The ultimate mentor’s playbook
A Playbook for mentoring young people on the path to a creative career
MISM
DYNA
awareness
eclecticism
curiosity uncontainable
Coffe
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r BeerBeerBee BeerBeerBeer
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This Key Action supports Transnational Strategic Partnerships aimed at developing initiatives, promoting innovation, transferring and/or implementing innovative practices as well as joint initiatives. This is feasible through cooperation, peer learning and exchanges of know - how and experience at European level between different types of organisations. They might be active in any field of education, training and youth or other socio-economic sectors or operate in transversal activities (e.g. local and regional authorities, recognition and validation centres, chambers of commerce, trade organisations, guidance centres, cultural organisations). Depending on the priority addressed by the project, Strategic Partnerships should involve the most appropriate and diverse range of partners in order to benefit from their different experiences, profiles and specific expertise and to produce relevant and high quality project results. The Erasmus+ Programme is designed to support Programme Countries’ efforts to efficiently use the potential of Europe’s human talent and social capital, while confirming the principle of lifelong learning by linking support to formal, non-formal and informal learning throughout the education, training and youth fields. The Programme also enhances the opportunities for cooperation and mobility with Partner Countries, notably in the fields of higher education and youth.
The Programme promotes the creation and development of European networks, providing opportunities for cooperation among stakeholders and the exchange and transfer of knowledge and know-how in different areas. Overall the Programme supports actions, cooperation and tools consistent with the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy and its flagship initiatives, such as Youth on the Move and the Agenda for new skills and jobs. The Programme also contributes to achieve - through the Open Methods of Coordination - the objectives of the Education and Training Strategic Framework and of the European Youth Strategy. This investment in knowledge, skills and competences will benefit individuals, institutions, organisations and society as a whole by contributing to growth and ensuring prosperity and social inclusion in Europe and beyond. For more information on the Erasmus+ programme please visit ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus
TALENT MATCHING FOMENTOR MANUAL
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The Work Play Book has been published in 2018 as part of the Talent Matching Europe Project. For further information: www.talentmatchingeurope.com
SECTION 1 - Let’s Become a Mentor!..............................4 What is a “Vocational Mentor” in Talent Matching Europe............5 Who is the Playbook for.........................................................................6 How to use the Playbook........................................................................8
SECTION 2 - Let’s start!....................................................9 Where am I?............................................................................................10 Who Am I?.............................................................................................23
Talent Matching Europe......................................................87 Annexes...................................................................................88
section 1
What is a “Vocational Mentor” in Talent Matching Europe
The ‘vocational mentor’ is a newly-emerging occupation. It encompasses many artists, trainers, creative and cultural workers who work in informal and non-formal learning settings to support creative young people to develop their talent, build their skills and open the doors to a creative career. It is a complex role and one that is not professionally recognised. Vocational mentors may have a background in social science and psychology, they may be practitioner-trainers or artist educators, they may be youth workers, teachers, career counsellors or employment advisers.In each of the countries involved in Talent Matching Europe, we have found that the role operates in a different context. However, across all European countries, the creative and cultural industries are growing fast. This opens up exciting new career paths and learning opportunities for talented young people irrespective of educational level, in a sector once overwhelmingly dominated by graduate entry. What is common to all is that vocational mentors are playing an important role for young people entering the new creative economy. That’s why we’ve playfully called them Fomentors fomentors of change. To be effective in this emerging environment, a Vocational Mentor needs to combine traditional mentoring skills and aspects of roles played by teachers, trainers, tutors, youth workers, and workplace supervisors. A mentor also needs to understand creative processes and be aware of the rapid changes and trends in the sector. Above all, the Vocational Mentor needs to embrace new, learner-centred approaches that place young people’s ownership at the heart of the interventions designed to support them.
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Do you recognise yourself or people you work with in this description of the Vocational Mentor - a fomentor of change? Maybe part of it.
It’s a role that has many different facets.
Who is the Playbook for?
In some European countries, it hardly exists as a professional role. Yet if you are involved in any way in fostering the creative talent of young people outside of formal education – especially those with less access to opportunity - then this handbook will have something to offer you.
It may even revolutionise your thinking!
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Spotting a Fomentor. Are you a Fomentor?
Because this is such a new role, the first step is to recognise it – like spotting a bird you’ve never seen before.
Are you a mentor or peer mentor?
Do you provide formal or informal individual support and advice to creative young people to help them develop their talents and career? This handbook will help you be more motivated in your work and give access to lifelong learning training and learning materials and standards of competency based upon the validated role of the vocational mentor. As a result you will be better equipped to cater for the complex needs of disadvantaged groups and will improve your own employability and enterprise skills.
Are you a Creative, Cultural or Youth Organisation?
This handbook will help you to integrate good practice and new methodologies in working with creative young people, especially those who are disadvantaged and face barriers to making a career in the cultural and creative industries. As a result you will be able to align vocational and educational training more closely to the needs of the jobs market and to develop cross-border collaborations with mentors and mentees in the creative and cultural industries.
Are you a Funder or Commissioner?
This handbook will give you greater confidence in commissioning and funding the services of organisations
that can demonstrate innovative best practice. As a result you will be able to align vocational and educational training more closely to the needs of the jobs market and to develop cross-border collaborations with mentors and mentees in the creative and cultural industries.
Are you a creative and cultural industries employer?
This handbook will help you foster long-lasting and meaningful relationships with vocational and educational training providers that respond to the contemporary jobs market, and thereby access new sources of young talent and creative potential.
Are you a Vocational and Educational Training Organisation?
This handbook provides numerous resources to help raise levels of excellence, exchange good practice, and align training and education to the jobs market in the growing creative and cultural sector. It also provides a pathway to recognising and validating the skills, knowledge and experience of staff.
Finally, are you a creative young person?
The Talent Matching Europe project is designed around your needs to support you to take control of your own career development. It will give you access to a community of specialist mentors and peer mentors who understand the creative and cultural industries and will enable you to learn, exchange and pass on skills, knowledge and experience with others.
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There isn’t a right or a wrong way to use the Playbook. You can start from the Infography or from the Storyboard or even from tha last page! What you have to know is that if you want to know more on a particular topic there is more in the ANNEXES Section!
Keep a sharp eye on the arrows, they will lead you to more food for your brain.
How to use the Playbook
It’s everything clear?
Let’s Start!
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section 2
Audrey is a 27 years old mentor who is interested in experiencing mentorship practice across Europe. She’s currently working at Fomentorland, a collective of mentors in the Creative and Cultural Industries. Their aim is to sustain artists in their career and support their future personal and professional development. Each mentor has experience in a specific sector and they share knowledge and cooperate with each other in order to give effective support. Audrey’s specific sector of interest is the performing arts. At this point of her career she’s looking to extend her experience of working abroad, so she’s looking for EU nations such as…
Where am I?
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CROATIA
CCI INSIGHTS > CCIs are made up of 45 activities grouped in 12 sub-sectors. > Recognized in developing tourism
Country Reports ANNEX 1 pg. 3
> CCIs are underdeveloped, unstructured, centralized, highly market and profit oriented > CCIs workforce are mainly self-employable (with job instability). > It is hard to start working because it is popular within higher social strata/closed social circles. > In CCIs there’s space for innovation, experiments, creation, self-organization of time and obligations, free, and there’s space of/for mutiny.
CR
OA T
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VOCATIONAL MENTOR IN CROATIA Usually the relationship of formal and non-formal education is:
Formal = adults (some CCI activities) Non formal = young people (mostly CCI activities)
CROATIAN MENTOR TO BE:
KEY SKILLS AND COMPETENCES:
Vocational Mentor characteristics to be a successful mentor are:
1. Psychology
• Activity (enthusiast activity, based on the will of mentor himself or the activity rather than the formalized profession and/or profiled vocational profession)
2. Sociology (Social Psychology)
• Expertize in a specific CCI field
4. Philosophy
• Experience over education and knowledge
5. Organisation of labour
• Association of/for Vocational Mentors in CCI
6. Management
• High expectations and illusions not to be transferred to young people because of their real situation (precarious work, exploitation, nepotism, long working hours and impossible job interview demands, lack of solidarity, community, etc.).
7. Methodology and Interdisciplinary approach
Barriers for Vocational Mentors are: • Peer to peer mentoring almost impossible due to workload resulting in little time for mentoring • Transitional confusion in the system (gaps in educational and employment system) • Lack of operative interdisciplinary in general
3. Pedagogy (highly creative)
8. Sectorial/general knowledge of CCI 9. Communication skill 10. Creative approach to young people 11. Entrepreneurship experience 12. Excellent knowledge and experience in IPR 13. Sensitivity 14. Ability to match individual dreams and expectations with opportunities and failures
• Huge difference between formal and informal edu-sector
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Creative and Cultural Industries 89,7 Bln Euro Finance and Insurance 81,4 Bln Euro Health Service 78,7 Bln Euro Construction 71,9 Bln Euro Metallurgy Mechanic 34,3 Bln Euro
ITALY Country Reports ANNEX 1 pg. 4
VALUE 2015 Total on GDP % of economy
EMPLOYMENT 2015 Total and % of economy
> > > > >
> > > > >
Creative Driven 34,3 Bln (2,3%) Cultural Industries 32,8 Bln (2,2%) Creative Industries 12,7 Bln (0,9%) Performing and visual arts 7,0 Bln (0,5%) Cultural Heritage 2,9 Bln (0,5%)
Creative Driven 577 K (2,4%) Cultural Industries 486,7 K (2%) Creative Industries 250 K (1%) Performing and visual arts 127 K (0,5%) Cultural Heritage 52 K (0,2%)
17% of employment matches are difficult (9% in other sectors) Major gaps are in competences for 7,3% and offer 5,1%
ITALY
Vocational Mentor in Italy The Vocational Mentor is a perfect unknown and has no qualifications.
THE BRIGHT SIDE Made In Italy CCIs on GDP and Employment in 2015 in %. Growing! > ITALY: 89,7 Bln. (6.1% of GDP) Employment 1492 K (6,1%)
THE DARK SIDE and some lights Youth Unemployment After seven years in 2015 the unemployment decreases. > OVERALL: 12,7% in 2014 444444444441,9 in 2015 (-0,8%)
> LAZIO: 14,7 Bln. (8,9% of GDP) Employment 202,6 K (7,8%)
> YOUTH: 43,1% in 2014 40,5 in 2015 (-2,6%)
> ROMA: 13,6 Bln. (10,0% of GDP) Employment 179,2 K (8,8%) > Growing: Performing Arts (5,5%) and Cultural Heritage (4,3%)
> NEET: 2.3 million in 2014 – 64 K in 2015 (-2,7%)
CCI INSIGHTS
There are two professional profiles in the National Agency repertoire close to the vocational mentor: Orientatore and Specialista delle Risorse Umane. It is expected and increase in employment by more of 2% at national and local level. In Lazio Region there are two profiles in the sector “Vocational Training and Labour Market”: 1) Management and Development of Human Resources Specialist, a professional able to manage the staff scheduling and HR in general and is in charge of professional and organisational development according to the company and the market. This profile is linked with national ones (ISTAT and ISCO classifications), and it is a cross-sectorial profile, so not specific for the CCIs. 2) Career Adviser, a professional able to support the development of career paths and individual employment projects by involving the network with orientation / training / references activities.
ITALIAN MENTOR TO BE: Youth work is uncertain even because there’s a latency time after the studies and in CCIs is a type of self-employed and freelance but the entrepreneurship culture and support has to be developed. The VET system is regional based and it isn’t innovative, it’s detached from the real world, too rigid even though there are some examples of new active politics at national level and new policies for apprenticeship and mobility.
KEY SKILLS AND COMPETENCES: Skills and competences can be listed in three big areas:
5. Effective management of the Mentorship (listening, monitoring, problem-solving, feedback) 6. Credibility 7. Strong motivation and sense of belonging 8. Generosity 9. High commitment and team spirit towards the Mentee 10. A sense of responsibility towards the Mentee 11. Ability to ask dialectically 12. Networking 13. Ability to learn and self-learn
• Relationships management capacity
14. Vision
• Communication process management capabilities
15. Courage
• Capacity and management of training techniques and learning processes.
SKILLS AND COMPETENCES NEEDED: 1. Effective communication / emotional intelligence /empathy 2. Addressing in professional careers or learning in the sector and the adjacent areas 3. Explaining in an objective way the career paths
KNOWLEDGE NEEDED: • In depth of the profession and the professional sector • Neighbouring areas to their professional field • Mentoring Program objectives • Organization/employer objectives • Mentee objectives
4. Identifying alternative career paths
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UNEMPLOYMENT
POLAND Country Reports ANNEX 1 pg. 6
Employment to population ratio among youth (15-24 years old) in the end of 2015 was 26,5% and in 2016 was 28,9%. Registered unemployed (people up to 25 years old): 2015: Poland 236 837, Silesian voivodeship 18 494 2016: Poland 179 203, Sielsian voivodeship 13 558 So in Silesia in 2016 decrease of unemployment in this group was 26,7% while in Poland 24,3%. In 2015, the number of all clients of career counseling made in all labour offices in Poland was 277,865. This means a decrease in the number of clients in 2015 by 47.6% (compared to 2014).
CCI INSIGHTS Creativity is developed the most in Masovian, Lower Silesian, Pomeranian and Silesian regions PO LA
ND
Design is the Polish “export product” and the most important sector Collaboration is a key competence (also cross-sectors) Barrier of development: lack of qualified workers
VOCATIONAL MENTOR IN POLAND In schools mentors are prepared on theoretical issues only, without meeting students’ needs No obligation to employ vocational advisers under junior high school level Student’s career offices don’t meet the needs of the labour market as well as education Problems on mutual understanding between representatives of culture and business because of communication and differences in values
POLISH MENTOR TO BE:
6. in CCI’s (up to date), educational opportunities (also courses/ trainings)
There isn’t a specific mentor in the Arts but there are career counselors in schools and in labor offices. The aims of the mentor in CCI’s should be:
7. Contacts/cooperation with people from different industries and sectors
• helping the decision making related to the specific career • analysing the professional context as a self-determination space for young talents • discovering strengths and weaknesses, talents and preferences • motivating and assisting during the success and the failure • helping with the dilemma between the passion for an artistic career and resistances (within the family mainly) There’s a lack of cooperation between business and mentors and no support for entrepreneurship.
8. Experience in working with different people at different positions 9. Ability to manage the group and mediate 10. Practice as a mentor/vocational advisor 11. Knowledge of copyright 12. Knowledge of the opportunities and rules for selfemployment
KEY SKILLS AND COMPETENCES: 1. Ability to build a relationship based on mutual trust 2. Ability to create a situations and space for learning 3. Ability to use different methods of working with the client
TOPICS IN THE OCCUPATIONAL PROFILES FOR MENTORS IN IVET IN THE ARTS:
4. Readiness for continuous self-learning and openness to changes
1. Ability to recognize talent
5. Empathy
2. Ability to analyze their own role with the client
6. Openness (especially with diversity)
3. Ability to communicate effectively (giving feedback and clear explanation included)
7. Interpersonal soft skills
4. Knowledge about how to organise the different working conditions
9. Access to the youths’ reality
5. Knowledge of psychology, neurodydaktyka)
learning
methods
(ie.
6. Knowledge of the mechanisms of the labor market especially
8. Understanding of the rules of the labor market in CCI’s 10. Artistic competences – some experience in artistic activities 11. Experience in running own business 12. Commitment
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CCI INSIGHTS
SPAIN
> Spain 2015: 46.524.943 ppl Unemployed 20,5% (9 537 613 ppl) SPAIN
Country Reports ANNEX 1 pg. 7
> Catalonia: 669 000 ppl, w (20-24 years) 37% (33 300 youth) unemployed migrant population 33, 22% (29 898 ppl) > Barcelona: 90 000 ppl, w (16-24 years) 27,1% (24 390 youth) > Less public funding despite the recognition that CCIs are a key (3,2% of Catalan economy especially tourism). > High rate of self-employed and job instability. > Space for innovation (e.g. new technologies).
VOCATIONAL MENTOR IN SPAIN Vocational Mentor is performed by many different professionals in an informal way but there isn’t an official recognition, neither a training support. Vocational Mentor can work as Youth practitioner (e.g. educador social) and/or CCIs expert trainer (AV technician, SpeciďŹ c project manager/director, New media expert and Work orientation professionals at youth services and job centres).
SPANISH MENTOR TO BE: Many professionals working with young people already mentor in many different ways. It will be a positive step for them to receive more recognition for these tasks and skills. To specifically focus on the CCIs has a lot of potential to foment long term careers, and boost a growing industry, especially in the new technologies sector. As training needs Vocational Mentors should: 1. Be able to communicate with social media for job development, job searches and application processes 2. Coaching with specific details about how to work with youths, and approach & motivate those at risk of social exclusion (in BCN: from low income and/or migrant background)
KEY SKILLS AND COMPETENCES: 1. Empathy and access to the young person’s reality 2. Empowerment approach (self-confidence, management & problem-solving)
conflict
3. Knowledge & experience with the arts and jobs in terms of activating good contacts with employers 4. Implementing effective self-promotion within specific field (e.g. video curriculum, LikedIn, infojobs, ETT etc.) 5. Ability to motivate and direct young people towards VET best suited to them 6. Ability to help young people discover their skills and present/sell them in the best way
3. Learn to selfassess, plan and promote oneself as a mentor in the CCIs
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UNEMPLOYMENT
MACEDONIA
Young people, 15-24, unemployed is almost double compared in adults (55.3% or 28.7% in 2011) The share of young people NEET in Macedonia is twice higher than the rate in the EU28 countries (15.3%)
Country Reports ANNEX 1 pg. 8
Women more likely to be out of the workforce, education and training. Job creation slowed considerably in 2011, with 8738 new jobs
CCI INSIGHTS The most represented creative industries are:
MACEDONIA
> > > > > > > >
advertising 13.9% publication 12.6% art crafts 10.9% ďŹ lm 9.6% ďŹ ne art 8.3% contemporary art 7.8% architecture 7.4% software 7%. 70% of CCIs products are intended for the domestic and foreign market
VOCATIONAL MENTOR IN MACEDONIA:
MACEDONIAN MENTOR TO BE:
Macedonia is quite new in the EU! Reforms needed to integrate and adapt EU practices in the VET system. Vocational Mentor is linked to Career Counsellor / Career Adviser with a cross-sectorial focus and no specialisation in either CCIs or VET.
Key organisations delivering VET provision for the CCI are: in the formal education sector, non-profit organisations and companies that provide non-formal programmes. Few of them have registered and certified their programme in the Centre for Adult Education.
Career Counsellor/Career Advisor is in charge of: 1. Identification of the needs and requirements for training of individuals and organisations 2. Setting of achievable objectives for HR development 3. Planning, designing, coordinating and implementing the development programmes 4. Development of teaching materials and support for training as handbooks, trainers supporting demonstrating models, etc. 5. Provision of different types research for elaboration of new systems and working materials 6. Monitoring and evaluation of current operations and assessment of methods, effectiveness and quality of training 7. Connection to external development of staff
experts
for
training
and
KEY SKILLS AND COMPETENCES: Set of communication skills will highlight openness, calm approach and capability to show empathy, ability to give guidance to nurture confidence, self confidence and self responsibility. Knowledge of: 1. Profession. Social science and psychology, economy entrepreneurship and business planning is a huge asset. 2. Methodology. To be capable to use tools in personal assessment for guidance in identification of personal values, beliefs, interests, setting goals, assessing skills and competences, drawing career plans for CCI, to have knowledge of CCI career possibilities in various CCI subsectors, to have network/database of CCI VET providers per subsector in the country, to have inventory of CCI employers, to have contacts and knowledge of possibilities in the active employment measures.
8. Other work on related matters
Experience of:
9. Control of other collaborators
1. Counselling for personal development 2. VET mentor or career counsellor at cross-sector level 3. Multi-sector experience as business entrepreneurship and marketing
development,
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UNEMPLOYMENT
UNITED KINGDOM Country Reports ANNEX 1 pg. 9
Unemployment in London is 2.5 times higher for young people than those aged 25-60. Estimated 36,500 young people are out of work and not claiming benefits.
CCI INSIGHTS > CCIs are 7.3% of the UK economy, around £71 billion and are growing at twice the rate of the economy as a whole. > Difficult to enter CCIs: High proportion of freelancers. Highly educated workforce. Entry often through voluntary internships and networks. > Different sub-sectors offer widely varying types of work, creative and non-creative roles. > High growth areas are IT software and computer services, games industry, film, tv and media, architecture, fashion and design, music, performing and visual arts. > New work styles and opportunities are attractive for young talent who feel at home in digital, creative work environment.
VOCATIONAL MENTOR IN UNITED KINGDOM UK
Related to Professional fields, a Vocational Mentor is focused on: 1) Artistic and creative practice (understanding of creative practices and the skills used in the creative process, actively practice in at least one art form, apply and adapt artform practice to cultural context). 2) Transferring knowledge and skills (mentoring, coaching and training). 3) Developing social potential (self awareness of personal and professional values, communication and teamwork).
Lessons learnt from Talent Match leaded in United Kingdom in recent years: 1. Taking a youth-centred approach and shape their own journey 2. Engagement with employers 3. Outreach to communities to ensure inclusion 4. Understanding barriers 5. Diagnostic skills 6. Engagement through participatory creativity 7. Peer learning 8. Youth advocates and peer-to-peer recruitment 9. Talent plans 10. Personalised support 11. Locations where young people want to be
UK MENTOR TO BE: Vocational Mentor in CCIs have three models: 1. Cultural Learning Practitioner, often highly experienced creative professionals who have experience of working with target groups outside mainstream education 2. Job Broker, professionals engaged in supporting people into employment and focused on networking. They may be referred to as career advisers (operating in schools, colleges and universities), or employment advisers (at Job Centres or private agencies in the context of Government’s Work Programme)
3. Mentor, often operate on a voluntary and usually informal basis within a work context. There are an increasing number of mentoring programmes and schemes.
KEY SKILLS AND COMPETENCES: Identified the following 10 topics relevant to the development of occupational profiles, competencies and training needs for Mentors in IVET in the arts: 1. Diverse workforce. Some highly qualified, others have gained experience “on the job” 2. Highly developed formal educational sector, yet undeveloped structures for validating and accrediting vocational training skills 3. High proportion of micro-businesses and freelancers means that practitioners can feel isolated and find it difficult to access training 4. Importance of cultural learning as a means of developing social inclusion 5. Entrepreneurship as relevant as employment 6. Recognition of diversity and identity in cultural expression 7. Reliance on intellectual property not physical assets 8. Diversity of scales and sub-sectors, cross-over between public and private 9. Networks and clustering 10. Learning by doing
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Audrey’s would like not just to enlarge her network and experience of another culture and context but also to try to introduce, to export in a way, Fomentorland to another European country. She’s so excited and proud of the hard work the founders of Fomentorland did during the last five years that her goal is to share her experience as a mentor abroad. She started last year thanks to Pablo (one of the founders and formerly her mentor), and she invested a lot of time in expanding the collective with the new generation of mentors. For instance she involved Camille, actually one of Audrey’s first mentees, in becoming a mentor and joining the collective.
Who Am I?
So last week Camille and Audrey were talking about… wait a second I haven’t already introduced you to these characters! What a heedless narrator…
(what I already have in my personal toolbox and what I need to develop!)
MISM DYNA
awareness
eclecticism
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curiosity uncontainable
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Audrey
Pablo
Camille
27 years old - Mentor to be
34 years old - Mentor
25 years old - Mentor
Personality traits: Pistachio lassi addicted. She loves watching Wes Anderson movies eating chips on her bed, not caring about crumbs. Sings only in show... er!
Personality traits: Ex Rockstar: front man in “The Gurus” rock band. He loves to wake up early in the morning and go running with his cocker spaniel Joe (his dream is to run the NYC Marathon).
Personality traits: Painter and sculptor. She travels frequently and walks without shoes as much as possible to feel the paths she is treading.
Favourite quote: “Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.” (Pablo Picasso)
Favourite quote: “Giant steps are what you take walking on the moon.”(The Police).
Emphatic young creative, who respects diversity, individuality and feelings of everyone (pets and plants included).
During a festival he realised that he loves tutoring young people to set up their own music band and become peer mentors.
Her strength is that she is a skillful communicator and her goal is to support other young people, like her, in their professional growth creating a peer relationship. She is aware of the challenges. To achieve her goal, she trained herself to improve her self-awareness and to learn how to develop personal strategies to growth, to be confident with her emotions as a facilitator so she can become a good Vocational Mentor.
Favourite quote: “What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” (Vincent Van Gogh). She’s an art teacher with the aim of introducing young people to the arts. Her particular point of view pushed her to start a career as a mentor to push artists to move forward their career with no fears.
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MISM
DYNA
awareness
eclecticism
line
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curiosity uncontainable
Coffe
on vocati
e courag
r BeerBeerBee BeerBeerBeer
Audrey works in Fomentorland as freelance with other mentors from all over the country. Every two to three months Audrey organizes a public event at a local Hub where candidates can meet mentors, and mentees can have a chat, share information and knowledge with each other, and can talk with others mentors. They call it the Talent Matching Work Cafe.
On Saturday 16th of September at 18:00 Audrey and the mentors of her network run the first TMWC of the season and new mentees arrived… Have I already introduced them to you? No? Ok… here they are... Definitions of Vocational Mentor in CCI’s ANNEX 2 pg. 11
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Luke
Mina
20 years old - Mentee
25 years old - Mentee
Personality traits: Fallout 3 addicted. He loves “The Dubliners” Irish folk band and his childhood dream was to become a Quidditch player.
Personality traits: She’s really upset when a font is wrong or objects are not aligned in a visual work. She grows succulents and bulbs in self-made pots.
Favourite quote: “Don’t let muggles get you down.”(J. K. Rowling)
Favourite quote: “Keep calm and cmd+S, one sec can save your life.” (designers united)
Luke is a talented guy who started dancing when he was five years old and he would love to continue dancing at professional level. He enjoys playing the piano and singing. Pretty curious and open minded about new jobs, he wants to be sure to take the right decision.
She graduated in industrial design but her passions are fabrics and handmade clothes. She would like to start a couture brand and open an atelier as a costume designer/dresser.
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Clio
Virgil
39 years old - Mentee
23 years old - Mentee
Personality traits: She enjoys doing origami for her three year old daughter Grace and she’s a self-thaught photographer. Her favourite movie character is the Little Mermaid.
Personality traits: Plays rugby as a hobby, he has never missed a match. Loves mountaintrekking.
Favourite quote: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” (Walt Disney) She graduated in History of Arts and after many years of experience as a curator she runs her own cultural organisation.
Favourite quote: “It’s not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” (Edmund Hillary) He started working as a plumber after finishing High School. He’s a self-taught artist-sculptor who works with wood, iron and other materials. He would like his talent to be better recognised.
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Scene 1
On Saturday 16th of September at 18:00 Audrey and the mentors of her network run the first TMWC of the season:
Job Description Role ANNEX 3 pg. 12
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MISM DYNA
awareness
eclecticism
curiosity uncontainable
Coffe
on vocati
ge
coura
er BeerBeerBe BeerBeerBeer
line
discip
Take a look at the scene, consider the body language, each character, the context etc. and engage with the following dialogues. In each dialogue wear the mentor’s shoes and select which answer you consider the most appropriate. Take notes about your selection and what you thought and compare them with the following section of the manual. 1) How to start a conversation. Luke: Hello, I’m Luke, I would like to have some info about mentoring and then maybe a meeting with a mentor... is this the right place? Do I have to fix an appointment? Audrey:
a) Hi Luke, I’m sorry, we’re in a bit of a mess at the moment
and I’m busy... can we fix an appointment for next week hoping there won’t be further problems?
b) Hi Luke, I’m Audrey, you are at the right place and yes I’m
a mentor! Don’t say a word, I know what you need. Nowadays it is fundamental to find genuine practitioners, and of course there aren’t any. Everywhere there are beginners who all make mistakes. We can’t afford to make mistakes because in modern societies what counts is to win.
c) Good morning Luke and welcome! I’m Audrey, I’m a mentor
and my professional profile is to facilitate young creatives who want to get into the job market, in particular in the cultural and creative sector. We can meet next week for an individual session in order to get to know each other a bit better, to focus your needs and skills and to support you in your choices. You are welcome to ask me any questions about my work. In the meanwhile, would you like to start telling me how would you describe yourself… in a creative way?
Luke: Mm… what to say… basically I’m waiting for my Hogwarts letter and at the moment I’m friendly with muggles. I’m exploring if someone belongs to Gryffindor by attending concerts, for example checking out The Dubliners’s fans (only a muggle can’t be crazy for Irish folk music). I’m an artist in my soul. Music and dancing are my native arts. I would like to practise sports such as Quidditch but at the moment I’m a kind of a geek... I discovered Fallout and now I’m definitely addicted... mm... what else to say... I’m pretty curious and I consider myself… amazing… oops! I would say enjoyable company of course! Audrey:
a) Uhm hm, but seriously, what do you do in your life? b) Ahahahah Luke! You’re so funny! I didn’t understand 90% of
what you said but I trust you… mug... what? Anyway, it doesn’t matter, I asked only to break the ice… let’s talk seriously now...
c) Clever! So, a Gryffindor artist… Irish folk music wow! I enjoy
that and, you know what? I’m not a muggle! Ahah! Well, now would you like to tell me why you feel you want to start the mentoring process?
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2) How to facilitate the conversation. Luke: I’m wondering about the possibility of going to University and at the same time applying for dancing jobs with theatre companies, for instance... actually my problem is that I don’t know which choice would be the best for me. I have a performing background in dancing and in music as well. Audrey:
a) Luke, I’m sorry but I have to say: you haven’t any chance to pursue any of these choices. Reflect on the fact that the University is not your real interest and, actually, in the past you failed in studies. At the same time you’re still weak as a dancer. Now you have to study hard and that’s it.
b) The University is a good start. But Luke, you have to take a decision and develop this winning skill... It is up to you…
Luke: I’m a bit confused about what to do... I love to dance but I’m not sure about how to become a practitioner and so do it as a job! Anyway, I think Tuesday at 4 pm would be fine. Audrey:
a) Maybe the University is not the best choice for you... you
should definitely select a model to follow what do you think about Roberto Bolle or Rudolf Nureev?
b) It is absolutely important to find your way... if you wait too long you’ll lose all your opportunities. Ah, I may need to change our appointment. Give me a call on Monday so I can confirm.
c) Reflect on your passion over the next few days. We’ll start our next conversation from this point. Have a nice week!
c) What do you feel about the choices you’ve mentioned?
Have you considered making a list with pros and cons? How about working on it for next Tuesday at 4 pm? MISM DYNA awareness
eclecticism
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3) How to introduce the mentee’s creative practice Camille: Hi! Nice to meet you, I’m Camille, may I help you? Clio: Hi, I’m Clio… actually I was curious about this mentoring… I’m not sure if it can work for me with my current situation... Camille: Why not? We can try to find out together! Let’s start from a simple question… Can you tell me about your current situation? Referring to your creative practice of course. Clio: Yes, well… I’m 39, mom of Grace, and I’m running a cultural organisation. I founded it four years ago after seven years’ experience as an independent curator… Just a year after setting up my organisation my daughter was born so my life is split between work and the baby. Now Grace is more grown up and I would like to focus again on my organisation to increase the activities. Camille: Interesting, may I ask you what kind of activities you want to increase? Clio: Of course, now we basically organize events, city tours but I would like to increase my offer and to enlarge my audience but I have no idea about what I can do at the moment… Talking from a realistic point of view. And also I’m not sure about the audience, about the interests of people...
Camille: Ok! If it’s fine for you I would ask: how about starting from what you enjoy doing? Clio: Well… I like photography, I’m an amateur but I’m quite good. I’ve also organized a small exhibition and the public seems to appreciate my photos. I don’t know if it counts... but... I really love origami too… I started when I was pregnant to make some decorations for my daughter’s bedroom but then I found out that I love making them. I still have this hobby because Japan has a wonderful tradition of origami art and a long history... Camille: How would you feel imagining that you transform your passions into activities to carry out in your organisation? Clio: Mm, well… it could be possible, in some way… I don’t know, I think I could feel happy organising this kind of activity… I never thought about this type of opportunity. I was more focused on understanding other people’s interests… But how would I make it profitable? I mean how can I transform my personal passion into an activity that is interesting to someone else? Camille: Well, I think we could work on it. If you agree, we could meet in a few days time. People are happy to experience art, to have a look at the behind the scenes, to engage with artists and works of art. You can think about it and if you feel that mentoring could interest you, feel free to contact me and we’ll fix a meeting. Here’s my phone number…
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4) How to introduce mentoring Pablo:
a) Hi, why are you chatting together? b) Welcome guys, what are you talking about? I think I should
talk first while you listen to me and then you can say what you think…
c) Hello guys and welcome! May I help you? Virgil: We were wondering about how the mentoring works… can you explain exactly what we have to do if we decide to start it? Pablo:
a) Oh no! you should start and then you’ll know how it works... b) … mm… it could be a long speech, I’m the mentor and you would be the mentees, we will work together to find you a job, basically.
c) Fair question, of course I’ll answer. Let’s start by saying
that our mentoring approach is a peer relationship between a mentor and a mentee. Who is the mentee? A young creative who wants to work in the creative and cultural sector. Who is the mentor? The mentor is a creative practitioner, expert in communication who has knowledge of the job market and Creative and Cultural Industries. If we start mentoring together, basically we’ll fix an individual meeting to talk about your current situation, needs and competences, from time to time we’ll schedule further meetings to work on specific topics.
Virgil: But… is there a standard? I mean… Mina and I are talking about our career and aspirations, as we’re focused on different fields, she’s designing clothes and I’m a sculptor, and we are talking with some other people here and they have different backgrounds and aspirations and I can’t see how it works, the process… we are so different... Pablo:
a) There will be a different approach for each one of you. b) …of course! Each mentee will have a different mentoring experience.
c) Well, of course the process is customised for each mentee.
The mentee is, indeed, the main character in the mentoring process, while the mentor is trained to facilitate him or her in raising self-awareness about his or her skills and competences, in improving shortcomings or in taking choices about the mentee’s professional path. Mina: And… how long is the mentoring process? Virgil: Is there a fixed number of meetings? Pablo:
a) No. But with me you have to fix a minimum of 10 meetings... b) No fixed number but the more you do, the better you will be!
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4) How to introduce mentoring c) Actually the length is customised depending on the mentee.
Basically the process is a short cycle of meetings, more or less 10-12 meetings for each cycle. Depending on the mentee the number of meetings can change, they could be 4 or 12 because specific needs are significantly different from mentee to mentee. After a cycle of mentoring, a mentee could decide to work on another specific aspect and so start the next cycle with the same mentor or with another one‌
Virgil: And about the mentor? Does the mentee have just one mentor or more than one? Pablo:
a) You choose me and you have me till the end. b) Each mentee has a mentor unless you are going to have some problem with him/her.
Mina:
c) During the mentoring you’re going to have a mentor during
And how long will each meeting be?
the whole cycle as a key reference. Your mentor could propose to add an affiliate mentor in case of need. The mentee could discard this opportunity or accept it and work on a specific topic with another mentor or have hints, suggestions or exposure to another point of view.
Pablo:
a) I couldn’t give you all my day for a single meeting. b) The meeting is 45 minutes long. c) Actually the duration of each meeting is usually aroundYNA45 MISM D
minutes to one hour. Of course if there are some awareness specific needs the mentor and the mentee could plan a different scheduling. The mentor could also invite the mentee to some particular activities that could be longer than a meeting. As I said before, line discip eclecticism it depends on each specific situation. curiosity
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5) Mentors about mentoring Camille: Pablo, Audrey told me she’s looking for some mentoring experience abroad but I was wondering about the context differences… Have you any information about the role of the mentor at European level? Pablo: Good question, Camille. The role of a mentor in the Creative and Cultural industries is not strongly developed or recognised. In some European countries it hardly exists. So, as a starting point it would be useful to define what a mentor is and what a mentor does. Like any other job, for instance… what is the job description of a mentor? Camille: What is the job description? It’s not so easy to write it down in few words… I’ve participated in the research we did over the last year. We brought together and analysed examples from six countries. At the end of it we found that this is a complex role, so to make it easily understandable we decided to break down what a mentor does into four areas: 1. engaging with creative young people 2. providing mentoring advice and guidance for young people
entering a creative career
3. delivering enterprise support 4. working with creative employers.
Pablo: Yes, that’s one of the problems and also we have to remember that not all mentors can work in all four areas, you can focus on each of these elements independently and build your learning incrementally. So, to continue about what skills, knowledge and experience do you need in order to be a mentor I started working with the other founders of Fomentorland on the experience of people who are working as mentors assembling a long list of these attributes. Then we came together in a workshop and boiled it down to what we thought were the most important priorities. And finally we tested and adapted this at a conference of practitioners in Barcelona, the one you also took part in. So the situation in Europe is different from country to country because of the different Educational frameworks and the National Authorities as well as the market and other factors. Audrey is a pioneer, you know her character very well, she loves challenges. Camille: Yes, Audrey is always inspiring! Referring to the learning materials, isn’t the handbook we developed and we use with our mentees and future mentors now on the Talent Matching Europe website? Isn’t it? I’m not sure if David uploaded it yet. Pablo: Yes, it is, and I’m using it to support us in recognising and developing the skills, experiences and knowledge we always have to improve! Even if I’m an experienced mentor I’m always learning from the experience, my peers, the young generation…
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5) Mentors about mentoring Camille: And innovation in the education, counselling and entrepreneurship field! Talking about new generations… I was wondering if I can suggest additional material to read to potential future mentors. One of my mentees has a caring character and a counselling background so I think he could become a very good mentor. We talked a lot about it and I think it could be the right time for him to get more info. What kind of material do you suggest me to tell him to read?
MISM DYNA
awareness
Pablo: If you have already talked about it maybe it’s time for him to have some more formal information about the job. I’m talking about the competency framework where he could find most of the information you’ve already provided but structured in a scheme, you know…
eclecticism
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Camille: Oh, yeah, it sounds like it’s the right time for him to look at these types of papers. Is it on the website?
line
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Pablo: Sure, we’ve revised it recently, have a look at it.
Do you really want to become a mentor? ANNEX 4 pg. 14
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Reading Audrey’s answer options in the Scene 1, were your answers more a), b) or c)?
a) You may have to review your desire to be a mentor. b) You have a good approach but you should improve your
communication skills. A little bit of practice can help you, go ahead!
c) You are on the right path to become a mentor. Don’t stop! Go ahead.
COMMUNICATION AND THE ROLE OF THE FACILITATOR
Behind the scenes (1)
Being a mentor is strictly connected to being a skilful communicator. So it is important to send a clear message to our interlocutors and to know how to communicate politely and respectfully with someone who needs our support. In a peer relationship communication has to respect diversity, individuality and the context of the mentoring. To work properly as a mentor you should be also a facilitator. The facilitator’s goal is to draw out the best from the stakeholders whilst at the same time helping the mentee to clarify their point of view and express it in the best way. Remember to take into account the following suggestions during the mentoring relationship: 1. Keep actively listening to the mentee and stay focused on
him/her throughout
2. Adopt a polite language and encourage the mentee to
express his/her ideas
3. Highlight positive inputs from mentees and transform
negative aspects into positive ones
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4. Avoid dogmatic judgments and negative criticisms
• Develop reliability, punctuality, consistency
5. Avoid sentences like: “you have to…”
• Peer-to-peer outreach
6. Avoid polarised concepts like: right-wrong, true-false,
good-bad, win-lose, strong-weak etc.
7. Instead, assess relative options such as advantages and
disadvantages, pros and cons
8. Keep the focus on the main point with short summaries of
what has been said and agreed
Stimulate concrete discussions asking mentees to give real examples from their own experience to avoid a too abstract approach. Before continuing with Audrey, Luke and people from Fomentorland, take a look again at the first scene, at the dialogues and what happen. This time I want you to reflect on Fomentorland, the characters, their work and the relationship they establish thanks to the Talent Matching Work Cafe. Consider the following chart and select the competences you think the mentors have in order to provide their services. • Health & safety • Understanding young people’s environment and how to
reach them
• Understanding expectations of young people starting out
on the career ladder
• Networks of organizations working with young people • Advantages and disadvantages of different communication
methods
• Effective communication • Respect and include diversity
• Professional but with “street cred” • Co-working / team working / co-creation • Positive about partnership and collaboration • Building networks with other organizations, bridge building • Enthusiasm and capacity to inspire and motivate • Using ICT communication tools that young people use • High ability to separate personal and professional issues • Conflict resolution • Positive view of themselves and confidence in their own
strengths and abilities
• Be able to formulate policies and programmes and/or
arrive jointly at decisions, conclusions or solutions
Have you recognized all of these competences being demonstrated in the scenes? Yes, the correct answer is that the mentor has to develop all those competences while mentoring. Are there some competences you haven’t recognized? Maybe it would be clearer in the next scenes. Try to identify any competences you did not select in the first stage and look out for them while continuing reading the story. What is the role of a mentor in a mentoring relationship? ANNEX 4 pg. 15
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Scene 2
Planning and managing mentoring meetings ANNEX 4 pg. 16
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Creative Industry Mentoring
1) Initial phase of the first meeting Luke: Good morning, I called two days ago asking for a meeting today at 10.00 am. My name is Luke. Audrey:
a) Good morning Luke, so, what do you do in your life? b) Good morning Luke, I’m Audrey and I’m a mentor. As I said
when we met at the Talent Matching Work Cafe the mentor is new occupational role that helps young talented people to access the job market, and we specialise in supporting people into careers in the creative and cultural industries. This meeting will last around 45 minutes and I’m going to ask you some questions about your professional life. Later on we’re going to talk about your skills and competences... (for at least 30 minutes)... so... what about you?
c) Good morning Luke and welcome! My role here as a mentor
is to help you. Let’s start as scheduled, by asking you to talk about your ongoing occupation and activities. Would you like to start telling me what do you enjoy doing?
2) During the meeting Luke: I’ve just finished High School and I’m searching for a job or a course at university. On weekends I work as carpenter and last summer I worked as a waiter to save some money. Three times a week I take classical and contemporary dance lessons. I love playing the piano, I started taking lessons when I was 16. I can sing as well and I really like it, but I’ve never taken lessons. I’m also looking for an acting course at university level, because I’m interested also in developing my acting skills, but, I have to admit that I’m not sure if it fits for me, actually… Audrey:
a) So... you are a carpenter but you want to be an actor, right? b) Wow Luke, you seems very busy with this long list of
activities! You should choose one of them and work hard to improve the needed skills. The best move could be: to attend a course at a university so that you can gain a formal recognition. Remember that there are many singers and actors, so the competition is high. In my opinion you have to focus on dance only.
c) Good for you Luke, thanks to these working experiences you
will develop useful skills to start your career. You mentioned you’re not sure about acting as a career. May I ask you what activity makes you happy?
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2) During the meeting Luke: I love to dance, of course, and to sing as well. I feel completely free and totally positive when I dance or sing. Sometimes I’m so worried about how to find a job in this field and what kind of option I can apply for that I feel that I can’t succeed. So... I think I would like to study as an actor because I could find a job more easily. Audrey:
a) Don’t waste your time any longer and apply for a job you can afford!
b) Good morning Luke, I’m Audrey and I’m a mentor. As I
said whUhm, maybe you are right, studying as an actor is the best idea, and then your dancing and singing talent could be additional skills or a secondary job...
c) That sounds lovely. I feel your passion about the Arts. Can I ask you to think about an activity or a job that brings together dance, music and theatre? Luke: Uhm, ok. Maybe I could join in a musical production, where all my interests are involved at once!
c) Interesting! How do you feel about the possibility to start working in that field? Luke: I’ve never thought about this opportunity, I mean never seriously. I’ve always been afraid about the competition, about how hard it would be... Audrey:
a) Never mind, now I’ll help you to do something effective. b) Oh! Why haven’t you ever taken it seriously? You should have done, now you have to recover the time you’ve lost!
c) That’s understandable and we’ll keep in mind your feelings
about it and we’ll learn how to hear and manage your emotions. I propose you to continue considering the opportunity in these days and start working on it together during the following meeting, if you agree of course. What are your feelings about this idea? Luke: I should follow your suggestions. I feel that there’s a lot of work to do and to reflect on... but we will succeed... I hope...
Audrey:
a) Ok, we have found what to do, so... let’s go!Audrey: b) I think that’s the right answer. Actually musical productions can give you the chance to dance, sing and act at the same time. Now you have to find a good programme to develop your skills.
Listening and questioning skills ANNEX 4 pg. 18
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3) Conclusion of the meeting Audrey:
a) Perfect, we have done. See you next time! b) Actually Luke I have finished with you for today, there’s
4) How would you reply in these cases Luke: I would like to become a musicals actor! Audrey: Audrey:
another mentee waiting for me, so I have to ask you to leave. We can meet next week at the same time, I would recommend you to find a good course for studying musicals for the next time! Remember: you don’t have to waste more time!
a) Ok! So, you have to start acting in musicals asap. You should
c) Ok Luke, our time together is going to end for today but I
acting of course, at least 14 hours a day, every day, in a prestigious drama academy. The only ones you can attend for success are in big cities. They are quite expensive so on weekends you’ll have to find a job. You should go immediately to apply and to find a flat, a job...
feel that something interesting has come out of our meeting. Before leaving I want to give you a little homework for the next week: have a look around you and search for any course or programme at university, academy or any other type of school that you think you would like to attend in order to work in musicals. We can talk about it next time. You have my contacts, in case. Thank you, see you on Wednesday! Luke: Ok, if I need to I’ll call you asking for your help. I’m still a little bit confused about my future…
move to a big city, and try busking in public spaces where there are crowds and wait for a big theatre director to scout you. GO!
b) Uhm, I know the path you have to take. You have to study
c) Have you found any courses about musicals or similar yet? How about looking around for opportunities you feel interested in? Luke: Please can you apply for me to that drama college, please! I can’t do it, only you can help me! Audrey:
a) You may think my name is Merlin the wizard? b) Yes, sure! Any help is good help. c) Luke, I understand your point, but you came to me to Manage feedback ANNEX 4 pg. 19
work together in order to invest your time for your future and becoming independent as a practitioner. Of course I’m at your side supporting you but I know you have all the skills to succeed. Try to prepare a draft of the application and if you feel you need a feedback before the submission, send it to me.
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Reading Audrey’s answer options in the Scene 2, were your answers more a), b) or c)?
a) You may have to review your desire to be a mentor. b) You have a good approach but you should improve your
communication skills. A little bit of practice can help you, go ahead!
c) You are on the right path to become a mentor. Don’t stop! Go ahead.
EMPATHY is the action of being aware of the past or present feelings and thoughts and experience of another person without having the feelings, thoughts and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.
Behind the scenes (2)
When I’m empathetic, I stay focused on the other person. I’m sensitive too but I remember that the feelings and experiences are his/her own not mine and in that specific moment he/she is at the centre of the relationship. Above all, empathy is an ability we have as human beings, to feel. We can continue developing it everyday to improve our relationships and quality of life, both our own and other people’s. Which signals communicate empathy? 1. A relaxed posture and respect for personal space 2. A relaxed posture that transmits positive and welcoming
feeling
3. Consideration for the mentee’s personal space.. The mentor
should know how to be close to the mentee without making him feel oppressed or attacked
4. An active listening approach 5. Being sensitive and receptive to the mentee
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6. Creating a non-superficial relationshipAvoid sentences
like: “you have to…”
7. Observing the mentee’s signals and checking the
efficiency of communication and the mentee’s mood (by his posture, gesture, silences etc.)
SELF AWARENESS Mentoring starts with the needs and
character of the mentee. The mentor has to recognise the mentee’s own talents and limits. Without this recognition a mentoring relationship will not be possible. A good practice to become more aware about ourselves is to imagine during the day that we have a camera recording our action and feelings. We are the main character and a critical spectator at the same time. Try to imagine the camera turned on as long as possible in order to train our capability to be focused on the present. Thinking about the recording camera we can ask ourselves: How do I feel in this moment? Am I happy about what I’m doing? Am I doing my best or acting coherently with my values/needs? What can I learn from this uncomfortable situation/mistake? What can I improve? At the end of the day it could be useful to take notes about what thoughts and insights come out from doing this exercise. About limits: Yes, we all have them. Fine. Facing them is a challenge that a future Mentor lives with, hopefully everyday!
• a psychologist • babysitter, factotum or similar 3. Always be gentle but clear about your boundaries and the
mentee’s responsibilities.
ENGAGE YOURSELF - CHALLENGE YOURSELF Try to
reflect on the role of the mentor and think about how you would have replied to a mentee or how you would have managed the situations described so far if you were Audrey or Camille or Pablo. What kind of skills and knowledge do you think you already have? Challenge yourself in recognising any of the following and grade your competences on a scale from 1 to 5: 1. Knowledge of current education opportunities 2. Ability to create a conducive learning environment 3. Ability to think “out of the box”, be enterprising and
entrepreneurial
4. Capacity to adapt to the mentee’s needs in creating an
individual learning agreement
5. Understanding
of producing a talent plan, career development plan or alternative pathways into a creative career
6. Vision 7. Ability to set priorities
What can help us and mentees?
8. Understanding of interdisciplinarity
1. Start from little steps, concrete, simple and achievable
9. Self-awareness and ability to map yourself
2. The mentor is not:
10. Ability to recognise talent
• a friend • a magician • a mother or a father
11. Knowledge of learning processes: methodology, learning
style, managing groups / varied methodology styles
12. Skills to provide and manage one-to-one support
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If you evaluate your competences in a range from 1 to 3 then you could consider doing further learning through a course, intending your experiences, chatting with mentors and seeking out other available learning materials, such as those in the bibliography or on the TME website and Open Educational Resource.
Run wit h Juan
If you evaluate your competences on a range from 4 to 5 then these are areas you could continue to develop by seeking out a wider experiences and analysing and evaluating the results. Compare your results with peers, ask for their opinion and their strategy and approaches to developing their competences in specific areas. You could ask a mentor to help you define a learning strategy.
ll and a e th y Fan Steel
Creative Industry Mentoring
Networking ANNEX 4 pg. 20
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What are my aspirations? (What I really want to do, in which way and why)
Scene 3
Tuesday 26th September: How to respond to Audrey’s feedback and what action to take. Luke and Audrey are at a second meeting. Luke reports the actions taken during the previous week and sets future actions with Audrey’s support.
A) Working with young people ANNEX 5 pg. 21
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Second meeting between mentor and mentee Audrey:
a) Luke… what’s wrong? b) Hi Luke, I really hope you’ve successfully completed your
homework since we last met, otherwise obviously we can’t go on with any further meetings. It wouldn’t be fair in relation to my work if you don’t collaborate… I’m here for you but you have to work too.
c) Hi Luke, nice to see you again. How’s it been going this week since we met? Do you want to tell me what has happened since then? Luke: Hi Audrey, I feel relaxed enough, thanks. I feel things are more in order than last week. I’ve searched for acting courses and I think my ideas are clearer. I would be interested to attend a course that is going to start next month. It is acting for musicals. I’ve also found an audition for a dancing and acting company at the local theatre. So now I’m uncertain about which option to choose. I would like to do both of them... Audrey:
a) Of course, both. Mah... b) No Luke, you can’t choose both options, you have to decide one way to start your career.
c) Good for you! It’s amazing to hear such positive news! You’ve found a course to attend and an audition to go for. Tell me more, please. Can I ask you if you have already thought of a strategy to combine them?
Luke: It is an annual course, led by the National Academy Theatre, with a certificate recognized in the musical field. But to attend the course I need a job for my everyday expenses. There are scholarships available but I have to apply for it with a motivation letter, my cv (even though it is optional) and an interview (that is a live performance). The audition is for a contract job for the contemporary ballet season. They ask for my cv and an interview (a live performance again) after the barre class of the day. I’m worried that there is so much to prepare, I don’t know where to start! I’m worried also about which option to choose and I can’t take this decision. I’m going to lose these chances for sure! Audrey:
a) Ok, ok. I’m sorry Luke but I’ve lost some parts of your speech. Can you repeat please?
b) Oh Luke, you are so confused, of course but you have to be clear in your mind or you’re going to take a wrong decision! Keep calm!
c) Luke, I understand both of these chances for you. These
opportunities sounds very interesting and you should invest your best energies to try for them both. If you think about it, the materials requested are similar: the live performance and the cv. For the audition you have to be prepared for the barre class, but for a dancer this is considered a basic skill, correct me if I’m wrong. The course is the only one that asks for a motivation letter. How about checking and underlining the common things required for both options, so that you can reflect on these applications and decide if you want to apply for both of them or just one? How do you feel about it?
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Second meeting between mentor and mentee Luke: I would prefer to work on it. With your help I feel I can succeed. Thinking about the live performance once I did a solo that was absolutely captivating for the audience! It was for the summer city festival... the audience was thrilled about it. I would love to perform that solo again, I continue practising it. There are still some parts I should improve… but I can work on it. Audrey:
a) Uh! Which festival are you talking about? And your cv? b) Mm Luke, are you sure that the audience was excited? I should see your performance to suggest how you could improve it. What about your cv?
c) Lovely! You can use this method in the future if you find
it useful to list the main points of a certain option and have an overview of it… I feel your enthusiasm about this solo performance, it sounds great! If you agree, it would be a pleasure for me to see your performance. It seems you have a great solo, so keep working on it. And what about your cv? Luke: I like the cv I prepared but I’m not sure it is going to work. Basically there are all my working experiences but I feel it doesn’t express myself. Could you review it? Audrey:
a) Yes and hopefully I should correct it, right? b) Of course Luke, I have to. Nowadays writing a cv is a big
c) I’m here to support you of course! I totally understand your
feeling about expressing your personality. You could email me your cv so I can review it and during the following meetings we can work on it together if you would like to! Luke: It would be great! Thank you! Audrey:
a) Ok! We have done for today! bye! b) Ok Luke, I have to finish with you for today. As you know, I
have another mentee that is waiting for me, so I have to ask you to leave. We can meet next week at same time.
c) Perfect Luke, today we have worked a lot! We’ve agreed
to continue working at the solo and your cv. The next steps I suggest for our next meeting are: send me an email with your cv, so that I can review it before we meet again, then I ask you to list (on paper) “pros, cons and possible solutions” for each of the chances you told me about today. Prepare three sheets, the first for the course, the second for the audition and the third for both options. In each sheet add three columns, one for the pros, one for the cons and one for the possible solutions for each of the cons. Can you bring with you the sheets next time we meet please? I ask you also to reflect about what we’ve done today and the homework in order to remember these tips for the future. Do you feel happy with this? Luke: Yes it seems clear, I’ll do that.
issue because people don’t know how to write it to emphasise their experiences. Of course, I have to check and correct it.
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Second meeting between mentor and mentee Audrey:
a) Ok. b) Ok sorry I’m in a rush, I have to say goodbye! c) Thank you Luke! So we can meet next week on tue at the same time. Is that ok for you? Luke:
Name
Address Cell No., E-mail
CV
Personal Bio data:
Yes it will be ok! See you! Thank you! Audrey:
a) Bye! b) Ok see you! c) See you then, have a nice week!
Qualification:
Other Qualification:
Experience:
Languages:
B) Entrepreneurial Skills Check ANNEX 5 pg. 27
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Reading Audrey’s answer options in the Scene 3, were your answers more a), b) or c)?
a) You may have to review your desire to be a mentor. b) You have a good approach but you should improve your
communication skills. A little bit of practice can help you, go ahead!
c) You are on the right path to become a mentor. Don’t stop! Go ahead.
ABILITY TO AGREE ON FUTURE ACTIONS In accordance with the ‘little steps’ tip, the ability to agree on future actions is the capability to schedule actions, events, etc., in order of importance and the ability to communicate that process to the mentee.
Behind the scenes (3)
How? Working with the mentee on: 1. Investing limited time to define the situation 2. Setting a clear and agreed target 3. Evaluating previous strategies to understand mistakes,
learn from them and improve
When we want to move forward from a difficulty we usually say: I have a problem, I don’t know how to deal with it etc. If we try to look at it from a different point of view, we can find out that what we call “problem” is a set of factors that we can easily solve using an approach known as “scientific method”. Basically you have to break down the problem into several minor factors and work on them separately. Start with the first one and continue one by one until they are finished. The best way to solve a problem is to separate it into smaller parts and start facing them one by one instead of trying to solve the whole problem in one go.
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So from a “big problem” that looks very hard to resolve, we’ll have many “smaller issues” we can actually manage to deal with. How? Write down and work on: 1. Defining the problem (focus on the most evident aspects of
the issue)
2. Searching for the causes
7. Team working/ co-help in developing creative activities 8. Intellectual Property Rights 9. Pricing 10. Marketing 11. Recruitment and outreach
3. Setting the goals to change the situation 4. Identifying the resources to search for the causes and the
evidences of the problem and useful to change the situation
5. Defining a possible strategy to use the resources
After having written down the contents listed in the previous points, try different strategies and evaluate them in order to improve it and repeat.
Are there any other areas of knowledge that you think are important?
Audrey is supporting Luke in understanding his talent, how to start his career and which steps he feels most comfortable to start with, while during the Talent Matching World Café Camille was introducing Clio to mentoring through approaching her possible career as an artist and creative entrepreneur. Mentoring could merge these dimensions (artistic practice and entrepreneurship) in order to encourage the most suitable solution for the mentee. Mark which of the following points you think are key area of knowledge for the Creative and Cultural Sector that a mentor has to share with the mentees: 1. Current CCI awareness/ understanding 2. Dealing with legal employment practice 3. Alleviate system (institutional) obstacles and barriers 4. Collaborative co-working 5. Referring people to industry contacts/ engage employees
C) Understanding of Creativity ANNEX 5 pg. 30
6. Building networks/ bridge building
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Tuesday 24th of October. Luke’s first audition will be on 31th Oct.
Scene 4
Luke has called Audrey some days in advance of the planned meeting because he is anxious about his interview for the theatre company. He feels worried so Audrey decided to change the location of the scheduled future meeting and see Luke in a park.
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Audrey:
Audrey:
a) Luke, so… what’s wrong?
a) Wait and listen to me, keep calm.
b) Hi Luke, why are you so worried after all our work??? Now I
b) Luke I told you it’s not correct to be afraid. You have to calm
feel as scared as you about my work, because if you are going to fail the interview it would be also because of me. So keep calm and do the interview relaxed.
c) Hi Luke, after your call I proposed to meet you outside
because some fresh air will benefit us. I heard your voice so intense and stressed… Please, tell me how do you feel about your audition? Luke: Hi Audrey, I feel very anxious, I can’t concentrate on what we worked on, it seems that I don’t remember anything, not even my Solo! I’m so worried that I’ll forget something essential. It’s horrible. Sometimes I am thinking to give up. Audrey:
a) Don’t be crazy. You know those things very well! Calm down and don’t let the anxiety win!
b) Oh no Luke! That’s a shame! I can’t believe you forget them, I’m sure if you concentrate you’ll remember. Please, try! Calm down and don’t let the anxiety win!
c) I understand that this is an important moment and you’re
worried about the audition. Your anxiety is absolutely natural and welcome. Usually we feel anxious when needed and it could be very useful to learn how to listen to our anxiety. Luke: Oh mm… I can’t imagine anxiety as an useful thing...
down if you want not to fail.
c) Yes Luke, it can be useful, it depends on our attitude. If we
constantly ignore anxiety, it will scream louder until it blocks us. We should let the anxiety express itself in order to receive the internal message. Anxiety can contribute to push the performance in a competition, to be actively concentrated, more receptive and motivated. Now I would like to ask you to think about a specific moment in your life when you felt a healthy anxiety that helped you give a good performance. Can you tell me what happened? Luke: Actually I remember the moment I performed at the Summer Festival. It was the opening performance and there were my family and a lot of my friends. It was my first opening performance, I was a bit anxious actually, but I was also excited because I’ve always dreamed of opening an evening event with a performance. I worked a lot to be prepared for that solo and I didn’t want to make mistakes. At the end it was a great opening. Audrey:
a) Exactly, so keep calm. b) Luke you need to calm down as well for the interview. c) Can I ask you what in on your opinion was the main reason why it was a success?
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Luke: I think because I didn’t panic, I kept focused on the work. Actually I knew which aspect I had to take care of and so I did. Yes, I think this made the difference. Audrey:
a) So! Don’t panic as well. b) Luke I suggest you for the interview to take some extra dance classes.
c) You kept focused on the time you spent and, being aware of it, you didn’t panic. Imagine now your work, you feel excited and determined to perform at your best, as you did at festival. What is the key fact that has made this new mood possible? Luke: Uhm… I probably would have stopped thinking about what mistakes I can make and continue working on being aware that I’m doing good work and maybe I could give myself the chance to have some breaks and free time after these crazy working days! Audrey:
a) Finally you get the point!
Audrey:
a) Ok. b) Ok but Luke remember, not too much rest before the performance.
c) I’m happy to hear you saying this. If you agree I suggest
to start today with a little gratification and so on every future day. You can tell me how it is going before your interview, if you need to of course, I’m here to support. Luke: Thank you Audrey, but what about next meeting? Audrey:
a) Oh, next week as usual. b) Oh yes Luke! Thanks for reminding me of that. We will continue our meetings every week on the same day, at the same time.
c) Well Luke, I honestly believe that you have done excellent
work, your interview is going to be next week so if you feel you need to fix a new meeting we could schedule it just after the interview. What do you think about it? Luke:
b) Yes Luke but I suggest you don’t have breaks, that part is
Perfect Audrey, many thanks.
c) It seems a good idea. How do you feel with the opportunity
a) Ok bye!
wrong now.
to have more breaks to refresh your mind and have some rest for your body? Do you think this would improve your work? Luke: Of course I already feel better and for sure more relaxed.
Audrey:
b) You’re welcome Luke. Anyway, I think you should call me after the interview!
c) That’s all right! Keep in touch, you know where you can find me! Bye and good luck for the interview!
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Reading Audrey’s answer options in the Scene 4, were your answers more a), b) or c)?
a) You may have to review your desire to be a mentor. b) You have a good approach but you should improve your
communication skills. A little bit of practice can help you, go ahead!
c) You are on the right path to become a mentor. Don’t stop! Go ahead.
Be confident with your own emotions.
Behind the scenes (4)
We can realise quite quickly that there are basic and secondary emotions. To help and facilitate others a Mentor needs to learn how to manage them. Knowing them isn’t enough. The mentor has to accept his/her own emotions as a first step. Then work on how to manage emotions with a positive approach in order to find out useful resources. The term resource in counselling is used to mean a positive aspect we can gain from an experience. It can be something that I learn or that I find out from that experience, in a positive sense. These resources could also be valuable to mentees and so the mentor can train them. It is likely that a mentee, who contacts us to start being mentored, will be feeling negative emotions (such as fear, anxiety, envy, frustration and so on) and positive feelings (as the energy and motivation to work independently). Managing negative feelings is not as easy as it might seem. How can we manage negative feelings? And can negative feelings be a resource instead a block? Basically we have to start thinking about feelings as a whole, not split into good and bad ones. In this way we also avoid polarization, so that positive-negative feelings are no longer
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associated with right-wrong behaviours and attitudes.
• Understand learning and mentoring style
There are many studies, in the counselling field and psychology, focused on emotions and Emotional Intelligence. In order to work on them, it can be useful to remember to:
• Communicate effectively with people holding or expressing
1. Accept all feelings when they arise and do not try to inhibit
•
2. Don’t judge the feeling, whether it is your own or somebody
•
them, the effect will be unexpected
else’s, and be empathic. Think about when you were anxious/ scared/ angry/ sad and someone probably told you: “calm down and relax/ don’t worry/ don’t be scared/ angry. Don’t be sad.” This is the most common reaction regarding negative feelings. But what about : “It’s fine, It’ll be ok.” or “I understand you, I’m here.”?
Think about the relationship between Audrey and Luke and the type of support she provided him. Try to remember her approach, even the words she used while mentoring. Consider the following chart and select the competences you think Audrey demonstrated while mentoring Luke. • Provide supportive environment • Communicate effectively, openly and honestly • Understand youth-centred approach • Listen actively for and observe, tone, emotions, body • • • • • •
language, words Aware of personal and professional strengths, values and goals Check understanding Problem solving Develop rapport with mentees Code of ethics, principles and policy governing the way of mentoring How to undertake an initial needs assessment
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
diverse values and opinions Emotional intelligence Initiative Independent and organized Empathy Respect and include diversity Identify and recognise young people’s attitude Assessment skills Knowledge of experiential learning and ethical practice Able to effectively describe, analysis and evaluate difficult and/or challenging situations High ability for introspection and the willingness to develop and review ones’ own effectiveness Sense of responsibility Flexible Mindfulness Basic psychology and counselling techniques Negotiate or exchange ideas, opinions and information with others Develop mentee’s self confidence and motivation Support young people to mentor each other Non-judgemental and encouraging Belief in the young person’s abilities, skills and attributes
• Show warmth and positive regard
Have you recognized all of them in the scenes? Yes, the correct answer is that the mentor has to develop all those competences while mentoring. Are there some competences you haven’t recognized? Maybe
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it will be clearer in the next scenes. Try to remember those activities and responsibilities you would have not selected at the first stage and find them while continuing reading the story. The following exercise could be useful to practise in managing our “negative” emotions:
FEAR Yes, all of us feel fear. Fortunately. It’s an emotion that is very close to the survival instinct so we have to thank her.
ANXIETY Guess what? No-one will tell you to calm down! Take your anxiety aside and say Thank You! Yes, when anxiety comes it is a natural human message that something is worrying us and we should take heed of it.
Furthermore, without fear courage would not exist. If you have ever believed that to be brave means to be fearless, change your mind.
So literally, date with her! Dress up, and let’s go for a walk!
As a talented mentor to be, you have to apply this statement: In order to be brave, fear could be our first ally, once we learn how to manage it!
While walking outdoor maybe in a park, a garden, a place you love, ask yourself the question: What am I worried about?
Find out what’s your fear. How? Think about an aspect or a situation in which you feel stationary or blocked and ask yourself:
Listen to yourself and allow the anxiety to turn into adrenaline!
What holds me back? What could go wrong if? Take a notebook and start writing about it. Just let the words flow. Write until you feel it’s enough. Then just read what you’ve written without judging. Then write at least one resource that you can gain from what came out. What action could/would you take to improve the situation? Each positive action, news, thought that arrives is welcome! Let’s try to work step by step everyday.
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Scene 5
Do you really want to be a Vocational Mentor?
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MISM DYNA
awareness
eclecticism
curiosity uncontainable
Coffe
on vocati
ge
coura
line
discip
Audrey: Hello everyone and thanks for joining our Talent Matching World Cafè. We’re going to start today with a moment of peer to peer communication and knowledge sharing about some news and opportunities we’re arranging with our partners. And then we’ll continue chatting about our projects and mentoring process… as usual. In recent months Camille, Pablo and I have received a lot of requests about possible internships that you, as mentees, want to apply for in order to have a working experience in a safe and supportive environment. As I had the occasion to discuss with some of you, all of us agree on the value of offering this opportunity while mentoring because the internship can give you a direct taste of the type of job, sector or organization with a learning hat. So Camille started talking within her network looking for a structured way that could fit with Fomentorland and… Camille: And I had a conversation with the Chamber of Commerce of our city asking them for some help in connecting artistic values and practices with the traditional businesses they are in touch with. They expressed their interest in developing this potentiality starting with digital professionals. They are carrying out a project to facilitate traditional businesses in hiring people for job profiles such as a storyteller, an interaction designer and community engagement/developer orto work with the marketing and communication staff. Clio: Camille I’m interested in it. Do you know something more about what kind of artistic language are they interested in? I’m thinking about storytelling and audience engagement that involves photography, do you think that this could be an
opportunity for me? Camille: Thank you Clio for your question. We did not indicate the specific type of artistic practice because I would like to give you all the possibility to accept the challenge. The risk I would see if we listed a specific profile, is that they would then look for a very narrow set of criteria. Remember that this is an internship so they’re not looking for an experienced profile. Luke: This doesn’t fit with my professional development at all. Why can’t I have some support in applying for an internship at the National Ballet? Audrey: If you don’t mind Camille I want to reply to Luke. The artistic practice can cover a large range of activities and opportunities. Especially nowadays with an increasingly interest in innovation. With reference to classical dance, the ballet, reflect on how the way of introducing people to ballet has changed during the last five-ten years. Have you ever seen a behind the scenes or a live audition on social media? If you think about it, interest in dance companies, operas, even classical dancers, is now coming from many people that in the past may have considered it too posh for them. For instance this opportunity, Luke, could give you an insight about how to spread the word about your way of interpreting dance and body movement. Have you ever thought about it like that? Luke: Mm, it’s not the first idea I had in mind while thinking about me as a dancer but… yeah… understanding how to engage people in what I love, and to express it with photos, words, the music etc would be helpful for me.
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Pablo: If I can add something, Luke, because this happens frequently while mentoring: that you are introduced to a different working perspective or working potentiality. The aim of the opportunity that Camille arranged for us is to give you a taste of a job role. In the case of Clio it could be a real job or it could be useful for her as a way to help her cultural association grow and develop, or it could be a learning opportunity to develop communication skills as for Luke. Camille: So I’ll be in charge of facilitating the connections between mentees and the businesses. I suggest to reflect on the opportunity, talk with your peers and your mentor and if you want to take part, ask me to apply. I would be happy to facilitate the process. Audrey: Thank you Camille for offering your support. Later on we can discuss and respond to your questions, doubts, possible concerns about it. I would love to continue this plenary session by asking those who participate in the event titled “CCIs: an emerging sector?” to share with the rest some of the information they picked up. Who wants to start? Virgil: I will. So, the theme was about some numbers in terms of gross national production, employees and businesses. And all of us already now that it is a growing sector. What was new for me is the fact that when we talk about the Creative and Cultural Industries we are referring to so many subsectors! I mean, I understand that besides ‘traditional’ artistic practices, such as painting, sculpture, music, there are other artistic languages but I didn’t realise how open and inclusive the definition could be!
Mina: What do you mean with that Virgil? I mean have you considered digital types of artistic practice? Photography, Graphic Novels, Advertising, Videogames… Virgil: Actually not all of them. I mean at the very beginning when they started talking about Advertising, Radio and Publishing I was astonished because, come on, these aren’t arts… they are services in a way… Luke: Of course Virgil, you’re right! I understand the cinema as an art sector but what kind of art can you finding Advertising for instance? Clio: Maybe I can help you with this thanks to my background. I didn’t join the event but based on my knowledge and experience I can affirm that what you call services are useful in the circulation of culture and the arts. Think about how powerful ads are and what kind of impact they have on people’s imaginations. And equally, many artists take inspiration from ads and ads often take their inspiration from artists. Audrey: Good point Clio. I understand also your points guys and I want you to reflect on the role of the copywriter. What kind of skills do you think a copywriter must have? Luke and Virgil: Ehm, well, ehm… actually… I don’t know… Mina: Virgil you think videogames are arts, don’t you?
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Virgil: Of course, consider that one of the major videogame company is called Electronic Arts! Mina: Right, so why do you think videogames are art? Virgil: Because the graphics are beautiful, they are emotional, they engage you. There can be a story too as with films! Mina: So have you considered that an ad is not so different? You have great pictures or video with short stories and it could engage you, if you think about competitions or the guerrilla type of ads! Virgil: Mm, you’re right in a way… Thinking about it I now recognize that it is a creative type of job. Try to think about it Luke, some ads are amazing and so funny… copywriters have to be absolutely innovative with the visual and verbal language in order to be remarkable… Luke: Guys you’re changing my system of references today! I understand that there’s a world that I have never seen before but… sometimes I feel like I have always lived in a bubble! Audrey: It’s understandable your position Luke, we are used to sharing information and points of view to enrich our perspective. What we are doing here is to consider more than one option which can also lead to innovation. In a way these new perspectives are possible thanks to someone that innovated in a sector or
a field. At the same time it doesn’t mean that everyone now has to radically change their traditional artistic practice. Today we’re sharing a lot of inputs but it doesn’t mean that you have to accept them or react. Our aim is to support you in being aware of what is there all around you, to understand and feed your identity. Luke: Ok, thanks. So Virgil how many sectors have been mentioned? Virgil: They mentioned also design, radio, animation, tv, tourism, cultural heritage, performing arts and food. Clio: Food? Pablo: Think about the Mediterranean cultures… where food is a matter of culture. Clio: Right. May I ask you something? What about the opportunity to organize an event with all of us at the public gallery or at the youth centre? I mean we can plan a programme where each of us can show their work or invite some young people to collaborate, for instance Virgil you could create a sculpture on the stage with another young sculptor or a painter. Mina you could create dresses for dancers, Luke could work with musicians… It could be a way to create a connection with the network of the Public Authority. What do you think? Luke, Mina, Virgil: Cooooool!
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A follow up conversation between mentors Mina:
Camille:
But how to reach the Public Authority? Pablo: We could help you of course. We’re constantly in touch with the youth centre and the office for youth of the mayor. It would be grateful for all of us supporting you in organizing this activity. Audrey: I think that it’s time to let you start your own conversations, we’ve shared a lot of information and opportunities. Thank you to everyone for the engagement and contributions given.
I feel a lot of enthusiasm from the group… I think that our mentees are absorbing our tips, suggestions and opportunities more than expected. Pablo: I do agree with you Camille, I see that even in the case of arguing and doubts they help each other as peers. Audrey: We stimulated them very well in supporting each other and not judging… even though I think Luke is a little bit afraid about things that are new… I don’t know… Pablo: Don’t worry about his reaction Audrey. I understand and appreciate your attention to his reaction but reflect on what he said at the end… I think he recognized his reaction and accepted what the other mentees were telling him. Camille:
MISM DYNA
awareness
eclecticism
curiosity uncontainable
line
discip
I really like how Mina managed the discussion and how she delivered the objection with the guys. At the beginning I was afraid there might be a kind of fight between the girls VS the guys. Audrey: Maybe you’re right about Luke. It is helpful to have an external point of view, thanks.
n
vocatio
ge
coura
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Reflecting on the role of the mentor can you now pinpoint the main activities and responsibilities of the role? Take into account all the scenes of the story and all the mentors involved. Here are some suggestions:
Behind the scenes (5)
•
Market and promote the service to both creative businesses and young talent
•
Put on recruitment and taster events
•
Engage and communicate effectively, consult with and involve young people
•
Provide support to ensure retention, deal with conflict, problem solving
•
Plan and stage engagement events, workshops and activities
•
Build relationships with stakeholders (internal and outside agencies), peer advocates
•
Manage and store information and data
•
Evaluate levels of engagement and recruitment
•
Set framework and expectations for the mentoring
•
Conduct needs analysis and produce a talent plan
•
Identify special needs and signpost to support services
•
Develop social and self-awareness, build confidence, motivation and communication skills
•
Develop job readiness, advise on job search, responding to job description, person specifications, projects briefs, making applications, interviewing skills, negotiation skills, health & safety and Labour and social legislation
•
Provide mentoring advice to support personal and creative development
•
Signpost to further creative education and training
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• Develop work experience opportunities and continue to • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • •
•
•
support young people once in work Consult with young people and use peer facilitators Gather constructive feedback to improve services Manage client records and data Evaluate and assess impact and results Develop enterprise skills and entrepreneurial attitudes for a creative career, match talent to opportunities and vacancies Advise on portfolio development, promotion and networking, making applications, pitching for work, presentation skills, responding to commissions, competitions and talent calls Advise on pricing, sales, product distribution and marketing Advise on sources of funding, investment and income generation Support young people to develop and showcase creativity, production and technical skills Garner feedback from young people and creative businesses to improve and adapt service Provide start up business planning support, and signpost to advice on legal, financial and intellectual property issues Maintain up-to-date and accurate client records and data Evaluate and assess impact and results Build networks and engage with CCI employers Research employer needs and expectations and industry skills gaps, identify job and career opportunities and how these differ in specific sub-sectors Set-up recruitment and training events, placements, work experience and other opportunities for young people to meet employers and gain experience of the workplace Use employer feedback to improve services and address equal opportunities and diversity issues advise creative businesses on recruitment and support methods to draw our the best from young talent
• Exploit public funding incentives for employers • Record and evaluate outcomes and impacts
Considering the long list of activities and responsibilities, see if you can categorize them in these four main areas: 1. Engage with creative young people (outreach, reaching
target groups and understanding their needs) 2. Provide mentoring, advice and guidance to prepare young people for a creative career (helping talented people with the skills they need to develop a career through providing pre- and post- employment support) 3. Deliver enterprise support developing entrepreneurial attitude, providing advice on starting a business and pursuing a freelance portfolio career 4. Work effectively with creative employers identifying opportunities, developing employer networks, working with employers on their expectations and understanding their needs Now look at each for the four areas one by one. Have you recognised all elements of the job profile in the scenes? Are there some areas of the job profile you haven’t recognized? Maybe it would be clearer in the next scenes. Try to remember those activities and responsibilities you would have not selected at the first stage and find them while continuing reading the story.
Learning Materials ANNEX 6 pg. 32
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Skype call.
Scene 6
Mina calls Audrey, she wants to start a brand as fashion/costume designer. Pablo gives Mina Audrey’s contacts because of Audrey’s performing arts network and expertise.
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Audrey:
Audrey:
a) Mina, so… ask me your questions.
a) I don’t think so… What about being confident?
b) Hi Mina, why have you decided to call me?
b) Mina be more realistic, please. What do you think about
c) Hi Mina, Pablo introduced us to each other, let’s start this chapter together! Would you like to start with a specific aspect? Mina: Hi Audrey, thank you for accepting this session. I graduated in industrial design a year ago and I would like to open an atelier as a designer. This is my passion since I was a child and I realize that I’m very good at creating clothes. I’m still working on it with Pablo. Now, my point is about all the specific skills and competences I need to start my atelier. I know couture, I’m motivated and focused on my goals but I’m not confident with enterprise. I don’t know how to start! Audrey:
a) You should have continued talking about this with Pablo... but, ok, tell me something.
b) You should talk with Pablo about these aspects, it’s not
always a good idea to have a second mentor, but, ok, tell me something.
c) Ok, Mina imagine that you’re working in your atelier. Try to
feel every detail of that situation and tell me three words that describe your professional status. Mina: Uhm... I see me confident with many people and organised... this is how I see the CEO of my own atelier…
being confident?
c) Nice highlights Mina, have you given me an input to start
working with! Referring to the confidence you mentioned, may I ask you when you feel more confident with people? Mina: I could be confident when I’m happy and satisfied with myself and my work, when others recognise and are excited by my works. Sometimes dealing with people can be tiring for me, especially when I feel I’m not in my place, when voices are too loud. In these cases I interact less with people. Audrey:
a) … b) No Mina, you can’t avoid talking to people and socializing. It’s important for your business.
c) Based on your words it seems that you like social contexts
and working satisfaction and recognition make you happy and confident with people. Can you measure on a scale from 1 to 10 how many times what you just described has happened? Mina: In my life now I think people to whom I show my works seem to appreciate them, and I usually receive positive feedback. So I would measure it 7. Another thing I think about is my network. Basically it includes people from the design faculty, so professors and students, friends...
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Audrey:
a) Do you call it a network? b) Uhm Mina are you sure your network appreciate your works? You said they seem to…
c) Fine, you feel happy with this aspect. I suggest we can talk
about management and being aware about how to improve your social skills. Mina: Yes, actually I think that management skills are my weakness. I don’t think I have any idea of how to start running my own atelier. Audrey:
a) And do you think you can keep wondering like that? b) Mina this is a serious problem. Management is not a skill you can learn easily. You need more practice.
c) Well, may I ask you if you’ve already tried some methodologies or models about how to run your atelier? Mina: Actually I haven’t any type of reference about management or enterprise. What I have is a lot of ideas, concepts but don’t ask me how they could be translated into the language of finance or economics! Audrey:
a) And again do you think you can keep thinking in this way? b) Mina this is another serious problem. I find your situation gruelling.
c) I understand. Sometimes we need further tools to structure
our creative projects. Usually I use the Creative Project Canvas. Have you ever heard of it? Mina: Uhm… I have never heard of it… Audrey:
a) So you have to learn it! b) What a pity Mina! It’s a brand new in the industry... you have to keep updated with these types of tools!
c) It’s a useful tool to plan, evaluate and revise projects. I’ve
experienced how to use it in a workshop. I’m suggesting this tool to all our artists because it is very easy to fill in. Basically it is a blank chart where you can put all the aspects of your project so that you can give it a structured framework. Mina: Cool! I could try! Audrey:
a) Ok. b) I recommend you to take it seriously. It is a creative tool but you have to fill it with concrete ideas.
c) That’s nice, with this tool you will reflect on your values,
networks, goals, resources, accessibility, feedback that you could receive from your customers, or potential customers and suppliers and so on... I’m going to send it to you and we can look at it together in the next meeting. Remember that the canvas can be refreshed time after time, because you can change your mind after a while or the market changes... How do you feel about it?
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Mina: Do I have to complete all the sections of the canvas before our next meeting? Audrey:
c) Perfect, see you next week! Bye! Mina:
Bye, see you.
a) Yes. b) Of course. We can’t work with partial information... c) No worries Mina. Read all of them and try to reply and
reflect on all the sections. Some of them depend on the others so you may not have an answer straight away. We are going to work on the canvas together next time. For the moment I’m interested in you testing yourself with this methodology. Mina: Ok! Many thanks! Audrey:
a) Goodbye. b) Well, we have finished for today, I hope you’ve understood my point...
c) So, today we’ve worked on two important aspects and next
time we’re going also to talk about leadership. Could we meet in my studio, on Wednesday at 5 pm? Mina: I think that would be nice, I’m curious about the canvas! Audrey:
a) Ok. b) Sorry I have to go.
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Reading Audrey’s answer options in the Scene 6, were your answers more a), b) or c)?
a) You may have to review your desire to be a mentor. b) You have a good approach but you should improve your
communication skills. A little bit of practice can help you, go ahead!
c) You are on the right path to become a mentor. Don’t stop! Go ahead.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: A BRIEF OVERVIEW. When we talk about entrepreneurship we refer also to being: • Motivated plus focused on set goals • Aware of networking, champions and critics, recognising
Behind the scenes (6)
and choosing specific challenges
• Aware about team working and team building • A leader • Self-aware • Confident with planning, aware of critics, gains and loses • Aware of short term and long term vision.
Before starting a project, you should clarify your motivation, identifying your current skills, the specific sector and the achievable goals. We can gain suggestions from several fields such as the Creative Project Canvas, Problem Solving strategies, NLP life coaching methods and active experiences of mentoring in the Talent Matching London (these and other examples are listed in the reference section). There are many useful diagnostic tools we can use to start planning with papers and pens.
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In order to think about how you keep motivated and focused on goals, imagine answering some simple questions: • What type of activity do you enjoy? • What is your project about? • How do you plan to develop your project? In order to set realistic goals, you should be aware of your skills. You can evaluate your skills by grading which you feel comfortable with from 1 to 10: 1. Artistic practice 2. Innovation you could bring in desired sector 3. Confidence 4. Team work 5. Problem solving 6. Management skills 7. Leadership 8. Social skills Read your CV-portfolio. Do you feel that it describes you properly? • If yes try to think as if the CV-portfolio isn’t you in order to refine it. • If not search for some CV-portfolios from people similar to your background and take inspiration. Think about your strategies. Could you describe them in a structured framework? • Is there some aspect you feel is not working as expected? • Have you used any planning tools? • How do you access planning tools?
Now you should be capable of answering to these questions: 1. Which are my strengths? 2. Which are my weaknesses? And you should be able to identify your network by replying to these questions: • Who are my competitors? • Who could be my partners? • Who are my peers? • Who can support me? • Who could be an obstacle my project? • How do I create a specific network? Think about the relationship between Audrey and Mina and the type of support she provided her about entrepreneurship. Try to remember her approaches, attitude, the words, knowledge and skills she used while mentoring. Consider the following chart and select the competences you think Audrey demonstrated while mentoring Mina. • Health & Safety • Safeguarding young people • Advantages and disadvantages of different communication methods • Education or experience in a creative field • Avoid bias, preconceptions and judging • Problem solving • Stay calm in difficult or uncertain situations • Fostering creative growth • How mentoring is similar to/different from other business advice roles
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• Develop mentee’s enthusiasm, commitment and trust • Inspire confidence, persistence and realism • Code of ethics, principles and policy governing your • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
organization’s delivery of enterprise support Managing time and resources Provide encouragement for action and change Recognise effective of your actions and behaviour on others Copyright knowledge/ intellectual property Appreciation of creativity and cultural production Effective communication Business context of the creative industries Understand the mentee’s reasons for wanting to start a creative business Ability to recognise creative talent Listen actively for and observe tone, emotions, body language and words Flexible and open Check understanding Ability to evaluate creative products and their relationship to potential markets and audiences Positive approach to finding solutions to problems Use of start up business planning tools Embraces change and enjoys variety Assessment skills Sources of further support and advice Rules on confidentiality and data protection Develop mentee’s self confidence and motivation Basics of financial planning Knowledge of sources of finance and investment
Have you recognised all of them in the scenes? Yes, the correct answer is that the mentor has to develop all those competences while mentoring. Are there some competences you haven’t recognized? Maybe it would be clearer in the next scenes. Try to remember those activities and responsibilities you would have not selected at the first stage and find them while continuing reading the story.
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Who can recognise me? (Clock) Validation and Practice License
Scene 7
Wednesday 26th of May, Luke has just finished his 6 months experience working with the theatre company. In November he had the audition and the interview for the acting course and he passed the audition but failed the interview. Now he would like the competences the last years but He asked
to gain a formal recognition based on and experiences he has built up over he has no idea about how to do that. to Audrey for some support‌
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Caffe
Audrey:
a) Luke, you again? b) Hi Luke, why are you coming back to me? c) Hi Luke, nice to see you again! How was your experience with the company?! Luke: Hi Audrey, I feel so excited after this experience! I feel I have grown as a performer and as a person. I’m still reflecting on my career and I’m thinking about what my next step will be… but thanks to your support I know how to do that. I’m also thinking about my competences and this is still a kind of an issue for me because I failed the interview for the acting course, as you probably remember and it was a shame. I feel I really need a formal qualification to add in my CV in order to be compliant in a way with recruiters. In many calls there’s the request to have attended an academy or to have attended a course for some years or something similar… I know that I’m building up great working experience, that’s why I would like to reinforce in a way, consolidate, my CV. Would there be some course or programme that could help me reach this goal? Audrey:
a) Luke, do you think my name is Google? b) Luke, I think you have to search all by yourself, I’ve already done my job with you…
c) Oh Luke, actually I know a process you can join. I know it
very well because I did it to gain the certification as a mentor. It is called CLOCK and it gives qualifications equivalent to university education levels up to Masters Level.
Luke: I’ve never heard it. Do you think it would be fine for me? Audrey:
a) If I mention it… of course! b) No, maybe I was wrong. It’s too difficult for you, we should
find a more traditional course, even if you would have to wait until next October.
c) Of course it is fine for you. CLOCK can give you the
opportunity to transform the knowledge and skills you have learnt from your experiences into qualifications. For instance, in your case what you’ve learned while dancing: so during the practice, during the tour you did over the last few months with the company, everything you learned from your director, coordinator and colleagues also, these all add up to the knowledge and competences in your specific area of work. Try to reflect on the skills. I’m sure that this working experience has reinforced some skills and developed new ones that are specifically related to your practice. Your work experience changes the way you develop the skills, so, for instance, to learn how to perform on a stage you gain the best experience it, by performing with a real audience, instead of practicing in the studio… Luke: Wow, I love it! How to apply? Audrey:
a) That is the link, you’ll find everything online. b) Mm, actually I’m thinking about your failure at the interview… you could fail this programme as well, don’t you think?
Luke:
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c) Well, I’ll support you in this pathway. CLOCK is a great
opportunity but I want you to start it with the right motivation, because the process could be as demanding as a traditional course with lessons and exams… Luke: Yeah, I understand the point. After I failed the interview I often thought about how to demonstrate in my CV my current skills and competences. I see that even though I’ve listed my working experiences it is not so easy to make understandable which are my competences. I mean I’ve listed them but, for instance, a recruiter told me “These skills are not at the level we’re looking for” and I didn’t reply because I didn’t understand what kind of level he was talking about! Audrey:
a) Ok, take the leaflet and read all the information. b) Ok, are you sure? Maybe it is not yet the time to start the process. Take the leaflet and read all the information.
c) Oh, really? You’ll see that CLOCK has different levels for
your professional profile. It could help you in understanding the level of each skill so that you can have a clear idea about the level of your professional skills (and then you would be able to reply to the recruiter) and you can plan your professional development. Referring to the interview, may I ask you what do you think your weaknesses are? What went wrong in your opinion? Luke: Mm.. I think I was too stressed and I didn’t cope with it well. Maybe it‘s possible that my strongest interest was working with the theatre company instead of attending the acting school so I wasn’t so deeply motivated. Now I realize that the idea
to apply for the two opportunities at the same time wasn’t a good idea… I was overloaded with thoughts and confused, I wasn’t ready actually... Audrey:
a) So don’t do it again. b) Are you sure you couldn’t do the same mistake again?
You might need to reflect a lot on that. You have to avoid this mistake at all costs!
c) Okay, from what you say I understand that you were worried
about failure. I’m happy now that you can recognize your feelings and analyse yourself in a way, it’s a great resource to be able to understand ourselves. Now thinking about a new experience, such as CLOCK, what do you consider important to remember from this recent experience? Luke: Actually, I’d like to be more focused on realistic goals. I mean, I know the goal I want to achieve and I want to be focused on that only. I think the lesson I learned from the past experience is to be more concrete about my possibilities in terms of time and competences and don’t ask me too much. Audrey:
a) Ok. b) You have to concentrate more of course. c) I’m happy to hear that from you. If you agree, I propose
that we have some further meetings in order to fix your goals and needs related with CLOCK. What about meeting next Wednesday? In the meantime I can share with you some resources about CLOCK, so that you can have a look at it yourself before our next meeting, ok?
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Luke:
Audrey:
Ok! thank you Audrey, Wednesday next week is perfect for me. At the same time? Audrey:
At the first stage the peer reviewer one. He or she has the role of talking with you in depth about your skills and what kind of project could fit so that you can collect the evidence. Luke:
a) Yes. b) Yes but now I have to go, bye. c) Perfect, thank you for coming and see you on wed! Luke:
See you! Bye! Next Wednesday while talking about CLOCK… Luke: Audrey can you clarify me what you mean when you talk about evidences to add in my portfolio, please? Audrey: When I use the term evidence I mean something that can show your skills. It could be a picture, a video, a testimony… For instance, for the skill ‘sharing knowledge’ it could be a video you uploaded on your social media accounts or an interview with a local tv station with you explaining a solo. It could be you teaching another dancer and in this case you can ask him to testify on video. The way of providing these evidences is flexible but it is important to choose the right content. Luke: Ok, so I should provide these type of evidences for all of the listed skills? And who is going to validate that?
And then? I mean I’ve understood that I have to upload the evidences on the CLOCK platform. Is it the peer reviewer who is going to validate that? Audrey: Correct, you’ll upload your evidence online in order to build your portfolio. The aim of it is to map your competences and determine the level for each of them. The strength is the involvement of Sector Experts in the validation process. In your case I’m your peer reviewer one. When you’ll have uploaded all the evidences I’ll review the whole portfolio with a second peer reviewer and give you feedback so that you can be aware of the skills and level you have and I’ll ask you to write and send me a reflective statement. When everything is we’ll have a Professional Dialogue about your skills and levels. Luke: And what happen if the second review rejects my portfolio? Or if he or she doesn’t like my projects? Audrey: Wait, wait. Reviewers will not judge your projects. This is not the aim of CLOCK! Our aim is to evaluate if you have the competence or not and at which level, that’s all! You could have gained your skills at the Russian Ballet or at the local ballet. What is important is to evidence your ability. For instance, we could translate the skills process as “How have you managed
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one of your projects?” Luke: Ehm, a project… ehm… would it be fine what we did at the youth centre? Audrey: Of course, excellent choice! Luke: So I could share the presentation we wrote, I have the invitation and the video but how can I show the process? I mean it is something that happen in my head only! Audrey: Have you got some email exchange you discuss or inform about the phases of your project, the need to book the venue for some rehearsals or something similar? Luke: Yeah, of course! And that could be fine? Audrey: Of course, it shows your conversation about how actually you managed the project! Luke: Wow, that’s amazing! I should reflect in depth about the competences and consider them as a whole thing, I think. Audrey: Exactly, it is a reflective process for you that is absolutely helpful for your career. It helped me very much in understanding my values and strengths and it is powerful when you see the portfolio because if you have any doubts… you have the evidences available to see actually your competence in real life!
Luke: I will have to think as well about how to make things understandable to reviewer two, because he or she doesn’t know me… and I appreciate that, he or she would confirm mine and your evaluation. Audrey: Yes, and we’ll finish the process with a professional dialogue where the peer reviewers will ask you about specific skills in your portfolio and you’ll provide details about how you interpret your skills, your feelings about it and your future perspectives as a life long learning process. Luke: Okay. That’s why you told me last time to be motivated to do that… I think… Audrey: Yep, it will take the time you need. We don’t have a specific timetable to do it in two weeks or one months, we don’t have a final exam to attend… but we have at least two years. Luke: Right, but at the end of it I’ll have the Professional Development Award! Audrey: Yes! After the professional dialogue the Scottish Qualification Authority will give you the certificate depending on your level. It could be from Novice to Expert that is a master level. Luke: Mm, as you mentioned to me at the beginning I would be at the intermediate level because I can perform independently but I’m not yet coordinating a project or someone else. In the
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next future how can I reach the highest level? Audrey: Good question Luke. Once your skills have been mapped you’ll easily understand which are the skills you should improve. You could improve in many ways, with a more complex project, starting working in a different context, promoting your practice with an audience that is new for you… You continue collecting all the evidences of your work… Luke: And then I will upload them to refill and update the portfolio and then be a candidate for the next level? Audrey: Exactly. At any time you feel ready for the next level you apply for the validation and we’ll have the review process and the professional dialogue. Luke: Uh wow. So that I could immediately demonstrate my improvements and how I’m pushing forward my career! Audrey: Yeah, it could be a possibility. Luke: Thank you Audrey! That sounds amazing! I’ll immediately start thinking about the evidence and reflecting on my skills and I’ll be back to you once I’ve collected and uploaded them! Bye! Audrey: I’m happy about your enthusiasm Luke, it seems far far away from the young boy that once asked me how to start his career! Bye!
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Reading Audrey’s answer options in the Scene 7, were your answers more a), b) or c)?
a) You may have to review your desire to be a mentor. b) You have a good approach but you should improve your
communication skills. A little bit of practice can help you, go ahead!
c) You are on the right path to become a mentor. Don’t stop! Go ahead.
Behind the scenes (7)
Thinking about the role of the mentor there is a lot of employment potential depending on the context and the aim of the mentor. While reading each point of the following list write down the offices/ organizations/ professionals that you know in your country/ city/ context. Use it as a guideline to locate where you can work as a mentor in your own country/ context. If you don’t know any, then do some research and use this list to create your first network about mentoring and keep improving it over time. Employment potential for mentors: 1. Public Employment Services 2. Counsellor Centres 3. Career Counsellor / Guidance Centres 4. Vocational Education and Training (VET) organisations and
colleges responsible for helping (unemployed) trainees find jobs VET aftercare, placement officers
5. Temporary Employment Agencies (Private sector) 6. Creative
organisations, development agencies.
business
incubators
and
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At the end of our long story with mentors and mentees, after having experiencing mentorship, now try to recognize which type of social potential a mentor can develop by selecting the topics you consider important: • Sensitivity • Resolving fears • Empathy • Developing coping mechanisms • Sensitivity for emotional development and needs • Pastoral support/ health and wellbeing • Understand/ detect attitudes • Setting boundaries • Provide emotional and practical support • Instil resilience • Building trust level • Turn positive into negative (showing the dangers) • Communicate effectively/ ability to communicate varied levels/ communicate insecurities & mentee’s relate • Motivation/ transfer of enthusiasm • Listening • Ability to query/ probe and recognise issues/ open up discussion and honest dialogue • Gaining experience • Encourage • Knowing limits of guidance you can give • Self-knowing as a goal • Adaptability/ flexibility • Life skills • Identify soft skills • Conflict mediation
• Expectations management • Understanding art forms • Incentivising • Going extra mile • Dedication • Learning from failure • Creating homing environment • Embrace change • Diversity and equality • Building resilience/ turn negative into positive • Business practice • Shared commitment • Management • H&S/ safeguarding • Problem solving • Ethics & integrity • Developing • • • • • • • • • •
consistency, reliability, punctuality, taking responsibility, professional conduct Resolving institutional paradoxes Knowing own limits, referring or bringing to experts/ specialist Self-branding Sensibility to subject Recognise the role in each situation with young people Non-judgement and impartial advice Validation and identify solutions Fostering creative growth Provide supportive social environment Needs diagnostic
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• Role model • Shared experiences • Providing guidance • Identifying/ recognising people’s attitudes
As you probably can guess, the right answer is: all of the listed topics are important to develop social potential while mentoring so all of them are right. We can analyse social potential in five dimensions: the emotions, job ready skills, communication, advice skills and life skills. Developing social potential is one of the three key elements of vocational mentoring in the Creative and Cultural Industries with the knowledge of CCIs and transferring knowledge and skills.
CLOCK ANNEX 7 pg. 33
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Talent Matching Europe explores a new emerging professional role: the Vocational Mentor who supports young disadvantaged people into initial Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Europe’s Creative and Cultural Industries (CCIs).
• Associazione Culturale MuLab, Rome, Italy • EASP, Skopje, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
The project partners have researched the context of this role in six European countries in order to understand what a vocational mentor does and have created a new occupational profile and set of competences for the role. We have then designed and piloted flexible learning materials for the professional development of the role and made these available through an open-source online platform. This innovative project has resulted in the creation of a new pathway for the recognition and accreditation of vocational mentors in Europe’s creative and cultural industries.
Talent Matching Europe was inspired by the UK Talent Match London programme and its young person-directed model of a Journey of Change. This model is operated by the UK partner Rinova. The project has built upon established techniques and experience of mentoring in European VET organisations and upon insights of employers in the sector. We have integrated learner-centred perspectives drawn from a range of programmes working with disadvantaged young people and adapted these frameworks to meet the needs, work practices and innovative culture of Europe’s fast growing creative sector.
The partnership consists of seven specialist organisations from six European countries, who bring together expertise in delivering vocational and educational training in the creative and cultural industries.
As a result, Talent Matching Europe is able to provide an unprecedented set of professional development materials for this hitherto unrecognised role. By aligning these to the European Qualification Framework (EQF) and the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) and bringing them together online and through social media, the project is a first step towards the recognition and validation of a European community of practice of Vocational Mentors. We hope it will spread a wider awareness and understanding of this emerging professional role which is playing an important part in opening up access to the opportunities of the growing creative economy for the next generation of young people.
• Collage Arts, London, United Kingdom, lead partner • Fundacja Arteria, Zabrze, Poland • Associacio CEPS per a la Creacio d’Estudis I Projectes Sociales, Barcelona, Spain
• Prostor Plus, Rijeka, Croatia
• Rinova Ltd, London, United Kingdom
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annexes
ANNEX 1 - Where am I?.......................................................................3 Country Reports - Croatia.................................................................................3 Country Reports - Italy......................................................................................4 Country Reports - Poland..................................................................................6 Country Reports - Spain....................................................................................7 Country Reports - Macedonia...........................................................................8 Country Reports - United Kingdom..................................................................9
ANNEX 2 - Who am I?.........................................................................11 Definitions of Vocational Mentor in CCI’s.....................................................11
ANNEX 3 - What are my aspirations?............................................12 ANNEX 4..................................................................................................14 Do you really want to become a mentor......................................................14 What is the role of a mentor in a mentoring relationship?......................15 Planning and managing mentoring meetings...............................................16 Listening and questioning skills......................................................................18 Manage feedback...............................................................................................19 Networking..........................................................................................................20
ANNEX 5 - TME Diagnostic Skills Check Tools.............................21 A) Working with young people.......................................................................21 B) Entrepreneurial skills check......................................................................27 C) Understanding of creativity......................................................................30
ANNEX 6 - Learning materials.........................................................32 ANNEX 7 - Clock..................................................................................33
ANNEX 1 - Where Am I? COUNTRY REPORTS
Therefore, the vocational mentor should be considered a person who fulfils all three conditions, but whose field of activity does not have to embrace the whole CCI sector, but could be limited to one or more sub-sector, such as music, architecture and art, or film and digital media. The mentor’s competences may include communication skills; sensitivity, and understanding of specificity of individual sectors; entrepreneurship experience, i.e. experience in production/practice, management, business administration and organisation. The focus was put more on what to do than how to do it (although the relationship of these two was thought to significantly vary from sector to sector). A key aspect of the occupational profile was the capacity to create a synergy between life experience, personal work and professional experiences. Mentorship was mainly understood as an individual one-to-one relationship, but it could also include collective co-operation, collaboration or team work. The competencies of a vocational mentor that were identified included: psychology, sociology with an emphasis on social psychology, philosophy, special sectorial knowledge and skills, interdisciplinarity and soft skills within the area of activity (how to act in a crisis, how to negotiate to correct wage, how to pitch for a wage / how to sell a service, how to contract for business, etc.) as well as an excellent knowledge and experience in intellectual and author’s rights. The following elements were identified as potential components of a curriculum for the Vocational Mentor: • Understanding the current context of the CCIs in the EU and how the Vocational Mentor role needs to adapt to the needs of the sector, including the national qualifications framework (in Croatia, the Croatian Qualifications Framework, HKO). • Working Effectively with Creative Employers – the
The research in all countries agrees that the role of Vocational Mentor in the CCIs is not clearly defined and generally does not exist as a specific job role. All partners comment on the lack of appropriately focused qualifications and training. Given this situation, the findings from the interviews and the case studies in Spain, for example, are that “a tracked professional experience both in the CCIs sector and knowledge of the education field would improve the efficiency of a CCI Talent Matching adviser”. This conclusion can be backed up by analysis of job markets in EU countries, which shows that the average rate of unemployment among young people is lower in the countries with a wide and multifaceted system of vocational counselling, therefore, providing support services tailored to meet the needs of individuals and groups has a positive influence of the country’s economy and prevents unemployment and social exclusion. CROATIA The concept of vocational mentorship in the CCIs was not well understood or recognised. The diversity of the sub-sectors within the CCIs also made it difficult to find a common definition and understanding of the role. It was felt to be unrealistic that a mentor role could encompass the full range of CCI subsectors. The results of consultation suggested that the competences of a mentor should include: 1) experience of the CCI sector, 2) professional authority/ accomplishment within the sector and 3) sectoral networking. The emphasis should be on practice and transfer of experience, and not knowledge.
3
ANNEX 1 - Where Am I? characteristics of employment patterns and skills needs in the different sub-sectors of the Creative Industries. How to form effective links and networks with creatives, using employer feedback to improve services, advising creative businesses on recruitment and support methods to draw out the best from young talent, public funding incentives for employers. • Working with young talent - how to conduct Needs Analysis, Initial Assessments and Development Action Plans, how to prepare job-seekers for a creative career, advising on portfolio development, enterprise skills, promotion and networking, making applications, pitching for work, presentation skills, responding to commissions, competitions and talent calls, matching talent to opportunities and vacancies, developing and showcasing creative, production and technical skills, how to keep motivated. There is a special need for understanding of legal issues, obligations and rights, in areas such as contracts and intellectual property. The effectiveness of peer to peer mentorship was pointed out. • Effective Project Management- how to market and promote the service to both creative businesses and young talent, recruitment and taster events, engaging and collaborating with creatives, providing support to ensure retention, dealing with conflict, problem solving, planning and staging engagement events, effective networking, stakeholders (internal and outside agencies) and information management. • Options such as addressing specific national priorities (e.g. equal opportunities, identified skills gaps, diversity), negotiation skills, interviewing skills, development of job descriptions, person specifications and project briefs, and
health & safety and labour and social legislation, legal issues. In Croatia it was suggested that there is a specific need for an institution to give support and protection to young creative people, providing not only information services, but advice, legal services and networks with employers. Without this infrastructure, creatives are exposed to unregulated markets and corruption. ITALY In Italy the role of the Vocational Mentor is not recognised in the Professional Role Repertoire of ISFOL (National Agency for VET) nor in the classification systems of other public body/ authorities (like ISTAT, EXCLESIOR or Ministry of Labour) at national or local level. However, the research found some professional profiles or roles that are similar to the Vocational Mentor. The repertoire of skills and training profiles of Lazio Region (VET in Italy is mainly on a Regional basis) in the sector “Vocational Training and Labour Market” includes the roles of: 1. “Management and Development of Human Resources Specialist”. This is the role of a professional who is able to realize the staff scheduling, prefigure paths of professional and organizational development and management of human resources, in line with the strategic objectives of the company and the market needs. This professional role is linked to the ISTAT and also ISCO classification with other profiles. It is not specific for the creative sector but a crosssectorial profile. The main knowledge of this role: • Fundamentals of business organization: structure, functions, work processes
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ANNEX 1 - Where Am I? • Technical and organizational analysis methodologies
The main knowledge of this role: • Techniques and instruments for detection and assessment of skills and development of the personal resources of the individual • Methodologies for conducting individual and group interviews with guidance purposes • Technical communication and customer relations • Characteristics of professions and work contexts in which they act • Main regulatory elements that regulate the stay in the Italian territory of non-EU and EU people for the purpose of job search (documentation and areas of application) • Organization: structures, work processes, professional roles • The local labour market, production and employment trends • Territorial network of guidance services, and vocational training • Offer of vocational education and training system • The basic principles of economics and sociology of labour • Legal and regulatory references concerning labour market regulation, education and vocational training • Main types of employment contracts and their characteristics • Rules and procedures for the start-up and operation of the self-employed and entrepreneurial work • Main software applications and web-based services for the management of guidance services
• Assessment methodologies • Methods of training needs • Technical analysis of the skills • Methods and recruitment tools • Technical management of the job interview • Technical evaluation of the performance and the potential • Methodology of staff training • Technical
communication and management of interpersonal relationships • Elements of project management • Elements of contractual framework • Fundamentals of labour legislation • Sectorial Technical English • ISO-9001: 2008 and related applications in construction • National Environmental and Community legislation on waste management and civil and productive drains • Basic elements of windows OS, software application and services and functions in Internet • Standards and regulations to protect the workplace safety • Elements of labour contracts, social security and insurance 2. “Career Adviser” who is able to support the development of career paths and individual employment projects for people who request it or show needs (unemployed, expelled from the labour market, etc.), activating the appropriate network of relationships with the system orientation / training / reference work.
5
ANNEX 1 - Where Am I? These two profiles could be considered as a starting point for an eventual path to accreditation within the VET system. Similar roles exist within the national level of the ISFOL Classification. These professional roles are framed in the category “Intellectual, Scientific and Highly Specialized profession”, requiring a Master Degree Level EQF level 7. It is noteworthy that the ISFOL (National Agency for VET) foresees a growth trend of more than 2% in the period 20142018, for these professional profiles. The interviews drew out specific characteristics of the cultural and creative sector - fluidity, dynamism and complexity - that the Vocational Mentor needs to adapt to. Working effectively with creative employers is a multi-layered process that includes: 1. regular and effective communication (meet the management, know the plans of the enterprise, be aware of problems etc.). 2. complex research activity to understand the market trends, employment forecasts, funding opportunities, legislation, technicalities and innovation. 3. networking for the sharing of information, good practice, storytelling but also to create interest groups around themes such as Training, Validation and Certification of Competences, Transnational projects etc. It was suggested that it is important to build in an awareness process prior to the needs analysis, the initial assessment and the development action plan. This would include who they are, what they really want to do in their life, what is the sense of reality they have, etc. and building a level of trust in the Vocational Mentor.
Some young people participating in the research, suggested a sort of “career day” for the cultural and creative sector, which could be a good idea to launch transnationally. POLAND The participants of the workshops, research and debates in Poland defined three main competence areas (in terms of knowledge, skills and approaches) of the ideal advisor which may be a good reference point for further work on “Occupational and Personal Specification for the Vocational Mentor in CCIs” and “Vocational Mentor in CCIs Competency Standards”. The most important elements of necessary knowledge should include: • knowledge of the sector (from just knowing the creative sector to having a network of contacts with professionals); • knowledge of communicative techniques; • knowledge of motivational mechanisms; • knowledge of learning processes and • knowledge of entrepreneurial issues (best stemming from practical experience). The required skills would include: • the skill of creating and maintaining good relationships (the advisor is able to understand me; he or she wants to get to know my idea and is genuinely interested); • the skill of providing feedback; the skills of providing information in a clear manner; • the skill of building a network of contacts and finding new contacts;
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ANNEX 1 - Where Am I? • mediatory skills – the ability of connecting people who could
A counsellor should also promote entrepreneurial approaches among artists and creative professionals. Another important element of successful client-advisor cooperation is a short, medium and long-term planning of professional development (both in terms of soft and hard skills). Vocational counselling should not be incidental and provided by random, constantly changing people but should involve flexible use of coaching tools, mentoring, training or counselling understood literally and in accordance with definitions in effect in Poland. In conclusion, good vocational mentoring allows young people to start their professional lives more smoothly, it also diminishes the distance between the supply of workforce and the requirements of the market and helps increase motivation and improve qualifications. Also important is the correlation between the counselling services provided by the system of education with that available from the labour market institutions and the provision of such services with consideration given to at least some specific requirements of the sectors. One of such sectors is made up by the cultural and creative industries, especially as they belong to the most active on the market in terms of implementing product, process or organisational or marketing innovations.
help each other; • the skill of recognising risks associated with ideas and the skill of changing perspectives (cognitive flexibility). The required approaches would include: • openness (understood as the willingness to share the knowledge and experience and the ability to accept human diversity); • self-awareness (refraining from projecting one’s own limitations upon others); • commitment; • realistic optimism (the advisor encourages the client but also informs them about the dangers); • honesty, empathy; • openness to changes occurring in the world and • “pearl diver” (the counsellor is able to spot what is best in people, their talents and resources). The list above is not complete but includes the most important characteristics of a good vocational counsellor working in the creative and cultural sectors. Most of them seem to be universal and should characterise all good counsellors, some of them, however, such as the knowledge of the creative sector and professions, having a network of contacts with professionals, the ability to spot and work on a talent (“pearl diver”) may be more specific to the CCIs. The issues connected with entrepreneurship constitute a separate group and were often considered the largest deficit area – it was widely accepted that a good counsellor should have specific knowledge of the practical aspects of establishing and running a business in the creative and cultural sectors, most preferably stemming from the advisor’s experience.
SPAIN The findings from the primary and secondary research show a real need in the context of the Barcelona metropolitan area – which is still characterized by a high rate of youth unemployment – for a vocational mentor that helps young people to enter the CCIs. Despite the new and booming sub sectors linked with digital and new technologies in Barcelona’s area, formal VET organizations seem not to cover the needs of the new subsectors.
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ANNEX 1 - Where Am I? In this context the role of the vocational mentor is performed by many different professionals who mentor young people in an “informal” way and would like to gain official recognition and training support. This might also help to create new opportunities for young people who could perform the role of peer mentors. The response to the presentation of the Talent Matching project showed that there is an urgent need for stronger relations and connections among the parties involved: VET system, vocational mentors and the creative sector. Participants found it difficult to fully understand the terminology and methodology adopted by the project and to translate it to the local context. This demonstrates the lack of common labour and education policies in the European Union and the need for the gap to be filled by new common initiatives. In relation to this issue, we also noticed a gap between the official definition of the CCIs that circulates at European level and the local interpretations. For instance there is a common tendency shared by both employers and candidates in the Barcelona local context to not include sectors related to the new technologies and tourism within the frame of the CCIs. The case of tourism is particularly significant in Barcelona where there is a continuing growth in the numbers of visitors per year. These visitors are users of cultural activities but are not considered in the frame of the CCIs. In order to fill the gap and create connections among the sectors, Barcelona’s municipality has just proposed to reinvest a portion of the tourist rate in the cultural sector. This initiative would aim to create a venture capital fund to support artistic entrepreneurship, change the current management of public calls and by doing so ensure better work conditions for those employed in the CCIs and create new positions.
CEPS aims to engage more participants in the path towards an Occupational Profile for the Vocational Mentor by involving local agents who have showed a real interest in sharing experiences and learning from good practices in the rest of Europe. A problem to mitigate is lack of time. Participants regret that they are “forced” to continue multitasking attitudes needed by the labour market. A future Occupational Profile should take into account this national priority. As a final point, in order to work more effectively with creative Employers exchange opportunities should be created by the Talent Matching in which all the actors involved could come together and help to overcome the barriers that separate the CCI sub-sectors and that prevent young people from engaging with the opportunities. MACEDONIA Macedonia is a country that is aspiring to EU membership, where the VET system is undergoing deep reforms in order to integrate and adapt EU practices. In the creative sector this process involves bringing cultural and creative practice closer to education and the labour market. The research comes at a time when the Ministry of Culture has developed a strategy for the Creative Industries that drew upon a mapping exercise conducted with the support of the British Council. Research identified some congruency of aims between the Talent Matching project and the CCI strategy, and also with the Action Plan for Youth Employment, but currently there are few examples of policy or practice to draw upon. Vocational Mentoring in Macedonia falls within the national framework of professions definition of Career Counsellor/ Careers Adviser. Professionals in this field have a cross-sectoral
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ANNEX 1 - Where Am I? focus with currently no specialisation either in CCIs or in VET. Some of the skills and competences for CCI vocational mentoring could be identified in the private career counselling sector. Responsibility in the public sector is split between the Ministry of Culture (CCIs), Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (employment and labour market) and Ministry of Education and Science (VET). This creates challenges for introducing the CCI Vocational Mentor role at an institutional level. Some scope has been identified for delivering VET provision for the CCIs through non-formal education, but this sector is relatively undeveloped and reliant on fundraising.
The second model is that of the “Job Broker”. This is a definition that encompasses a range of professionals who are engaged primarily in supporting people into employment and whose focus is upon developing networks and engagement with employers. They may be referred to as employment or careers advisers. There is currently a recognition at a national level in the UK that the role of the careers service operating within schools needs to be updated to better reflect the needs of contemporary employers and changes in the labour market. Employment advisers also operate within the public sector through the network of Job Centres and in private agencies in the context of the Government’s Work Programme. Rinova is undertaking parallel research activity to identify an occupational profile and competency standards for the Job Broker” role, which will feed into the role of Vocational Mentor in the CCIs as relevant. The third model is that of a mentor. This is a role which often operates in a less formal way, frequently on a voluntary basis. It encompasses highly experienced professionals who seek to pass on their skills and insights to younger less experienced mentees and also the concept of peer mentoring, learning through collaborative exchange of experience. Mentoring is usually a one-to-one activity, although it can be undertaken in a group context. It is distinguished from coaching by the fact that a mentor usually passes on their experience within a specific industry sector. Mentoring is rarely considered to be an occupation. It is usually seen as an activity that can take place within the context of any occupational setting. There is a range of mentoring schemes and programmes to learn from in the UK, that provide frameworks for the practice of mentoring in different contexts, and define the skills, experience and attitudes required. In particular Rinova has drawn upon the experience of NESTA’s Creative Business Mentors Network,
UNITED KINGDOM Research in the United Kingdom drew upon three models for the role of Vocational Mentor in the CCIs. Firstly there is the model of the Cultural Learning Practitioner, a role which has been researched by Rinova and Collage Arts over a period of several years resulting in the CLOCK qualification framework and curriculum for accrediting the skills of creative and cultural practitioners operating in informal learning settings. Such people are often highly experienced creative professionals who have specialist experience of working with target groups outside mainstream education, often those who face barriers of disadvantage and marginalisation in society. This group includes trainers and youth workers, community and participative arts practitioners, characteristically skilled in employing creativity as a means to foster personal growth and development. Rinova is also undertaking research into an occupational profile and competence standards for a cross-sectoral initial vocational education and training (I-VET) practitioner working specifically with young people alienated from education and employment at high risk of social exclusion.
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ANNEX 1 - Where Am I? which places an emphasis upon the value of mentoring in supporting enterprise and business growth in the CCIs “Talent Matching Europe” was conceived in response to the experience of a specific programme in the UK, which brings together the three models described above and to reflect upon it in a European context. The Talent Match programme is testing on a national level in the UK an alternative approach to supporting young people who are far removed from the labour market through a “Journey of Change” programme to develop their employability and enterprise skills. Rinova is implementing this programme in London with a specific emphasis upon engaging young people in creative activities as a way of developing their motivation, self-confidence and other skills as a pathway towards employment. One of the challenges of the role of Vocational Mentor in the current context is to combine the skills and experience that are associated with a youth worker and with creative practitioners who operate in an informal learning environment, with the knowledge and skills of careers, enterprise and employability advisers who support people into work and help develop and grow businesses. The research in the UK shows that the latter group often have limited understanding of the creative sector, whilst the former group often see their role as being to support human and creative development and learning rather than to engage with employers and support young people into work. The common element for both groups is that their activity and their motivation is strongly connected to the role of a mentor in fostering the development of an individual’s skills and experience. The UK research suggests that an occupational profile for the role of Vocational Mentor in the CCIs needs to be built upon the combined strengths of the three models.
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ANNEX 2 - Who Am I? DEFINITIONS OF VOCATIONAL MENTOR IN CCI’S
so on.” The report points to a model of mentoring addressed specifically at the needs of the disadvantaged and socially excluded that was developed by the Observatory on Social Inclusion ISFOL (National Agency for Vocational Training). The report from Spain also found that there was no “pure role” of a talent matching vocational mentor in the CCIs. In the Catalan context, the role is performed by trainers and a variety of professional staff in the VET sector, in local government and also to some extent by professional coaches in the commercial sector. The report from the UK highlights that there are three types of role in the UK. Firstly there are people working within the creative sector with young people as youth workers and creative learning practitioners, operating outside the formal education sector in a range of settings. Secondly there is the professional role of employment adviser/job broker/ careers adviser/careers counsellor, operating within schools, job centres and agencies across the public, private and third sectors. Thirdly there are people who operate formally and informally as mentors or coaches, often on a voluntary basis or through funded training, professional development and employability programmes.
The occupational figure of vocational mentor in CCIs does not exist in all the partner countries and one of the most controversial questions that still needs consideration is the question of nomenclature. For instance in Poland the research and workshops participants rather unanimously expressed the opinion that the term vocational counsellor is associated with the existing system and does not correspond with the roles such a person should play in the creative sector. Because of their specific reception the words coach and mentor were also considered inappropriate. The term accepted most easily was career consultant. Therefore, we looked for inspiration in foreign nomenclature. In Denmark the position is called teacher-counsellor, in Greece and Holland career teacher, in Ireland and Spain guidance counsellor, in Germany and Luxemburg guidance teacher and in the UK there are two positions, career teacher and career counsellor. The question may seem unimportant, but the name actually reflects the character of counselling in each country and defines the scope of activities associated with the position. The report from Croatia highlights that the fragmentation and diversity of models within the Creative Industries makes it almost impossible for one person to encompass all areas of knowledge and experience. This situation provides another reason for the lack of a commonly accepted title for the role of Vocational Mentor. The report from Italy details a variety of professional contexts in which the word mentor is used, but points to “an overlap between the functions of mentoring, tutoring, training, coaching, whose specificities are misunderstood by the award of improper “labels”. Frequently, in fact, the term is used to mean mentoring activities related to tutoring, or coaching and
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ANNEX 3 - What are my aspirations?
The combination of art, business and technology has been more and more frequently defined as one of the most essential factors that create values and stimulate innovation. Owing to the originality of their knowledge, products and services, the creative and cultural sectors are becoming an increasingly important element of the world economy. What differentiates the representatives of the cultural and creative sectors from other professional groups is the type of resources they have at their disposal and a number of specific skills connected with the use of such resources – the ability to think unconventionally, the use of specific social skills (creating a network of professional and personal connections) and a number of technological competences (including the IT competence). This is why having a system dedicated specifically to this group that will support the development of the sectors and the development of professional and personal competences of their representatives is so desirable.
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ANNEX 3 - What are my aspirations? Standards for the vocational mentor in CCIs’ JOB DESCRIPTION ROLE Name of occupational profile
Vocational Mentor in CCIs’
Economic sector of reference
Cultural and Creative Industries
EQF level
tbd
Training and Occupational Area Standards Work with creative young people. Outreach, recruitment and referral – reaching target groups and understanding their needs. Communicating effectively with young creatives.
Main area of activities
Provide mentoring, advice and guidance to prepare young people for a creative career helping talented people with the skills they need to develop a career through providing pre- and postEmployment support. Working with individuals to foster their personal and professional development. Fostering talent and creativity. Deliver enterprise support – developing entrepreneurial attitudes, providing advice on starting a business and pursuing a freelance or “portfolio” career Work effectively with Creative Employers identifying opportunities, developing employer networks, working with employers on their expectations and understanding their needs
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ANNEX 4 - Do you really want to become a mentor? A mentor is someone who supports someone to gain their full potential, someone who advises, discusses, evaluates and helps facilitate the mentee to gain confidence in developing their lives. He/She has good communication skills and information sources. He/She is an active listener able to empathise with the mentee. He/She know how to set effective goals and lead to more focused activities. He/She is able to build good relationships with mentees, he is flexible enabling mentees to adapt to change and move on.
To become a good mentor you will need to develop and practice your skills. Some key points to consider to assess your mentoring skills: 1. How much do you know about yourself? 2. What are your strengths and weaknesses? 3. What is your role in the mentoring process? 4. What are the benefits of this process to your organization and to your mentee? 5. Evaluate your active listening skills, questioning skills, and your understanding of body language 6. Do you know how to structure your sessions? 7. How good are your summarising techniques? 8. Do you develop your own value? 9. Do you think about how you measure success? 10. Do you discuss mentoring techniques with others?
Consider if you have had a mentor in your life. Think about what they did to help you.
You are unlikely to be a good mentor without awareness of yourself and your own skills.
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ANNEX 4 - What is the role of a mentor in a mentoring relationship? A mentoring relationship needs to be built on trust and mutual respect. Your role as a mentor should be: 1. understanding your mentee’s need, help them discover, clarify, assess, discuss and explore ways of meeting them. 2. help your mentee understand their personal and educational development to enable them to make judgements on possible opportunities. 3. design learning experiences so that your mentee can develop skills and competences in their work or career choices. 4. coach your mentee in areas where they may need additional support to gain experience. 5. support your mentee to deal with others to develop opportunities. 6. negotiate with others to promote your mentee. 7. give feedback to encourage self development. 8. manage both yourself and other resources to meet the needs of your mentee. In carrying out these tasks, you should ensure to not let your personal preferences, opinions or beliefs interfere with the needs of your mentee. He/She needs to feel not judged and that they can discuss anything with you in a safe environment.
In order to create a rapport that recognise both individualities your’s and the mentee’s, you could consider simple strategies: • mirroring people body language in a proper way (it means not mimicking them) can make feel them at ease • maintaining individual cultures, values and beliefs through suspending judgement and an active listening • shaping your perceptions in order to better understanding another person’s ones. • stating your role of mentor, recognising personal boundaries and setting parameters of mentoring relationship
Consider to ask yourself as a peer mentor: Can the mentee call me or text me in between meetings? where can they call me (home/mobile phone) and what time?
Consider what you would do if your values or belief were at odds with that of your mentee. How would you put your beliefs onto one side?
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ANNEX 4 - Planning and managing mentoring meetings It is useful for you as a mentor to have a plan about how to conduct your professional activity of mentoring. Bearing in mind the sector and the mentees with which you work, you should keep your mentoring structure flexible and never bulky or fixed.
2. how to better be attentive and facilitate the discussion: • avoid interruptions. Unplug phone and notifications. • you could ask your mentee if you can take notes, suggest
they can take notes too. 3. establish the parameters of the mentoring process with your mentee, consider: • what is the purpose of the mentoring relationship? • what are the goals? • how will you know if they have been achieved? • how long the process last? • how frequently will you meet? for how long and at what times? • when and how can the mentee contact you?
You should create a safe environment: consider the physical environment as a consistent part in mentoring relationship development. People working in arts tend to work in small or shared spaces or cramped condition, however you should think carefully about the setting, the seating arrangement, comfort level, privacy. Just keep in mind these tasks: 1. Where do I meet the mentee? Have I a personal studio? Have I a coworking space? • Whatever is the select place, the ideal is to choose an area where confidentiality can be maintained. 2. Do I want to sit behind a desk? Do the mentee and I sit in adjacent chairs/ armchairs? • Think about how you appear to your mentee, you should try to create a comfortable situation to avoid the feeling that the mentoring process is an interrogation. (ex. sitting behind a laptop and messy desk could create a sort of distance between you and your mentee.)
You should be aware of the ways in which people learn, understand how specific conditions and principles or learning can be applied. The five basic ways people learn new knowledge or skills are: 1. trial and error: practical application to a task and learning from mistakes. 2. feedback: learning from how things have gone and can be followed. 3. imitation: observing colleagues. 4. mental mapping: learning a sequence of events by thinking through the process. 5. communication: learning from workbooks or tutor led.
You should have clear how to manage the mentoring process in terms of: 1. time scheduling: • the time of proper setting with mentee: set proper time for each section of discussion • your time to make mentoring meetings happen: they should become part of your scheduled work routine
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ANNEX 4 - Planning and managing mentoring meetings You should be able to develop a training and coaching plan to share with your mentee. You and your mentee should set realistic objectives of what is to be achieved from the mentoring process. Identify how the learning is going to be accomplished and give feedback at appropriate intervals. The steps of the process of mentoring are: • confirm needs of mentee • agree overall purpose and objective of what your mentee decides to achieve • identify the learning profile • select strategy and agree direction • specify the learning • design the learning • deliver • monitor and evaluate (this should happen throughout the mentoring process whenever new targets have been made or achievements have been analysed)
be aware of the changes in order to be able to constantly check and make adjustment to action plans as necessary. If you have more than one mentee, check that you do not offer the same advice to all of them, you need to be aware of the different experiences, backgrounds, skills and needs of each mentee. 3. defining outcomes: informed decision making and defined outcomes and expectations, will enable your mentee to become more self reliant and confident, having a clear sense of direction and promoting self empowerment. You will need to: • determine what resource is needed and what the mentee would like • identify resources you don’t have • draw up plan to help your mentee to acquire additional resources 4. action planning: throughout your discussions with your mentee you should be summarising important decisions after you talked about mentee experiences, desires, aspiration. Ensure that both of you understand the meaning of any decision made. Then, agreeing actions, each of you should be sure to what has been agreed and who is responsible for what. It is a good idea to put your action plan into writing with agreed goals and responsibilities. If your mentee shies away from important points don’t be afraid to challenge the issue, but be careful you are not challenging the individual.
At each stage of the process of mentoring, you need to consider the points in the following list: 1. defining needs: each time your mentee achieves a certain goal or realises an achievement, the action plan you made for your mentees has to be reassessed. Then you have to confirm that they still have the same aim and maybe set new target. 2. building information sources and referring people on: this is also part of the planning process, you are not expected to be an expert in everything but knowing when to refer someone on and to whom to refer them will play an important role in your function as a mentor. You must
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ANNEX 4 - Listening and questioning skills To listen well needs constant practice, something most people don’t do well. Especially in a mentoring relationship, but in everyday life as well, we should practise something called active listening. In order to listen properly you need to: 1. suspend judgement 2. hold back, not think about yourself but focus on mentee 3. keep quiet but attentive You can also communicate to your mentee that you are listening at him/her by making eye contact, nodding your head, and paying attention to your body language. It is also helpful to make encouraging or summarising comments, taking care not to interrupt the mentee speech. You should train yourself to keep your concentration and listening without distractions or interruption.
Helpful types of questions are: • open questions ask for an explanation of what is being said (for example: tell me about...what did you enjoy…) • reflecting: presenting your mentee’s thought back to them and any feeling that you have picked up (for example: it sounds like you found that part of the contract negotiations difficult, how did you begin to overcome the obstacles?) • probing questions enable you to investigate further what is being said. (for example: what was it about the financial negotiations that you found challenging?) • closed questions demand very precise answers. (for example: could you see yourself working in a gallery?) Be watchful of unhelpful types of questions. These can be categorised as questions that are leading, manipulative, multiple or confusing.
After your next mentoring session or a common conversation, evaluate how well you listened. Think about how much you can remember of that and what were the distractions for you.
In your next mentoring meeting make a note of the kind of questions you are asking. What is the ratio of open to closed questions, or reflective and probing questions that you ask?
The key to good mentoring is not to supply an answer but to help the other person develop an answer. So you need to suspend your own experiences and ask questions which will enable the mentee to clarify his thoughts. You need to be able to understand what is being said in order to ask effective questions. What is the underlying message? You need to be able to ask the right questions to uncover meanings and make connections.
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ANNEX 4 - Manage feedback GUIDELINES FOR GIVING EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK
RECEIVING FEEDBACK
• Focus on positive resources: offer an analysis of a strength
To be effective feedback has to be wanted. You may want to double check with your mentee that they want the feedback from you. Think about how you would feel about receiving feedback. Ask your mentee to be as specific as possible to what their needs are and link your feedback to future action plans. Remember feedback is a gift and it will be up to your mentee to decide what to do with the feedback. Encourage them to ask more questions if necessary and be prepared to give your mentee more informations. It is more effective and much easier to give and receive feedback if you have developed a good working relationship with your mentee and developed a rapport with them.
•
•
•
•
leading to a plan to make use of it. Be descriptive: avoid judgement and good/bad frame of reference. Instead try “what behaviour would be more helpful” Be specific: make sure that you report on observed behaviour and have specific examples, rather than focusing on deduced qualities such as “you’re clever” Praise: successful praise demands as much as successful criticism. Try to analyse your mentee’s success without making judgements. Reinforcing someone’s strengths and effective behaviour is a more encouraging way to effect a change than focusing on the negative. Criticism: it, in order to be effective, must avoid arousing a defensive reaction. If you are too blunt, or too critical, you run the risk of destroying your mentee’s confidence. Try to turn a critical statement into a positive one. Be sparing in your criticism. Negative feedback should only focus on one or two things that need to be improved. Your mentees are likely to be more successful if they are only focusing on one or two specific areas.
Think about giving feedback on performance to your mentee and reflect how you would go about it. Try writing it down, and working out a few of the things that you would like to sort out before you say anything.
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ANNEX 4 - Networking Sometimes you may need to encourage your mentee to think about the importance of networking. This also may include: 1. encouraging them to make contacts 2. seeking out information from a variety of sources, trade papers, support organisations, umbrella organisations, membership bodies and unions 3. building peer groups such as action learning sets and working parties The networking may be done formally or informally, within or externally to the organisation. Good negotiating skills are necessary when approaching someone on your mentees behalf; you need to plan what you are going to say, be clear about your objectives, so that your approach is clear, positive and constructive. By taking action on behalf of your mentees you are helping them to remove barriers. Your mentee needs to know what you intend to do and agree with your approach. You will need to explain the nature of your relationship to the person you approach on the mentees behalf. Your network of contacts will need to be updated regularly, and you will need to know who to contact, the right person at the right level.
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ANNEX 5 - TME Diagnostic Skills Check Tools A toolkit and guidance for assessing initial needs of creative mentees
A) WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE when, who, and how can encourage someone to open up. Asking why can often feel more like a criticism and cause defensiveness. 5. Avoid Leading Questions – be careful not to lead people in a particular direction. 6. Areas of non-interest – it’s good to make sure that the person owns the conversation but also important to make sure we address what is not been focussed on and reasons for this. 7. Be attentive to not just what is said but also tone and body language. 8. Reflect back what was said to clarify and ensure you have the right understanding. 9. Self-awareness – be aware of your own emotions, reactions, and prejudices to ensure you don’t allow them.
The first contact interview and assessment is the beginning of the relationship between the mentor and the mentee and it is important to establish good communication. The project’s research and experience of working with young people shows that the role of a mentor requires not only expertise in a vocational field , but also good communication skills and positive relationships with young people. Young people participating in the TME pilots have all expressed the importance of the relationship between the support worker/mentor and themselves. Many young people have expressed that they need the flexibility of changing support workers if they do not feel connected to them. The mentor should facilitate the young person to lead and be responsible for their own development and understand their own needs. Those elements are visible in the communication pattern that is used by the mentor. The motivational interviewing tool (see references and links) has been used as a source for this guidance for establishing the communication that will allow the understanding the needs of young people: 1. To have the style of approach that includes effective questioning. 2. Ask open questions and encourage the young person to think for themselves. It is important to show you are. 3. Actively listening, asking good questions and giving good reflections and feedback. 4. Interrogative words – using questions such as what,
1) DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS Talent Match London uses a series of tools in the process of understanding the needs of young people by reflecting on the young people’s experience, context, and wishes. These comprise several About Me forms, which are used in the initial assessment that the support worker might have with a young person. The aim of this is for the young person and support worker to begin to look at what their life is like at present, what they would like to do, and look at overcoming any barriers they might have in taking part in the next stage of the programme.
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ANNEX 5 - TME Diagnostic Skills Check Tools
A) WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE The young person and mentor will build a contract based on their mutual expectations of each other. The following forms - The Wheel of Life, Right Here, Right Now and My Future – can be used during the process of initial assessment:
7. Together look at gaps and discuss what goals you could
make around one, some or all of them. Look at what might be causing the gaps and if there are any barriers they are facing that might need extra support.
• The Wheel of Life
• Right here, right now
The aims are: For young people to learn about their own priorities, to facilitate goal setting and to open up conversation about the young persons life. Different people need to focus on different areas of their life more than others. The right balance of this is different for different people and the Wheel of Life looks at what the ideal balance of things are for the young person. How: 1. First ask them what their main priorities in life are. What is most important to them? The number of priorities can be flexible but ideally between 5-8. 2. This could include roles they play or areas of their life. 3. Roles: community leader, friend, father. 4. Areas of Life: spirituality, financial freedom, family, social life, career, religion. 5. After, ask them how much attention they are paying towards this at the moment from 0-10 (0 = low, 10 = high). Ask them what they mean by each number they suggest, reminding them that they need to have a balance and that therefore there will always be a range. 6. Once completed, in a separate colour ask the young person how much attention they would like to spend on each of these things.
The aim is for the young person to look at how they actually spend their time and what difficulties they might have. How: 1. Go through each of the questions with the young person ensuring you reflect back on the priorities. • My future
The aim is to understand what the young person is interested in, to begin discussions about the future and what they might want to do as well as to understand their attitudes to work. It also should provide direction for goal setting. How: 1. These questions should be asked sensitively and reflected on when reaching the goal setting section:
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ANNEX 5 - TME Diagnostic Skills Check Tools
A) WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE
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ANNEX 5 - TME Diagnostic Skills Check Tools
A) WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE 2) FORMAT MENTORING INTERVIEW
• What went wrong for you?
Framing the present is a tool used by organization Mulab, Italy. The aim is to get an idea of mentee’s self-awareness for the first meeting.
• In your opinion, what was a strength point of your actions?
Questions list Framing the present (to have an idea of mentee’s self awareness for the first meeting) • What do you do? • What experience do you have? • What can you do? • What are your skills/competences? • What are things you do well/best? • What are qualities other people recognise you? • For which qualities are you mostly appreciated by others? • Is there an aspect that you feel wanting in your present time? • What is most critical aspect you feel in your professional life at this time? • What makes you happy? • How do you feel when you …..? • What is your aspiration? • On a scale from 1 to 10 how much are you satisfied about your situation?
Setting Structure 1. WELCOME _ colloquial introducing phase (up to 10 min) • On the first meeting, the mentor introducing himself and his work on the first meeting • On the following meetings, the mentor start asking a report about the actions from the previous meeting 2. INTERVIEW_ stay around 6 questions: 3 open q., 3 specific q. (up to 10-15 min) • On the first meeting, the mentor should keep an introducing interview to have a frame of the mentee start point • On the following meetings, the interview can be more specific and customized on the mentee situation 3. INPUT_ actions and strategies phase (up to 5-10 min) • On the first meeting, the mentor could give tip about a possible action or suggest an aspect on which start working • On the following meetings, the suggestions can be more specific as give contacts, review the mentee cv or help editing one, suggest trainings ext.. 4. END_ greetings and agreement for any following meeting
*the following questions should not be standard but formed according to the topic of the meeting.
Framing the present (following meetings) • What has been happened since we met last time? • Is there a specific aspect you want to tell me?
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ANNEX 5 - TME Diagnostic Skills Check Tools
A) WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE Observations (following meetings) • Structure of the setting must be present but not evident otherwise empathy would be lost. • Timing of the interview: up to 45 min. (35-40 mins is deal to avoid overloading and dispersing information.) mentee has to be informed and conscious about the setting duration. • For the efficiency of the interview a keyword is: Simplify. Focus on 2, maximum 3 points for each interview. Work on achievable goals, small steps. Managing silence If you come to a stage where you feel that the person could give more information, try silence and see what happens. Remember not to fill the space and ask too many questions at one time. It is important to give your mentee the pace to think. 3) MIND MAPPING Is a tool developed by EASP, Macedonia which uses the metaphor of the mind map as a way to start conversation with young people about their current life situation.
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ANNEX 5 - TME Diagnostic Skills Check Tools
A) WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE
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ANNEX 5 - TME Diagnostic Skills Check Tools
B) ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS CHECK 1) ENTERPRISE PATHWAY PROGRAMME PERSONAL STATEMENT This tool has been used in the programme Talent Match London to initiate the discussion on enterpreneurial skills and mindset. It also includes several self assessment questions.
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ANNEX 5 - TME Diagnostic Skills Check Tools
B) ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS CHECK
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ANNEX 5 - TME Diagnostic Skills Check Tools
B) ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS CHECK
2) WHEEL OF SKILLS Is a tool developed by Fundacja Arteria, Poland with the aim to help young people to understand what skills are useful in developing their financial satisfaction and to help them to think how they would rate themselves on their confidence level in this skills currently. How: From the list of the desirable skills/attitudes one chooses 8 – most important in for running business in cultural and creative sector and rank them in the context of the level of their self-confident (from 0 to 5: “0” means “not confident” and “5” - extremely confident). After, one writes down these 8 chosen skills/attitudes at the end of the lines at the wheel. Then the young person should put an X on the score for each of the 8 skills/attitudes and then join up all the Xs.
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ANNEX 5 - TME Diagnostic Skills Check Tools
C) UNDERSTANDING OF CREATIVITY
1) BEING CREATIVE Is a tool used by Prostor Plus to approach people interested in arts and to make them feel comfortable to talk about their creative potential or process. It consists of a set of general questions that might be a good conversation starter on their creativity.
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ANNEX 5 - TME Diagnostic Skills Check Tools
C) UNDERSTANDING OF CREATIVITY
2) HOW AM I BEING CREATIVE Developed by Prostor Plus and made with the aim to provide a base for reflection and self-reflection of a young person’s creative process and creativity. How: The simple creative task is a format that can be used as an individual material for reflection and self-reflection on influences/ inspiration, motivation, creative process etc. This task can be very simple, as for example, to shortly present yourself choosing whatever motif or information about yourself, using any art format that suits the young person best. If a person is already creative invite the young person to share and reflect on the example/s of their own creative work. The elements stressed in the tool can be used for conversation also.
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ANNEX 6 - Learning Materials
The link below will take you to the learning materials tested by the partners in the different countries during the pilot phase. You will find: • Training Plans • Units • Multimedia/Photos/Videos • Presentations • Learning Materials • and more
Follow the link! www.oer.makingprojects.org/oer/talent-matching-europe
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ANNEX 7 - CLOCK
The link below will take you to the CLOCK programme website. CLOCK COMBINES PROFESSIONAL LEARNING WITH HIGHER EDUCATION CERTIFICATION for everyone who learns through creative and cultural work, rather than in formal educational settings. Follow the link! www.clockyourskills.com
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Editorial Fomentor Team: Martina Cipolletti, Claudia Matera, Trevor Burgess and Vincenzo Pellegrini Storyboard: Martina Cipolletti and Claudia Matera Layout and Graphics: Katarzyna Leszczynska Special thanks to: Manoj Ambasna, Denise Stanley, Preeti Dasgupta, Gemma Galey-Jones, Elizabeth Appleby, Anna Ochmann, Wenancjusz Ochmann, Juan Pedregosa, Lina Bautista, Gigi Guizzo, Eduard Bernal, Gemma Lladรณs, Tajana Josimovic, Erica De Martini, Alice Fratarcangeli, Roberta Zingaretti, Anna Piccoli, Aneta Guleva, Danche Chalovska and Michele De Vito.
Talent Matching Fomentor Manual is a playbook concept developed by MuLab