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Mentoring Programme Charter

Mentoring Programme Charter

1. General mentoring guidelines

The following are the general guidelines for the Danish Data Science Academy Mentoring Programme. We appreciate any and continuous feedback to ensure the best experience for all parties. 

1.1. A mentoring programme is a reciprocal engagement. Both parties are expected to be considerate, timely and adequately prepared for meetings.

1.2. The mentor and mentee should fill out a Mentoring Programme Agreement together at the first official meeting between mentor and mentee. Please see points 2 and 3 below for guidelines and inspiration.

1.3. Participants are free to jointly design the mentoring process as they see fit under the DDSA Code of Conduct. In points 2 and 3 below, formats suggested by DDSA are underlined.

1.4. The mentor and mentee should plan for engagements of approximately 10 months. At the end of an engagement, involved parties can of course agree to continue their collaboration.

1.5. Either party may end their participation in the mentoring programme at any time. In doing so, the other party and DDSA must be notified. DDSA is open to assist in this process, simply reach out to us (contact details are at the end of this page).

2. Inintial meeting guidelines

At the initial meeting, mentor and mentee can get to know each other, set the scope and set the mid- and long-term expectations for the mentoring programme. Also, please be sure to exchange the necessary contact information. The following sections can be used as a starting point: 

2.1. Review the guidelines
This is important to ensure compliance, and a joint understanding of the scope of a DDSA mentoring process.

2.2. Discuss interests and motivations
M
entor and mentee are encouraged to discuss their respective professional interests, such that one or more areas of shared appeal may be identified. Likewise, participants should voice their respective motivations both for engaging in a mentoring programme and in a broader professional context.

2.3. Share goals, ambitions and expectations
Involved parties should voice clearly their respective goals, ambitions and expectations for the mentoring programme, such that the scope and focus of the engagement may be defined. We encourage involved parties to set goals for the mentoring programme, e.g., for the mentee’s development in a specific area within the duration of the mentoring programme.

2.4. Decide on format and process
Critically, involved parties should agree on an initial format for engaging in the mentoring programme and a process by which the engagement should be carried out. Elements to consider may include 

2.4.1. How meetings will take place (In-person, online, mix)
2.4.2. How often meetings will take place (Monthly, biweekly, ad hoc. etc.)
2.4.3.
What duration meetings will generally have (30 mins., 1 hour etc.)
2.4.4.
What topics will be discussed at meetings (Optional)

2.5. Fill out the Mentoring Programme Agreement
This document helps summarise all the above information in one place.

3. Recurring meeting guidelines

As mentioned above, involved parties are of course free to customize meeting formats and content as needed under the DDSA Code of Conduct. Please consider the following bullet points as a starting point for action to take in a recurring meeting. 

3.1. Review state
What has happened since the last meeting? What experiences or challenges are worth mentioning and/or discussing?

3.2. Sparring
The sparring between mentor and mentee is the main element of the mentorship. Here, it may be worthwhile to visit both long-term challenges plans and strategies, as well as specific current or short-term challenges.

3.3. Set/review goals and expectations up to next meeting
If specific goals for the mentoring programme is set, we encourage involved parties to briefly review these in the light of the current state, at each subsequent meeting. Likewise, specific goals, ambitions and expectations may be set until next meeting.

3.4. Schedule the next meeting
Please make sure to schedule the next meeting (and, ideally, all subsequent meetings) clearly, to avoid any confusion. Please be respectful of each other’s time and effort.

4. DDSA contact and involvement

While the mentoring programmes are carried out as individual processes, we highly encourage communication and networking across the mentoring pairs. For this purpose, please feel free to use the dedicated Slack workspace. Please reach out at any time if you need our support. 

Marius Cortsen
DDSA Secretariat
+45 40767810
marius@ddsa.dk  

This Mentoring Programme Charter has been updated by DDSA in September 2024. It may be subject to later revisions, so please always refer to the most recent version available at ddsa.dk.