I hope some of you were able to enjoy all of the fun at Winterfest last weekend and are ready or another great week of mentoring adventures!

Challenge for the week:

For January, the challenges will center around the theme of Looking Ahead. This week’s challenge is to make a plan! Last week you and your mentee discussed where you hope your mentoring relationship is going. Now it’s time to action-step that plan. Each relationship’s action plan is going to look different but all of them should be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reachable and Timely. How will you take your mentoring relationship to the next level? Do you need to decide on weekly meeting days/times? Do you need to make a list of the activities you will do together? Do you need to create a list of topics to discuss? Whatever it is, decide together, write it down and keep it in a place that you can easily access so that you never forget what you’re working on!

BONUS CHALLENGE: January is National Mentoring Month. That means this month’s challenge is to spread the word about mentoring! One of the biggest hindrances to people becoming mentors is thinking “Who am I? What would I have to offer a child?” But the truth is, we ALL have something to offer! Share your story of why you became a mentor and what your experience has been like with others and then encourage them to get involved. You can also tell them you know just the organization they should contact. 😉

TIP of the WEEK: We all have implicit biases. Implicit biases are the assumptions, stereotypes, and unintentional actions we make towards others based on identity labels like race, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, or ability. They can be both positive and negative, and develop over the course of our lifetime through our own experiences as well as internalized messages from family, the media, pop culture, and more. Our implicit associations are stored in our subconscious — where we do 98% of our thinking. Unfortunately, this means that we may act on our biases without even realizing it. Often, our implicit biases contradict what we think and believe. The good news is that we can all work to change our implicit biases. Although we can’t control the fact that we have them, we can learn about our biases, and identify moments where they change the way we see and interact with people.” ~Taken from www.nea.org Teaching Children from Poverty and Trauma. (https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/NEAPovertyTraumaHandbook.pdf )

📸We love seeing photos of you and your mentee spending time together! Please share them with us via your coach or using the hashtag #intentionalmentoringmadison 📸

Mentor Coaching Group Meeting Dates:

ASHLEY: Monday, January 24th 6:30 – 7:30  ashley@intentionalmentoringmadison.org

RYAN: Monday, January 3rd 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.  Ryan@intentionalmentoringmadison.org

Upcoming Events to Note

If you have a change in personal information (phone/address/email) please respond to this email or notify your mentor coach ASAP. 

QUOTE of the WEEK 

“No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

All the best,

Intentional Mentoring