All participants complete a registration form with questions designed to help with the matching process. Where possible, mentees will be matched with someone who has the skills and experience to support them through the programme. All mentors are committed to supporting the development of the mentee regardless of their life stage, project focus, or level of experience.

A mix. Initial training days (one each for mentors and mentees) will take place in-person at a central location. Where there are financial barriers to attending, support can be provided by the church. Mentoring sessions can take place however the pair decide works for them; meet over coffee or arrange a video call.

We deliberately want to keep this definition broad to not restrict creativity. No idea is too big or too small and there is no requirement for ideas to turn into action. The programme is about skill development, and it is often in the times where things do not work out that we learn the most. Don’t worry if you don’t have an idea coming to mind right away, you’ll get the chance to think about this on the initial training day.

No. This programme is about the process of working on a new idea. We hope that some of the ideas can reach a point where they can be implemented, but this is not the goal of the programme. Many successful ideas come after multiple failures, which is where real learning takes place.

In addition to the training, mentees will be asked to complete a brief monthly evaluation form, this allows us to identify any issues early and provide the necessary support. You will also be given a direct contact from the programme leadership if additional support is required during the programme.

In addition to the training, mentors will attend bi-monthly group supervision sessions online. This will be an opportunity to discuss how the programme is going and discuss any issues that are arising. This will be facilitated as peer support where mentors can share ideas and support each other. Mentors can also contact the programme leadership outside of these sessions if requiring more timely support.

Whilst we hope that this programme will be a positive experience for all, we understand that sometimes two individuals might not work well together. Where this happens, we encourage either party or both to raise it as soon as possible either through the support mechanisms listed above, or by directly contacting the programme leadership. We will meet to discuss the issues and if a resolution can’t be reached, if possible, we will look to reallocate pairs or end the programme early.

The Community of Christ in the UK is supporting the programme in several ways; through specialist leadership and governance processes, provision of venues for training, financial assistance where this is a barrier to engagement, and through spiritual support and ministry.

As this is the first time such a programme has happened in the UK, we would really appreciate your feedback on what has worked well and what could have been done better. You will complete an end of programme feedback questionnaire which will help guide decisions on whether this is a useful programme.

Where strong relationships have been established and there is a desire to continue the work, we encourage you to discuss this as a pair. The commitment we ask for is 12 months and there is no expectation to continue beyond this. Where possible, the church will seek to support ongoing development through its existing structures.