Work Based Learning- Internship Mentor Volunteer

Work Based Learning/Internship Mentor Volunteer

Internship Mentor Volunteer partners of Aztec Municipal School District will be working with AMSD high school students to introduce them to real-world learning environments in areas of their chosen career interest. In collaboration with school staff, Mentors will work to develop student professionalism and industry related knowledge.

• Mentors teach mentees the skills, abilities, and capabilities that are required to be successful in the role of intern. Knowledge shared should be specific (the organization) as well as general (the field).

• Mentors provide a means of traversing through the ins and outs of the organization, including negotiating through red tape, politics, and unwritten rules.

• Mentors uphold the professional standards, values, and ethics that are expected within the organization and within the industry. Mentors are the "superstars" to which we all aspire.

• Mentors help interns with strategies, tactics, and approaches for success. These "game plans" initially serve to guide mentees through the course of their internships and continue to prepare them for victory long after their departure.

• Mentors neither judge nor admonish mentees; instead they listen, encourage, and inspire. Ideally, mentors act as objective parties, providing a safe haven within which the mentee can explore, reflect, and muse.

• Mentors provide support and encouragement to their mentees, especially during the beginning of the internship, as well as throughout the (inevitable) challenges ahead.

• Mentors act as gate-keepers. Whenever possible, they expose mentees to experiences that will broaden horizons, people who will offer opportunities, and situations that will provide for learning and enlightenment.

A Volunteer in the Aztec Municipal School District offers and provides a service to the school district without receiving compensation.