Reverse Mentoring
Are you interested in sharing your experience of being a student at Queen’s to better support staff understanding of everyday student life?
Queen’s Reverse Mentoring is a mentoring initiative where student mentors offer their unique insights to help Queen’s leaders increase their understanding and awareness of issues affecting students’ day to day. Watch the video below for a comprehensive overview of the programme.
As a mentor, you will share your unique thoughts and knowledge of student life, your educational journey and being a student at Queen’s in Belfast. You will be matched with your mentee based on your motivation for becoming a mentor via your application below.
No previous mentoring experience is required, and you won’t be expected to know everything or have any solutions. Your role will be to listen to what your mentee has to say and pro-actively help and guide them to a better understanding of your unique position. Training will be provided to support you on your mentor journey. Discover insights from last year’s mentees and mentors by watching the video below.
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What are the benefits of taking part?
- Mentorship Experience: Students can develop their mentoring skills by working with senior staff, which can be a valuable addition to their resume and future leadership roles.
- Expanded Network: Engaging with senior staff members allows students to expand their professional network, opening doors to potential mentors, advisors, and collaborators.
- Access to Expertise: Students can tap into the wealth of knowledge and experience possessed by senior staff, gaining insights that can be applied to their academic pursuits and future careers.
- Skill Development: Mentoring senior staff often requires students to enhance their communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills, which are transferable to various aspects of life and work.
- Increased Confidence: Successfully mentoring senior staff can boost students' confidence and self-esteem, making them feel more capable and prepared for challenges in their academic and professional journeys.
- Leadership Opportunities: Engaging in reverse mentoring can lead to leadership roles within student organizations or on-campus initiatives, allowing students to apply their mentoring skills in a meaningful way.
- Personal Growth: The experience of mentoring senior staff can be personally fulfilling and contribute to students' personal growth and self-awareness.
- Professional Development: Students can gain exposure to workplace etiquette, organizational dynamics, and professional best practices, which can be invaluable as they transition into their careers.
- Real-world Application: The knowledge and skills acquired through reverse mentoring can be applied directly to coursework and class projects, enhancing the practical relevance of their education.
- Resume Building: Participation in reverse mentoring can be a unique and impressive addition to a student's resume, demonstrating their commitment to personal and professional development.
You can also use your experience as a contribution towards the Future Ready Award – combined route
How does the programme work?
Once you express your interest in becoming involved, you are matched with a member of Queen’s staff. You then meet with the staff member three times between November 2024 and June 2025. The mentoring meetings last for at least an hour, and with agreement can last longer. You can also meet more regularly if both participants agree that. We run a training session for students and staff to explain everything and offer guidance on making the most of the meetings. A mentoring session might involve taking a walk around campus and chatting about student life or meeting informally for a coffee on campus – whatever works best to help have and informal conversation to help your mentor understand better the lived experience of students at Queen’s.
Overview of the steps
- Training session November 8th - Introduction to mentoring, Guidelines for the programme, Building rapport with your mentee
- Meet your mentee lunch (all participants)
- Meeting with your mentee at least three times between November 2024 - June 2025 (date and times set by mentee and mentor)
- Lunch celebration event and feedback (2025)
You will be matched with your mentee prior to your training on the 8th of November via email. We will strive to match all mentors with a mentee but please be aware that demand may outstrip resources.
How do I apply?
Complete our Expression of Interest form – Click here to apply
Applications will close on 18 October 2024. For any queries contact studentconnect@qub.ac.uk