Alumni
Mentorship
Program
Powered by the lifelong network of BAFF alumni driving innovation and leadership in the Baltics, BAFF ALUMNI MENTORSHIP PROGRAM creates opportunities for BAFF alumni from many different industries, with diverse professional backgrounds and experiences, to share and further develop their professional skills as a mentor or mentee.
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Since the launch of the program in 2021, we’ve had
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5
rounds of
mentorship -
>9,8
points out of 10
as the average program rating -
100+
mentees and their
growth stories -
100+
mentors who have shared
their knowledge
THE PROGRAM OFFERS
MATCHING
A productive mentoring relationship depends on a good match. By analyzing the data in each participant’s profile, we strive to enhance the mentoring experience and facilitate the discovery of ideal mentor-mentee matches. We match participants based on such factors as industry, mentorship goals, professional experience, preference for mentoring location, and other factors that participants consider important when being matched.
MENTORING
Mentoring occurs between mentees and mentors acting in a non-professional helping capacity to provide relationship-based support. Each mentoring relationship is unique, based on the devotion to frequent interaction settled upon by the mentor and mentee. A mentor supports and encourages the mentee’s professional development and provides active guidance to help them achieve their goals. Through advice and guidance, the mentor can help the mentee to develop their full career potential and explore alternative roles and career paths.
Mentoring provides a safe space to talk about everyday activities, new perspectives and thoughts to look at, discuss career-related and personal struggles, test insights and lessons learned, way to reflect and analyze actions, experiences and think about ways to improve, integrate/ apply knowledge in different professional directions.
SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE
We are committed to providing mentors with additional support to ensure they feel empowered and equipped to make a lasting impact on their mentees' growth. The program includes consultation sessions with former mentors of the program to create a supportive environment where mentors can reflect, learn from each other, and receive guidance to enhance their mentoring skills and address any challenges they may face. For all program participants, we provide timely and relevant resources (topical content, mentoring best practices, etc.) throughout the mentorship.
CERTIFICATES
Mentors and mentees are getting certificates in the end of the program who attended training sessions and workshops, got excellent/ good feedback from their mentee/ mentor, if meetings were happening regularly (few or non-cancelled meetings).
INSPIRING SPEAKERS AND TRAINING
Before the program starts a 1.5-day training for participants is organized on how to best conduct meetings, provide constructive feedback, and stay on track with individual goals for more impactful mentorship relationships. In addition to 1-on-1 mentoring, the program is enriched by meetings with inspiring speakers.
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
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Mentoring gives a chance to increase confidence and self-awareness through motivation, support and inspiration, as well as improve skill sets. Through a mentoring program, a mentee can gain access to important career contacts. Mentees learn to communicate with others in more senior positions, as well as gain confidence in dealing with people from unfamiliar backgrounds.
Mentees are not the only ones to benefit from the mentorship: providing mentorship is an opportunity for the mentor to develop leadership, communication, listening, and management skills. It can offer lasting career networks, grow one’s professional network, or can even lead to the development of lifelong friendships. Mentors may learn just as much from their mentees as their mentees will learn from them. Mentoring offers the mentor an opportunity to reflect upon their own professional journey and can offer the satisfaction of sharing their own personal wisdom with others.
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A mentor supports and encourages the professional development of the mentee and provides active guidance to help them achieve their goals. For the mentee, having a mentor provides a dedicated forum to learn and grow their professional skills. Through advice and guidance, the mentor can help the mentee develop their full career potential and explore alternative roles and career paths.
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The expected time commitment is a minimum of 12 hours of mentoring + ~20 hours in support and guidance activities during the opening, closing and midterm events.
Participants choose the duration of their mentorship relationship. The expected minimum duration is 4 months with an option to extend if both parties wish to continue (to 5 months or more).
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There should be a commitment to regular communications and interactions, agreed upon in advance. Typically, mentorships start out with more frequent, lengthy meetings and then pare back somewhat once the relationship is established (every week or every second week for the first month – 2 to 4 meetings, 4 hours). But a general rule would be at least once a week at the initial stages and no less than monthly later on in the process.
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We provide timely and relevant resources (topical content, mentoring best practices, etc.) throughout the mentorship:
• Orientation training at the beginning;
• Consultation sessions to create a supportive environment where mentors can reflect, learn from each other, and receive guidance from former mentors of the program to enhance their mentoring skills and address any challenges they may face;
• Mentor and Mentee handbooks that offer helpful tips for the mentorship journey;
• Access to learning resources (Clifton Strength test, videos, guides, worksheets, goal-setting templates, etc.);
• Assistance during the program by BAFF staff.
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The Alumni Mentorship program is targeted to different BAFF alumni groups with a focus to support their professional development needs. Target croups invited to participate in this program are:
• Leadership Academy program participants (recent graduates): to advance career prospects and vocational guidance;
• Leadership Academy, Professional Internship, Research Scholar programs participants (with less than 2 years of work experience): to get support establishing themselves in a work field/industry or a position at a workplace;
• Professional Internship, Research Scholar, Graduate Scholar and Leadership Academy program participants (with more than 2 years of work experience): to support changing one’s work field/industry.
FEEDBACK FROM PAST PARTICIPANTS