Leadership

Mentoring

Relationships Between Generations Legacy for Your Congregation

Pat Hoertdoerfer
Children, Family and Intergenerational Programs Director
Lifespan Faith Development, UUA
Boston, MA

We need mentors throughout our lives! Perhaps you have extended family mentors, such as grandparents or "godparents" or maybe you have mentorship relations in your congregational life and lifespan religious education programming, such as Coming of Age mentors. We know that people going through a life transition need someone with basic skills and life wisdom to help them reflect on the changes they are experiencing. The Institute of Cultural Affairs offers excellent training programs and they are available in many cities - Seattle, Chicago, Kansas City, Asheville, and New York City. Check out their possibilities (below) for your Rites of Passage leaders. Go to their Web site for more information at www.icajourneys.org.

Coming-of-Age
The Coming of Age Seminar - an introduction to the skills needed to help people reflect on their life journey-ideas that are based on actual programs.

The basic tool presented is a planning model, which contains the elements of any rite of passage. Participants will get practice creating curriculum plans for a coming-of-age program, which might be used in their own situation. A 100-page resource manual is included.

Learning Outcomes
Why Rites of Initiation are needed in the rebuilding of community
Structural elements of a Rite of Initiation
A model for creating Rites of Passage
Options for program tone, mood and style
Access to a wealth of activities and rituals
Resources for program leaders

Training Mentors
Mentors can be a positive force for change in the lives of those in transition.
Training is a key factor in the success of a positive mentoring program.
Imagine yourself as a trainer for mentors. What do you mean by "mentor'? What qualities and skills will be needed by mentors? How will they help mentees discover their inner resources and accept responsibility for their own behaviors and relationships? How do you decide which potential mentors to train?

Learning Outcomes
Recruiting and screening mentors.
Nurturing a group of mentors.
Skills a mentor needs to develop.
Building a relationship/bond Motivating strategies Tools to shift disempowering images.

How the Earth Teaches
A great workshop for people who have attended our COA Leaders Training, or our Training Mentors and want to explore one of the most important parts of these topics. Since the dawn of human life, mentors have used the natural world to foster growth and awareness in mentees. Come prepared to spend much of the day outdoors, rain or shine, and expect to possibly get a little dirty.

Learning Outcomes
Activities designed to foster awareness
Engaging mentees in self-reflection
Incorporating the natural world into a mentorship program
Dealing with ethical issues of wilderness use
How to prepare against safety concerns
Individual and group activities you can use

The Institute of Cultural Affairs, 22401 39th Ave. SE, Bothell, WA 98021