Siobhan Maas & Annemieke...
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Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Mentorship Program Siobhan Maas & Annemieke Farenhorst Women in Agriculture Women are involved in the agriculture and food industry in many capacities. Women are crop and livestock farmers, university students and professors in agricultural faculties, as well as employers and employees in corporate agri-businesses. The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS) at the University of Manitoba has a newly established mentorship program for women which is unique in that it pairs each student mentee with two mentors: one academic mentor and one industry mentor. In its inaugural year (2017), the program accepted 20 student mentees and paired them with 40 mentors representing a broad range of organizations. The program gives mentees and mentors opportunities to network with each other, while also providing students with professional development training and insights into the wide range of agricultural career options. Mentoring relationships are an important way of gaining knowledge from a more experienced individual and can often lead to increased achievement of career goals and more professional connections. Formal Events Four formal events are held for the participants in the 2017-18 program. Each event is about 2-hours in duration. The events to-date included interactive activities, learning circles and a panel discussion on employee/employer expectations in a pub-style atmosphere. The goal of the events is to provide the opportunity for student mentees to network with professionals in an informal atmosphere and to develop lasting relationships with all mentors involved in the program. Stronger, personalized relationships are realized within the smaller, 3-person groups. For example, several mentorship teams have been getting together for coffee, lunch and workplace tours. In some cases, mentors help mentees to find employment opportunities. Testimonials Both mentees and mentors are already reaping the benefits of the program. • “This program has given me more confidence and greater clarity on my career, school and personal plans.” -Leah McDonald, mentee • “Mentorship can really be what you make of it – it’s proof that you get what you give. We have become a great group of unique strength that supports each other.” -Pam Bailey, mentor • “Having two different mentors [gives] the student a more well-rounded approach and experience. [...] In the larger group, the events give us the chance to speak to other women who are facing a lot of the same experiences.” -Tiffany Dancho, mentor • “The program has enriched me as a mentor, professional and person. The events are fun and provide for wonderful networking opportunities for all. It is great to contribute to the development of our next generation. I applaud Siobhan Maas for coordinating the program so well.” -Annemieke Farenhorst, mentor Feedback from Participants Initial feedback from various participants has been positive, with many teams meeting more than once per month. Student participants feel that the mentoring experience is helping introduce them to new opportunities and strengthen themselves for their future career. Interested in Participating in 2018-19? To express interest in participating in the FAFS mentorship program for the 2018-19 year, please contact [email protected]. If you are interested in learning more about the mentorship program or other initiatives offered by the Prairie NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (CWSE) program please visit cwse-prairies.ca Acknowledgements A special thanks to Kathryn Atamanchuk from CIPWIE and Debra Hauer from the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council. This program is made possible with the support of the Province of Manitoba (Agriculture), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the University of Manitoba. Program participants Program participants The mentorship program is open to all Manitoba women with ties to the agriculture industry. All mentors who applied by the deadline were accepted into the 2017-18 program. Over 23 different agricultural organizations are represented through the 40 individual mentors. Due to overwhelming interest from the Faculty student body, mentee applications were accepted based on several criteria, including year of study and a mentor available in their field of interest. The call for applications occurred during August and September. Mentors and mentees attended orientation sessions prior to being placed into their 3-person mentorship groups. DEPARTMENT OF SOIL SCIENCE / UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA / WINNIPEG, MB R3T 2N2 Mentors, Patti McKenzie, Myrna Grahn and Jenn Dyck share their thoughts and experiences. Panel discussion on student-chosen topics Confidence and clarity Student, Leah McDonald, with mentors Pam Bailey and Tiffany Dancho. Connecting and networking at events Program participants with Deputy Minister of Manitoba Agriculture, Dori Gingera-Beauchemin. Intended Outcome Equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace makes for better decision making at work. Advancing women’s equity has the potential to raise global gross domestic product by trillions of dollars (McKinsey Global Institute, 2015). Women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. In particularly, there are concerns about the leaking pipeline, meaning that women leave their careers at a greater rate than men in the same careers. Women networking has a demonstrated positive impact on the retention of women in STEM fields. @CWSE_Prairies CWSE-Prairies mbAgmentorship # | cwseprairies.ca |
Transcript of Siobhan Maas & Annemieke...
Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences Mentorship Program Siobhan Maas & Annemieke Farenhorst
Women in Agriculture Women are involved in the agriculture and food industry in many capacities. Women are crop and livestock farmers, university students and professors in agricultural faculties, as well as employers and employees in corporate agri-businesses. The Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS) at the University of Manitoba has a newly established mentorship program for women which is unique in that it pairs each student mentee with two mentors: one academic mentor and one industry mentor. In its inaugural year (2017), the program accepted 20 student mentees and paired them with 40 mentors representing a broad range of organizations. The program gives mentees and mentors opportunities to network with each other, while also providing students with professional development training and insights into the wide range of agricultural career options. Mentoring relationships are an important way of gaining knowledge from a more experienced individual and can often lead to increased achievement of career goals and more professional connections.
Formal Events Four formal events are held for the participants in the 2017-18 program. Each event is about 2-hours in duration. The events to-date included interactive activities, learning circles and a panel discussion on employee/employer expectations in a pub-style atmosphere. The goal of the events is to provide the opportunity for student mentees to network with professionals in an informal atmosphere and to develop lasting relationships with all mentors involved in the program. Stronger, personalized relationships are realized within the smaller, 3-person groups. For example, several mentorship teams have been getting together for coffee, lunch and workplace tours. In some cases, mentors help mentees to find employment opportunities.
Testimonials Both mentees and mentors are already reaping the benefits of the program.
• “This program has given me more confidence and greater clarity on my career, school and personal plans.”
-Leah McDonald, mentee
• “Mentorship can really be what you make of it – it’s proof that you get what you give. We have become a great group of unique strength that supports each other.”
-Pam Bailey, mentor
• “Having two different mentors [gives] the student a more well-rounded approach and experience. [...] In the larger group, the events give us the chance to speak to other women who are facing a lot of the same experiences.”
-Tiffany Dancho, mentor
• “The program has enriched me as a mentor, professional and person. The events are fun and provide for wonderful networking opportunities for all. It is great to contribute to the development of our next generation. I applaud Siobhan Maas for coordinating the program so well.” -Annemieke Farenhorst, mentor
Feedback from Participants Initial feedback from various participants has been positive, with many teams meeting more than once per month. Student participants feel that the mentoring experience is helping introduce them to new opportunities and strengthen themselves for their future career.
Interested in Participating in 2018-19? To express interest in participating in the FAFS mentorship program for the 2018-19 year, please contact [email protected]. If you are interested in learning more about the mentorship program or other initiatives offered by the Prairie NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (CWSE) program please visit cwse-prairies.ca
Acknowledgements A special thanks to Kathryn Atamanchuk from CIPWIE and Debra Hauer from the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council. This program is made possible with the support of the Province of Manitoba (Agriculture), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the University of Manitoba.
Program participants
Program participants The mentorship program is open to all Manitoba women with ties to the agriculture industry. All mentors who applied by the deadline were accepted into the 2017-18 program. Over 23 different agricultural organizations are represented through the 40 individual mentors. Due to overwhelming interest from the Faculty student body, mentee applications were accepted based on several criteria, including year of study and a mentor available in their field of interest. The call for applications occurred during August and September. Mentors and mentees attended orientation sessions prior to being placed into their 3-person mentorship groups.
DEPARTMENT OF SOIL SCIENCE / UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA / WINNIPEG, MB R3T 2N2
Mentors, Patti McKenzie, Myrna Grahn and Jenn Dyck share their thoughts and experiences.
Panel discussion on student-chosen topics
Confidence and clarity
Student, Leah McDonald, with mentors Pam Bailey and Tiffany Dancho.
Connecting and networking at events
Program participants with Deputy Minister of Manitoba Agriculture, Dori Gingera-Beauchemin.
Intended Outcome Equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace makes for better decision making at work. Advancing women’s equity has the potential to raise global gross domestic product by trillions of dollars (McKinsey Global Institute, 2015). Women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. In particularly, there are concerns about the leaking pipeline, meaning that women leave their careers at a greater rate than men in the same careers. Women networking has a demonstrated positive impact on the retention of women in STEM fields.
@CWSE_Prairies
CWSE-Prairies
mbAgmentorship # | cwse-‐prairies.ca |
