors suffer from accidental injury or death during the service • The relevant insurance is bound by the relevant terms and conditions, please approach the Secretariat for more details 24

6. Others Information Platforms o “Life Buddies” Mentoring Portal (https: //www. lifebuddies. hk/) A one-stop platform which provides information on mentoring programmes including the scheme itself, mentoring stories, handbook, guidelines and relevant researches and studies, etc. o Facebook (https: //www. facebook. com/lifebuddieshk/) We hope to build an interactive platform to share information of the implementation of the scheme (e. g. photos, videos, etc. ) 25