Mentor Sign Up Form
Sign Up to be a Mentor
This is where novice beekeepers register to have a Mentor assigned to assist you with hives, colonies or other topics related to beekeeping. A Mentor will be assigned to assist you based on location, expressed need, communication preferences and availability.
Please fill out the form below. Someone from the Mentor Program will contact you to arrange a matching Mentor.
The Mentoring Program is administered by co-chairpersons, Rick Gagne and Mike Mannino. You may reach both of them with questions at Mentoring@mvbee.org.
Thank you for stepping up and volunteering to help out the new beekeepers in MVBA with your mentoring.
The intent of this program is to build on what people learn in bee school and allow them one-on-one access to other experienced MVBA members who are willing to help them work though issues or just to become more comfortable with bee keeping. Mentees may ask specific questions or simply look for general guidance or confirmation that they are doing the right thing.
The criteria for elegibility to be a mentor are that you have:
managed more than 1 hive
successfully overwintered bees and
attended the MVBA bee school
You may elect to provide assistance by phone, virtually (Facetime, Skipe, etc.) or with in-person visits to your or your mentee’s apirary. That is up to you and your mentee.
You are NOT responsible to hold your students hand though every step of the season. If they come to you with a problem, they are expected to have done at least a little reading or research before contacting you to voice their own conclusions and/or solutions.
You are not obligated to do physical visits or checkups.
You are not responsible for the success of their season.
The information you provide on this form will be added as a line on a spreadsheet that is viewable by MVBA members through a page on our website. Mentee candiates must review the list and select suitable mentors depending on their needs and mentor availability.
The mentee is responsible to reach out to you via your preferred means of contact. You should discuss and arrive at a mutually workable plan for you to provide assistance.
After you have met with your mentee, please fill out a Mentoring Feedback form. These will be seen by the Mentor Program Administrator and possible the MVBA officers only. The purpose of the feedback is so we can understand how much the program is being used and if adjustments to the program are needed to make it optimally effective.
We expect to provide you with the ability to modify your availability as desired at anytime. In the mean time, contact the program administrator to make changes to your listing until this capability is implemented.
Again, thank you for your participation.
The Mentoring Program is administered by co-chairpersons, Rick Gagne and Mike Mannino. You may reach both of them with questions at Mentoring@mvbee.org.