Together@Dal Mentors

What Is Together@Dal?

Together@Dal is designed to assist incoming students with their transition to Dalhousie. The goals of Together@Dal are:

• To increase students’ sense of belonging, academic self-efficacy, and engagement to the Dalhousie community
• To provide supports and resources that students need to be academically successful

Together@Dal’s mentors support and encourage new students through their first year at Dalhousie. Through one-on-one and group meetings, social activities, and events, a mentor is a knowledgeable guide for new students, a thoughtful facilitator who provides access to people and resources, and ultimately a role model and advocate. Together@Dal mentors support the development and delivery of initiatives, programs, and events to help students strengthen their learning skills, improve their confidence, increase their motivation, and connect to the university, their program, their faculty, and each other.

Together@Dal mentors are responsible for three streams:

• One-on-one and group mentoring
• Organizing and facilitating social events and programming
• Leading academic support sessions

Mentor positions are voluntary and require a commitment of approximately 5 hours per week. This commitment allows for meaningful engagement with mentees and ensures a valuable experience for both parties involved. Mentor applications are now open.

Mentor Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain relationships with new students
• Provide assistance and support for new students, focusing on a smooth transition, acclimation, and a sense of belonging
• Serve as a resource for students who are new to Dalhousie
• Help facilitate and encourage participation in Together@Dal
• Participate in required training, programs, and activities
• Serve as a positive social and academic role model
• Provide access to people and resources through thoughtful facilitation
• Work independently and as part of a team
• Maintain confidentiality with any shared information
• Participate in formal evaluations and assessments of the program
• Engage with students in workshops, groups, events, and activities

Qualifications to Be a Mentor

• Be an upper-year student at Dalhousie
• Be in good academic and student conduct standing (a GPA of 3.0 or above is required)
• Be willing to learn and share information about the Dalhousie community, student life, and campus resources
• Demonstrative effective interpersonal and communication skills
• Demonstrate leadership potential
• Be self-motivated with a positive attitude
• Have a strong understanding of intercultural competency and demonstrated skills
• Have an understanding and respect of social justice issues
• Be available for (at least) 5 hours a week from August to March
• Have excellent presentation skills
• Have excellent computer skills (Microsoft Office suite)

Benefits of Being a Mentor

• Build transferable skills
• Participate in professional developmental opportunities
• Receive recognition on co-curricular record
• Build confidence in your leadership skills
• Gain meaningful leadership experiences
• Receive career guidance and support

Together@Dal Mentor Testimonials:

“The relationships, friendships, and connections that have been created and developed with other mentors and especially the mentees last till the very end and beyond Dal too”.

“I have gained so much experience in a variety of fields, like event planning, implementation, mentoring students, conducting sessions for students, etc. I believe that my communication skills have become much stronger. Additionally, my time management skills have become much better too”.

“Being a member of the Together@Dal team has allowed me to grow as a leader and provided me with a valuable experience of guiding students. While guiding students to adjust, I was able to learn a lot more for myself and felt more confident to navigate around campus and the resources that were available”.

Applications

Applications to be a Together@Dal Mentor are now open. If you have any questions, contact together@dal.ca.