Practical suggestions for the Mentor's role and responsibilities in the context for mentoring African International Students. Overview A mentor’s role can seem far reaching, and it is important to act within the scope of the role. A mentor is an individual who supports development in their mentee, but the question can sometimes be what are the realms a mentor acts in and the scope of their role? A mentor should focus on longer term development and growth, which often puts them in contrast to coaches - who tend to focus on immediate challenges - and counsellors – who act specifically with the focus of supporting mental health (Reh, 2022; Garvey, 2004). Furthermore, the mentor may often have expertise that can help foster a developing space and, if appropriate and the mentee asks for it, advise the mentee through specific circumstances. In general, a mentor is engaged in the mentee’s professional development, which in the higher education context means their success as students and future professionals. Theoretical perspectives The mentoring relationship covers a range of areas. It is in its nature developmental, and it is crucial that this should be the focus of the relationship. That is, the goal from having a mentee work with a mentor is for the mentee, through a collaborative process, to transform towards a more capable, confident professional. Mentoring outcomes in education are often associated with an increased sense of belonging for the student (O’Brien et al, 2012), self-confidence in professional skills and abilities (Thiry et al, 2011), and stronger engagement in programmes (Lunsford et al, 2017). There are different ways of accomplishing this. The key is foster a supportive environment that affirm experiences of both mentor and mentees to generate a trust-based relationship, where through experience-sharing, mentoring skills (e.g., perspective taking, questioning, and active listening) and reflection the mentee grows as a student or professional (Lucey & White, 2017). However, it is also important to know the scope of the mentoring relationship. The mentor is not expected to be an expert beyond their own experiences. So, while the mentor may be very skilled at conflict resolution, or mental well-being practices, it is not the role of the mentor to provide such things for the mentee. The mentor needs instead to foster a space where there is room for reflection, by asking questions and listening actively and compassionately. When they have knowledge and expertise, they can offer their advice and opinions, but are not expected to solve problems for the mentee. In fact, by asking reflective questions and sharing experiences and wisdom appropriately, the mentor can support the student in finding solutions to their own challenges by allowing the student agency in exploring challenges and rely on their own strengths in finding solutions. The mentor is also not a mental health professional, and it should be clear to both the mentor and the mentee that providing substantial emotional support or help is beyond the formal requirements of the relationship. There is space in the relationship for sharing challenges and difficulties; however, should the mentee need extra emotional support, the mentor should signpost to other services. This is to protect both people. References Garvey, B. (2004). The mentoring/counselling/coaching debate: call a rose by any other name perhaps it’s a bramble. Development and learning in organizations, 18(2), 6-8. Lucey, T. A., & White, E. S. (2017). Mentorship in higher education: Compassionate approaches supporting culturally responsive pedagogy. Multicultural Education, 24(2), 11-17. Lunsford, L. G., Crisp, G., Dolan, E. L., & Wuetherick, B. (2017). Mentoring in higher education. The SAGE handbook of mentoring, 20, 316-334. O’Brien, M., Llamas, M., & Stevens, E. (2012). Lessons learned from four years of peer mentoring in a tiered group program within education. Journal of the Australia and New Zealand Student Services Association, 40, 7–15 Reh, F. J. (2022). What is the role of the mentor? https://www.thebalancemoney.com/a-guide-to-understanding-the-role-of-a-mentor-2275318 Thiry, H., Laursen, S.L., & Hunter, A-B. (2011). What experiences help students become scientists?: A comparative study of research and other sources of personal and professional gains for STEM undergraduates? The Journal of Higher Education, 82(4), 357–88 Context for mentoring African International Students When mentoring African International Students on the Mastercard Foundation scholarship or elsewhere, the same considerations apply as they do for other mentoring relationships in higher education. The goal is to foster a developmental and reflective relationship, where the student can bring their successes, challenges, and concerns and can speak about them with a person who has experience in the higher education space. By allowing the space to be reflective, the student will be allowed to develop and identify meaningful skills they have that allow them to be successful in higher education. Therefore, as a mentor for an African International Student, you should aspire to develop skills that are relevant for all mentors. One thing that is key to add on top of regular mentoring skills is that of intercultural competencies (see Intercultural mentoring). By understanding and appreciating the differences in backgrounds and experiences between yourself and your mentee, it will be possible to develop deeper trust and to support your mentee in the most meaningful way possible. However, it is key to remember that you are not expected to be able to solve your mentees problems, nor that it is required for you to be their friend. Friendships can easily blossom from mentoring relationships, and that can be appropriate, but remember that the goal is to first and foremost create a space for conversations that can support the mentee's development, while learning and developing yourself as a mentor (and person) as well. This also means that it is a good idea to be aware of the support structures relevant to your institution, and African International Students in general. Sometimes the best support we can give a mentee is to signpost them to other relevant resources and people. If you are ever in doubt of what is expected of you, seek support from people who have experience in the area, and if your institution has staff associated with the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship, these would be good people to talk to. Practical suggestions Focus on developing a trusting relationship with the goal of longer-term development. Every mentoring relationship is different, and you and your mentee might find that you work best by exploring pressing challenges and successes; however, it may be worth establishing in collaboration with your mentee a focus on setting your mentee up for long-term development and success. It can be good to set boundaries around the relationship early on. Are you communicating by email/phone? How often are you in contact and how often are you available? Having the first meeting as a reflective conversation about expectations and previous experiences with mentoring can be a good place to start. In this meeting you can also agree on mutual expectations such as confidentiality and non-judgementality. Set explicit boundaries. You are not a mental health professional, and while you can (and are allowed to) support your student through difficulties, set boundaries around how supportive and available you are to protect both yourself and your mentee Familiarise yourself with your institution’s key contacts, such as student support, finance advice, counselling, careers services so that you can signpost your mentee as relevant. You can then support your mentee in how to approach conversations with such services. If you are ever in doubt about a situation, seek support while maintaining the confidentiality of the relationship. If you are worried that the student may harm themselves or others it is important you seek help, even if this means breaching the student-mentor confidentiality agreement This article was published on 2024-06-24
