The Online Mentoring Program for FLEX and YES Alumni with Disabilities is a three-month mentoring program aimed at connecting junior and senior alumni of the FLEX and YES programs for a unique professional development opportunity. Mentors and mentees will meet virtually each month, and all participants will have the opportunity to take part in live (synchronous) and recorded (asynchronous) professional development events. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of State.
The program gives alumni with disabilities the opportunity to learn from each other and share advice and experience. Mentoring partners will discuss strategies to address challenges that face alumni with disabilities. Participants can then apply what they’ve learned to real-world situations like university studies, job applications, the workplace, etc.
Who can participate?
FLEX and YES alumni with disabilities of all program years and countries are welcome to apply. Mentors are senior alumni who are professionals in their field with experience to share and mentees are younger alumni who are currently students or recent university graduates entering the workforce.
Step 1: Interested mentors and mentees complete a program application no later than April 26;
Step 2: A team of experienced professionals select mentor-mentee pairs based on their professional fields of interest, personal interests, and personalities;
Step 3: Selected participants confirm their participation and availability to attend a required two-day workshop online, which will be held on May 15-16 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EDT;
Step 4: Mentors and mentees meet at an online two-day professional development training aimed to connect mentor-mentee pairs and set their goals for the next three months;
Step 5: Mentors and mentees choose their own path, their own ways of communication to engage in a three-month-long mentoring program. Support is provided by program coordinators and pairs are required to check in about the progress on a monthly basis with the program coordinator or by completing a survey;
Step 6: Mentees and mentors will have access to professional development courses, led online, specially developed for this program and participants’ professional development;
Step 7: Hopefully, through the course of the program, mentors and mentees achieve the goals they set and share their accomplishments at the closing of the program.
Selected participants are required to take part in a two-day online training program on May 15 and May 16 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EDT. The online training will be interactive with tasks, exercises, and talks from internationally acclaimed leadership speakers. Please only apply if you are available to be part of this mandatory training.
The application deadline is April 26, 2021 at 11:59 PM EDT.
Mentee application (for alumni seeking a mentor):
Mentor application (for alumni who wish to be a mentor to a more junior alumnus/a)
Accessibility: We will work with participants to ensure that the program is accessible to all. Please note any accommodation requests in your application.
