Mentorship Program
Our section has the opportunity to get personally involved in the new, exciting and essential, AAFS mentorship program. The Mentorship Ad-hoc Committee released a survey to the AAFS membership in December of 2020. The responses revealed that many individuals would be thrilled to have a mentor to guide them through their professional development and career opportunities.
Interested in Mentorship?
For Mentees
The Mentorship Ad-hoc is in the process of formalizing the mentorship program. If you are interested in being partnered with a more seasoned colleague who can advise you in your career progression, help you network, guide you learning new skills, then please consider signing up for the mentoring program! While we get this up a running, the Mentorship committee would like to start collecting the names and contact information of anyone interested in being a mentee. Please go to the following link and provide the requested information:
For Mentors
Each of us have garnered strong, practical experience and knowledge that would benefit others. Many of us are considering our career legacy and planning the next phase of our careers and lives. Mentoring is a great way to share your experience to help a young professional grow. Mentoring helps with the continuity of norms – it can help pass along knowledge that comes often only after years in the trenches. So, while mentoring can advance the future for our profession and help a young person make hard decisions, it is also a great way to make sure some things do not get lost. So, the AAFS mentorship committee asks: are you interested in sharing your knowledge to ensure the next generation in forensic science has the tools they need to address the challenges and decisions they will undoubtedly face?
Don't worry; you are not expected to put a plan together to get the task done. The Mentorship Program will provide you with structure, a contract between you and the mentee, and goals. How and how often you will connect with your mentee will be determined once assignments have been made. For example, some individuals may prefer monthly mentorship meetings while others may request weekly video chats. You decide the frequency and the media to best suit your individual needs.
So, can we count on you? If so, please go to the following link and provide the requested information: