Mentorship relationships are unique, a cross between a personal and professional relationship. Take time to get to know each other before jumping into the work. This is your chance to start building rapport, set expectations, and discuss any boundaries.

Some pairs will find a quick and easy flow as if they are old friends; some may have to be more intentional about it. This is a choose-your-own-adventure journey! If you’re feeling stuck, here are a few ideas.

Take turns talking about yourselves. Share what you’re comfortable talking about; where and how you grew up, your educational background, professional experience, and future goals. 

Talk about expectations and boundaries 

  • Are there topics that are off the table? (Family, relationships, etc.)

  • How will you address each other? Do you hate the nickname commonly used for your name? What pronouns should you use for each other? 

  • Methods of communication. How will you two communicate? Is it ok to text, call, or email about a specific question? Or will you only communicate during your meetings? 

  • Anything else that is important for you. 

Set up a plan for your mentorship relationship

  • When will you meet? 

  • Who is responsible for making the appointments, setting the agenda for your meeting, etc.?

Goal Setting: Magic Wand Exercise

  • Wave a magic wand. Imagine you have your dream job and dream life. 

    • What does that look like? 

    • What do you need to do to get there? 

      • Create an Action Plan

      • Set action steps. If they seem too overwhelming, break them down again. If it takes more than 5 minutes to get started, break that step down again! 

  • Check out SMARTIE Goals to discover even more goal-setting strategies!

Networking

  • Lean in: Choose 3 people inside your network to connect with.

    • How will you approach them? 

    • What is your ask?

    • What will you give in return? 

  • Lean out: Choose 3 people outside your network to connect with.

    • How will you approach them? 

    • What is your ask?

    • What will you give in return? 

Knowledge Sharing

  • Mentors share what the day-to-day is like in your position.

  • Share your struggles and challenges.

  • Share any defining moments in your life or career.

Goal Progress and Reevaluation

  • Did you meet your goal?

  • Is this goal still realistic and progressing?

Mentorship Partnership

  • Will you stay in touch?

  • Will you keep working together?

  • Please complete the post-program survey!

If you’re seeking creative ways to stay on track during your mentorship, feel free to implement any of the following into the agenda that you create together.

  • Role-Playing

  • Mutual job shadowing

  • Discuss goal-related news and events

  • Create a vision statement

  • Read a book together related to the movement. For example, “This is Vegan Propaganda” by Ed Winters. It could be any book that is read during the mentorship that the mentor and mentee may hold discussions about during their meeting(s).

  • Random notes of encouragement. These can work wonders and boost the confidence of both the mentee and mentor. 

  • Develop and share career bucket lists. Work together to define a path to achieve what is on that bucket list.

  • Listen to the same podcast, and hold a discussion about it. Podcasts offer a wealth of information and space for discussion.

  • Schedule “Ask me Anything” sessions. Without a specific context, this gives the floor for anything to come up.

  • Plan a theoretical TED talk. This allows a mentee to explore a topic that they are passionate about and puts them into a position to deep-dive into that very subject and find their confidence as a result.

Sample Agendas

If you’re feeling like you need a sense of direction in organizing your time, please reference the sample agendas below, so your mentorship partnership may stay on track!

First Meeting Agenda:

Topic Leader
Icebreaker: Talk about your passions and why you are in this program. Both
Getting to know each other: Share what you're comfortable talking about; Where and how you grew up, your educational background, your professional experience, and your future dreams and goals. Both
Boundaries: Are there topics that are off the table? (Family, relationships, etc.) What should you call one another? What pronouns should you use with one another? Is is okay to communicate outside of meetings? (Such as emails, calls, or texts about a specific thing.) Both
Expectations: Who will set appointments for meetings? Will you have a standing time and date? Who will create the agenda? Mentor
What are the mentees' professional goals? What about personal interests and goals?  Mentee
Explore and brainstorm for your next meeting, now that you've gotten to know one another, set your boundaries and devised your expectations. How can you best utilize your time in the next month until you meet again? Both

Second Meeting Agenda:

Topic Leader
What are your current challenges? Mentor
Set a new goal, or report progress, on: (1) Professional goal(s), (2) Roadblocks, (3) Action steps, and (4) A timeline of action steps to achieve the goal. Mentee
What are some action steps that the mentor could take, to best offer support and guidance? Mentor
If you are feeling stuck, please feel free to select an optional exercise or activity from the list above, under "Optional Activities". Maybe you will choose a podcast or TED talk that you can discuss over your next meeting; So long as it pertains to overcoming barriers and achieving the goals and visions of the mentee, it is a great idea! Both
Discuss actionable steps and set expectations for the time between now and your next meeting. Build them into the agenda for the following meeting!  Mentee