Responsible to: / Robin Lavin & Laura Young
Location: / County Wide
Application Process: / Complete application form and send to
Experience required (one or more of the following skills) / Successful hands-on professional expertise in key business areas including:
· Marketing and communication
· Finance/accounting
· Fundraising/bid writing
· HR
· IT
· Customer service
· Sport coaching (grass roots)
ABOUT NORTH YORKSHIRE SPORT & THE MENTOR PROGRAMME
At North Yorkshire Sport we aim to build a strong, vibrant and sustainable sporting infrastructure. We work closely with a range of partners to increase the quality and quantity of sport provision within the county. One of the major ways we can influence this is by working closely with our local clubs.
We currently provide guidance to clubs through our club and coach education programme, providing funding support and by signposting clubs to relevant support such as Sport England’s Club Matters resource (link below).
With the development of our mentor programme we want to extend our support offer by providing clubs with individual support and encouragement to help them reach their goals. We would also like our mentors to be able to influence a club to become more customer centric.
We think it is critical that in order to improve activity levels across the county that we need to support clubs to understand the motivations of their members and potential members. We would expect that alongside supporting a club to reach their individual goals, our mentors will also pass on relevant learning within this area (please see links below).
ROLE OF A MENTOR
Mentoring activities are undertaken through a range of channels including face-to-face meetings (one-to-one or group), telephone discussions and email exchanges. Mentors are required to:
· Engage with mentees to agree how mentoring could support their prospective or existing club
· Agree a programme of mentoring activity that best meets the needs of their mentee
· Encourage their mentee to express and discuss their ideas, concerns and understanding of situations facing them
· Help mentees to review their progress and set realistic and practical options to realise their goals
· Help mentees to reflect on and learn from things that did not turn out as expected
· Refer mentees to other sources of information, advice or further support when appropriate
· Encourage mentees to take responsibility for their own decisions, plans and actions
· Keep up-to-date and accurate records of mentee contact
MENTOR COMPETENCIES
The mentor needs to possess or develop the following competencies in order to undertake the mentoring role effectively:
Skills
· Excellent communication skills to include active listening and personal presentation skills
· Effective time management
· Relationship building and networking
· Personal development
· Maintaining records and preparing written reports
· Risk management – personal and business related
· People development
· Influencing and negotiation
Knowledge and understanding
· The difference between the role of a mentor and the role of other business support professionals e.g. coach, adviser or consultant
· The code of ethics/conduct for mentoring as set by the organisation being represented
· Rules on confidentiality and data protection and how to follow them
· The mentoring relationship and the importance of using the most effective communication methods to create a productive mentoring environment
· How a business works (essential enterprise know-how)
Personal behaviours
· Respect the mentee’s need for information, commitment and confidentiality
· Listen and respond effectively and check understanding
· Adapt personal style to empathise with a whole range of mentees
· Build and maintain rapport over sustained periods of time
· Invite a two-way exchange of information and feedback with mentees and others
· Display excellent interpersonal skills to include influencing and negotiation
· Take a flexible approach to work
· Be willing to adhere to the code of conduct for mentoring as set by the North Yorkshire Sport
· Be emotionally resilient and be able to work in a challenging environment
BENEFITS OF BECOMING A MENTOR
Whilst acting as a mentor will provide the sports clubs with valuable knowledge and advice, we hope you will also learn a lot along the way. Mentors will get the opportunity to access North Yorkshire Sport Training (if required) and will also receive a t-shirt to wear when attending mentee meetings.
EXPECTATIONS OF MENTORS
North Yorkshire Sport is a professional organisation and as part of our team you are expected to behave in a friendly and professional manner and represent North Yorkshire Sport in good light. As a mentor you must:
· Conduct yourself in an appropriate/professional manner whilst representing North Yorkshire Sport.
· Be flexible and adaptable to meet the demands of the position.
· Be aware of your strengths and limitations
· Show commitment and enthusiasm
· Follow health and safety and safeguarding policies (provided in your mentor pack)
Useful links:
· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c311ZV6qW8&feature=youtu.be&list=PLhveSUXYactlb6IHZU_4fnvzTDutgFBXm
· https://www.sportscoachuk.org/coaches/resource-bank/coaching-participation/youth-participation/what-makes-your-session-unmissable
· https://www.sportscoachuk.org/coaches/resource-bank/coaching-participation/youth-participation/what-motivates-young-people-be-acti
· https://www.sportengland.org/media/10113/youth-insight-pack.pdf
· https://www.sportengland.org/media/10233/youth-insight_under-the-skin.pdf
· http://www.sportenglandclubmatters.com/
· https://www.womeninsport.org/
· https://www.sportengland.org/research/understanding-audiences/