Mentorship

Why Do We Need a Mentoring Program?

The Statement of Principles found in Unifor’s Constitution recognizes that in order to build the union, we must commit to supporting an ongoing process of renewal. Nurturing and encouraging the next generation of activists, and staying open to new ideas and ways of doing things are essential to this process of renewal. Several locals also reinforced this commitment during the Local Union Task Force meetings. In fact, the Task Force put forward the recommendation to establish a formalized mentoring program.

There is a well-recognized need for more effective ways of connecting Unifor members, across generations to enhance sharing of knowledge, skills, insight, and experience from one generation of activists to the next emerged as a prominent theme.

What does the program offer?

A mentoring program can assist the mentee by enhancing their knowledge of the union and its history, increasing commitment to the union, assisting personal growth, and supporting them in avoiding political pitfalls.

On the other hand, mentors gain a sense of personal satisfaction from empowering future leaders, reflecting on their personal obstacles and successes, and giving back to their union. Unions also benefit from the transfer of knowledge and history from one generation to the next. The program’s feedback mechanism can also help identify barriers for members of equity seeking groups, and can support our broader equity agenda detailed in the Equity Audit report.

Where does the local fit in?

Local unions are central to the process of renewal and have an important role to play in building the next generation of Unifor activists and leaders. Not all Unifor local unions look alike. Single unit local unions can be small or large, and amalgamated locals can vary in size and geography. One thing is clear; there will always be a need to mentor new activists and leadership in every single local union.

Take the first step

The Unifor Education Department is here to help get you started! Creating a new program can be a challenge but the union has a ton of resources available at your fingertips to assist.

These include template style documents to help you recruit members wishing to participate in your Local’s mentoring program, a planning worksheet to help mentors and mentees get off to a good start, a meeting template to help keep the mentorship focused and on track, and a feedback form to evaluate the mentorship and help identify next steps for the mentee.

The Education Department has also created a poster and a PowerPoint presentation with speaking notes to help promote your local’s mentorship program.

If you have a question or need additional resources, all you need to do is ask.

Contact the Education Department and let us know what you are looking for; email @email , or reach out to the National Servicing Representative assigned to your local.

Resources

Local Union Mentoring Program Presentation

This presentation gives an overview of the mentoring program and can be used when pitching or promoting the program.

Local Union Mentoring Program Posters

Here you will find posters for promoting the program to mentors and mentees. Versions are available for print and for web, in letter and tabloid size.

Local Union Mentoring Program Guide

This is a  guide  to  establishing  a  mentoring  program  in  your  local  union.

Local Union Mentoring Program Application

Mentees can use this application form to sign up for their local Mentoring Program.

Local Union Mentoring Program Planning Worksheet

This  worksheet  can  be  completed  together  at  the  first  meeting  and  it  helps  to  document  decisions  made jointly about  the  work  ahead.  It  is  an  important  tool  to  keep  mentors and mentees  on  track  throughout  the  mentorship  period. 

Local Union Mentoring Meeting Template

This  meeting  plan  will  help  mentors and mentees structure  meetings,  document  activity  between  meetings,  guide discussion  about  progress  toward  meeting  specific  tasks  and  broader  goals,  and  establish  a  work  plan  for  moving  forward. 

Local Union Mentoring Program Feedback Form

This evaluation form should be completed during a mentor and mentee’s final formal meeting together.  It provides an  opportunity  to  discuss  what  worked  well during the mentoring and  what  could be  changed  in  the  future.