Mentor Orientation 2023
Updated: Jan 14
Mentors joined the RCMG New Member Team for an orientation of the year ahead
Updated 1/14/2023
Originally posted 1/09/2023
Judie Ginter and Karen Randall held an orientation will be an overview of the RCMG Mentor Program. They provided information on the mentor and team structure for 2023, new resources and materials to help mentors, and share some suggestions on supporting interns during the first year. They also provide information on intern expectations and detail what has been communicated to our 2023 interns to date.
Attending mentors were asked to share best practices and ideas for 2023 intern support and team activities.
You can watch the Orientation Recording (from Jan 9, 2023) if you missed this meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If a team is working in a community garden, should it be logged as intern/mentoring or community garden?
Depending on what the mentor/intern are doing in the community garden, we suggest logging these hours under E2. (Educational Service Projects / Community gardens)
What types of things should be logged under intern/mentoring?
If the activity is related to intern support or education, the activity could be logged under H.7. (Administration and management / Intern application and mentoring) This involves Team Meetings, mentor-intern conversations or meetings, intern training, RCMG project fair or other activities focused on helping the intern learns the ins-and-outs of being an RCMG volunteer.
If the activity is project-based, we suggest these hours be logged related to the project.
Do both interns and mentors log hours the same way?
Yes, depending on whether the activity is focused on intern support or education OR on a community service project, the people involved should record their hours in the same way – either H7 or under the code assigned to the project-based activity.
How does the swap feature in SignUp Genius work? Are there any requirements such as logging in?
Watch the Using SignUp Genius - for volunteers volunteer training to review how to use the Swap feature. (Starts. around 22 minutes) We will highlight this in the March newsletter so it would be a good discussion to have inside Teams during that month.
You can also reference and share this link (found inside the RCMG blog): 6 Strategies for Finding a Substitute.
Is there a calendar of upcoming events so interns know what is coming up and don't panic because of lack of opportunities?
While we don't have a generalized RCMG volunteer opportunities timeline (YET!) we can work on developing that and adding it to both the RCMG Project Catalog and the Projects page of the RCMG website.
Below is a rough outline of volunteer activities that can be shared with interns.
Year-Round
Speakers Bureau
Garden Journalists
Photography
RCMG Communications Committee
RCMG Mentor Teams
RCMG Web Team
Yard & Garden Arboretum Hotline (state-program)
Winter
Youth Projects
RCMG Plant Sale
High Rise Garden Mentors
Spring
At-Home Garden Projects (state-program)
Barn Gardens
Community Gardens
Home Garden Productivity Study
RCMG Plant Sale
Seed Trials
Yard Waste Sites
Youth Projects
Summer
Barn Gardens
Blooming Saint Paul
Children's Garden in Residence Program
Community Gardens
Demonstration Gardens
Farmers Markets
Festivals
Garden Gnomes
Gardens for Good
Habitat for Humanity
Home Garden Productivity Study
Seed Trials
State & County Fairs
Yard Waste Sites
Fall
Barn Gardens
Home Garden Productivity Study
RCMG New Member Committee & Applicant Interviews
Seed Trials
Yard Waste Sites
Youth Projects
Mentor Resources
Mentor Training and Resources – This is the orientation agenda and includes the links Judie & Karen will pull up during the orientation
Best Practices and Suggestions: Padlet page (from peer mentors)
Team Best Practices Padlet page
Intern Resources
State Core Course Info Page with weekly 2023 Zoom Q&A sessions
Advice to the Class of 2023 (written by 2022 interns)
Related reading
Judie Ginter
2023 New Member Committee Chair
RCMG Volunteer
Karen Randall
2023 New Member Committee Co-chair
RCMG Volunteer