REACH

What is the mentoring arrangement?

As a REACH P2P Mentee, you will typically be a Graduate Research candidate in the beginning or early stages of your Graduate Research program. Once you have been matched with a suitable Mentor, you should connect with them and work with them to plan meetings, set some goals or outcomes for the mentorship, and identify areas where they can best support you.

The mentorship will be for a period of 6 months and is entirely voluntary. During this time, you would be expected to commit to meet fortnightly for 1 hour with your Mentor in accordance with your agreed goals and within the guidelines outlined in the program.

Who can apply to become a REACH Mentee?

Any Graduate Research candidate who has formally commenced their candidature can apply to become a REACH P2P Mentee. Every effort will be made to match all mentees with a suitable mentor, but this will be subject to numbers within the program at the time.

How will being a REACH P2P Mentee benefit me?

Mentoring Is a rewarding two-way process and as a mentee you will benefit in a number of ways from the program. It will:

• help to overcome a sense of isolation and disconnectedness that can be experienced by Graduate Research candidates and promote a sense of belonging;
• help you ‘to find your way’ and to normalise the experiences and challenges of the Graduate Research journey;
• develop your confidence and improve the overall Graduate Research experience; and
• help you to grow your own network with other Graduate Research candidates, faculty staff members, alumni, and industry.

It is not intended that a mentor would provide you with specific academic or research guidance or advice. That is the role of your supervisory team and other academic and professional staff at the university.

As a REACH P2P Mentor, you will typically be a Graduate Research candidate in the 2nd or 3rd year (FTE) of your program, or perhaps even close to or recently completed. The knowledge and experience you have gained is of great value and will help to smooth the path for those you mentor.

As a Mentor your primary role will be to connect with your Mentee to help them to find their way and to normalise the experiences and challenges of the Graduate Research journey. Think about all of the things you wished someone had told you when you were starting out! It is not intended that Mentors provide specific academic or research guidance or advice. That is the role of the supervisory team and other academic and professional staff at the university.

The mentorship will be for a period of 6 months and is entirely voluntary. During this time, you would be expected to commit to meet fortnightly for 1 hour to guide and support your Mentee in accordance with your agreed goals and within the guidelines outlined in the program.

Who can apply to become a REACH Mentor?

Any Graduate Research candidate who has completed their probation requirements and had their candidature confirmed can apply to become a REACH P2P Mentor. The number of Mentors needed for the initial pilot will depend on the number of Mentees registering for the program. If we are not able to match you in this first intake we would endeavour to do so in a future intake.

How will being a REACH P2P Mentor benefit me?

Mentoring is a rewarding two-way process and the transferable skills and experiences you will gain from mentoring will help develop confidence needed for your own research and working career. The ability to build interpersonal relationships, communication and leadership skills and community networks are key to any successful research career.

Submit an Expression of Interest            

Submit your EOI online.

Attend Orientation and Welcome

To participate in the program, you will be required to attend an initial 1.5 hour online Onboarding and Welcome session at the commencement of the program.

Mentorship Meetings

The minimum ongoing time commitment is recommended to be 1-hour per fortnight for a period of 6 months. (approximately 12 hours total).

Feedback and evaluation

Mid-point Survey - 10 minutes

Final Feedback Survey – 10 minutes

Wrap-up and Review (online via Zoom) 1 hour

How do I join the REACH program?

To apply to join REACH P2P you should register and complete all of the profile information.

If you are unable to commit to participate in this session but would be interested in future intakes, please complete the EOI and let us know your future availability.

For more information, questions, help and support, please contact Jennifer at jpodesta@csu.edu.au.