CAMAWiSE - Peer Mentoring workshop, 21/2/2012

I recently attended a Peer Mentoring evening organised by CAMAWiSE (Cambridge Association for Women in Science and Engineering). The event was followed by the group’s AGM, a clever idea to combine the two to get the most out of the evening and encourage people along. Not that I think they needed much encouragement – this was my second meeting since joining the group, and I have found the members and attendees to be a sociable, likeable and enthusiastic group of women of all ages. 

The group organised something similar last year, and the feedback had been very positive, so they decided to try the format again this year. The idea is that in a group of peers, everyone mentors each other; in our work, we all gain different experiences and in a group of committed and intelligent people there will be useful experiences relating to your current situation. Support can be through exchanging practical tips, defining and clarifying the topic, getting other people’s perspectives and hearing people’s experiences of similar situations.

After agreeing some “rules”, we brainstormed some topics for discussion. We ended up with five groups taking the following topics:

• Transitions (eg from research to other types of job)
• Building confidence
• New companies
• Returning to work/finding work
• Negotiating promotion/salary rise

I was in the last of these groups, comprising five participants with widely varying backgrounds and stories to tell. We started by introducing ourselves and our reasons for picking this topic. Although we were experiencing different problems, we could still identify some common ground, and we had some interesting discussions covering subjects such as self-confidence, appraisals and student reviews.
 
All too soon time was called, and our facilitator went around the room to gather feedback from each group on how they’d got on. There had obviously been some stimulating conversations, which will hopefully be continued in other forums. Our group plans to meet up in a couple of months so we can report back to each other on our progress. In addition, two Linked-In groups have been set up to continue the discussions started by two of the groups.

I found this a very useful event. It's always interesting and valuable to hear other people's experiences; quite often it puts into perspective what you see as your own "problems".

The AGM followed, and the meeting was wrapped up in a very positive atmosphere. Peer mentoring is a valuable tool,  give it a go if you get the chance! I can also highly recommend the group, if you are thinking of joining -  it’s dynamic, supportive and sociable.