Mentorship & Peer Collaboration Program

Mentors provide mentees with general guidance, support and advice. Peer collaborators support each other by sharing their knowledge and experience with each other.  Participants should aim to connect at least once a month over the course of a year through virtual meetings and phone calls.

At the conclusion of the one-year term, participants are encouraged to share a case study or other materials resulting from the project through the Campus Sustainability Hub.

The AASHE mentorship program offered a really useful and fulfilling opportunity to brainstorm projects and programs with someone with a shared perspective on the field. – Yancey Fouché, Director of Sustainability, Davidson College

• Develop a set of goals for the relationship with their mentor that will be submitted to AASHE within two months through a form AASHE will provide. This could include completing a specific project that is feasible within one year. Ideally, these goals should include one or more tangible products.
• Initiate phone or in-person meetings with their mentor at least once a month to update them on progress in relation to the goals and solicit their guidance.
• Share any products resulting from the collaboration (e.g., case studies, photos, videos, blog posts, syllabi, reports, outreach materials) through the Campus Sustainability Hub.
• Respect their mentor’s time and understand they have other professional commitments.

Mentors are expected to:

• Help their mentee develop a set of goals that are feasible and that leverage their expertise.
• Offer ongoing support and guidance to their mentee (not necessarily exclusively related to the goals).
• Be available to connect with their mentee at least once a month over the term of the program.

Peer Collaborators are expected to :

• Take on the responsibilities of both a mentee and mentor, working with their partner to both give and receive support.

For those looking to mentor, the program will provide you with a way to contribute to the larger sustainability movement, beyond your own institution. And, you may be surprised to find that you can learn a lot from your mentee as well. – Aaron Witham, Assistant Director of Facilities Management for Sustainability, University of Southern Maine

Participants must be affiliated with an AASHE member organization when they apply.

• Mentees benefit by:
  • Getting access to independent and objective perspectives
  • Successfully implementing a project
  • Developing new skills and expertise
  • Gaining confidence in dealing with challenges and issues
  • Receiving support during times of change and transition
    
• Mentors benefit by:
  • Deriving satisfaction from helping someone else, and the campus sustainability movement, to grow
  • Enhancing their leadership skills, especially communication and interpersonal skills
  • Staying in touch with emerging issues
  • Reflecting on their own practices
  • Developing a reputation as subject matter experts and leaders
  • Receiving recognition from AASHE
  • Earning points for their institutions in STARS through the Inter-­Campus Collaboration credit
• Peer Collaborators benefit by:
  • Sharing experiences and brainstorming solutions
  • Gaining practical advice, encouragement and support from a peer
  • Developing new skills to enhance their professional experience and personal growth