For Advisors (Teachers)
The Advisor is a trusted adult who can support the youth in the application, participation, and culmination of the Fellowship. An Advisor is often a teacher or counselor, but Advisors can be any adult who agrees to help the youth manage participation in this experience. Advisors do not need expertise in the professional area the youth is investigating. Advisors do need to believe in the youth’s capacity and enthusiastically support the deep pursuit of authentic interest.
Advisor Responsibilities:
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Nominate their Fellow through the Fellowship Nomination link. Available HERE.
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Facilitate the Nominee’s completion of the Application. Preview of Application
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Upon their Fellow’s acceptance ensure that all enrollment documents are submitted by the Fellow, and one’s self.
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W-9’s
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Media Releases (for photos and videos on website)
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Activation of the B-Unbound (internship management app).
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Facilitate the securing of a Mentor and Fellowship site
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Facilitate the completion of the Fellowship Agreement (see below)
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Monitor and support the Fellow’s progress with their Mentor.
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Regular site visits and/or communication with Fellow and Mentor
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Review of B-Unbound data
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Submission of at least two photos of Fellow and Mentor working together, and video if possible for use on website
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Ensure that Post Fellowship surveys are submitted by Fellow, Advisor and Mentor
Finding A Mentor
The Advisor should work with the Fellow to find an appropriate Mentor. A Mentor may be a known contact to the Advisor, school community, or within a student’s personal network. A Mentor may also be someone the Fellow and Advisor are meeting for the first time. Some suggested steps for finding a new mentor are:
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Research local professionals and organizations who employ professionals in the field of interest. Schools using B-Unbound may already have identified willing or prospective Mentors in a field of interest. Be creative. It may be a challenge, for example, for a minor to secure an internship working on a large construction job site, but a small local contractor would be willing and happy to mentor a Fellow. A large manufacturing plant may be hesitant to allow students to work with heavy machinery, but local machine shops or auto repair shops are good places to try.
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Request an informational interview with prospective Mentors. A Fellow and Mentor should share similar interests and show potential for a strong working relationship. In most circumstances, a student will need to meet several prospective Mentors before finding the right fit. Advisors can support students in making cold calls, preparing for informational interviews, and sending follow-up thank-you emails.
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If an informational interview shows promise, you may want to request a shadow day with the mentor to understand the daily realities of that mentor’s workplace. Fellowships have a greater likelihood of successful completion if the Fellow has a genuine understanding of what the Mentor does all day prior to committing to 120 hours of working together.
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Propose the Fellowship to the Mentor. By this time, the Fellow and prospective Mentor should have a relationship that allows for discussion of further work together. Fellows should remain persistent if their first requests cannot accommodate a full Fellowship. Remember, the prospective Mentor is a member of a professional community. If the Fellow has made a good impression, a request for referrals to other potential Mentors will likely result in additional leads. Finding a Mentor is a process.
Set-Up Meeting
The Fellow, Advisor, and Mentor meet in person or virtually to discuss the terms of the Fellowship and complete the Fellowship Agreement. At this meeting, the Harbor Freight Fellowship Agreement is used to set goals, expectations and exchange logistics (e.g., scheduling and means for communication). If necessary, a B-Unbound demo can be arranged to facilitate the use of that tool for tracking and attendance of the Fellowship.
B-Unbound App
The Fellow uses the B-Unbound app for each check-in and check-out of the Fellowship. B-Unbound logs hours and captures real-time data on student goals, learning, and interest in the Fellowship. The Advisor will monitor data. The Advisor conducts at least 2 site visits during the Fellowship and submits several photos of the Mentor and Fellow working together, and video if possible, for use on the website and in social media. At or near the end of the Fellowship the Fellow, Mentor and Advisor will each submit the Post-Fellowship Survey that include evaluations for the Fellow’s progress and performance during the Fellowship.
Wrap-Up and Reflect
The Advisor supports the Fellow and the Mentor in completing the Post-Fellowship Survey. A presentation including a formal reflection on the experience, a celebration, and sharing gratitude are all encouraged. Scholarships and stipends will be distributed upon the receipt of final documentation for the Fellowship.