Welcome to SERCAL’s Mentorship Program
With a wealth of knowledge and experience to impart, and resources to share, SERCAL mentors can bridge the gap for their mentees and set them up for success in our field. Our goals are to:
Provide a platform which facilitates individual growth opportunities for students, emerging professionals, and youth in environmental and STEM fields; and
Ensure equity in educational opportunities and professional advancement for historically underrepresented groups.
The structure of this mentorship program consists of year-round (~quarterly) meetings between mentorship families, culminating in mentors and mentees meeting (in-person or virtually) during SERCAL’s annual conference.
Please click on the following two buttons to familiarize yourself with our practice and guidelines:
We are using Airtable so you can connect with each other:
First, at the bottom right of the table below, click to view larger version (you need to do this to enable the search function). From there you can click to search (top right) for your Match. To learn more about the other participants, go to the top left of the table to customize cards (filter out information you aren’t interested in seeing), click to filter (for example by mentor or mentee) or click to sort (for example, by whether they wish to participate virtually, in-person, or both) by toggling or untoggling fields.
You will receive a mentorship match, usually within 1-2 weeks of sending in your form. However, if you see someone beyond your mentor family, who seems like a good fit for you, you are encouraged to reach out to them and introduce yourself.
We are seeking out additional mentors (especially in Southern California at the moment) and if you know anyone who’s a great fit, please encourage them to enroll by contacting julie@sercal.org!
Please let us know if you have any difficulties with this format.
HOW WE’RE ORGANIZING THE 2024/2025 MENTORSHIP PROGRAM around the 2025 conference in sacramento:
We will assign mentors and mentees as forms come in, typically within 1-2 weeks.
For in-person attendees:
At the conference, Mentors and Mentees will have special nametags identifying them as participants
During conference breaks and poster session, there will be a designated “meet and greet” area for Mentors and Mentees
Mentors should consider joining the Mentees at the career panel and inviting them to their table during lunches
For virtual attendees:
Set up a plan for checking in during the day, using whatever technology works best for the both of you.
We will host a special zoom meeting during the career panel with break-out rooms where you can meet
THIS IS JUST THE FIRST STEP…
Watch for updates and, potentially, year-round opportunities! Please contact Julie@sercal.org if you would like to get more involved in developing our Mentorship Program. You can also download a pdf describing the full Mentorship Program here. And if you haven’t already, please read how we are Creating a Safe Space.
