About the Program

In pursuit of enhancing opportunities for the ADR community, ADRBC is pleased to introduce its newly-developed mentorship program. This new pathway to experience will help new practitioners develop their skills and knowledge, while providing a way for experienced practitioners to give back by helping train new members of the community.  The importance of Alternative Dispute Resolution as a means of conflict resolution has grown tremendously in recent years and will continue to do so in the future.  As a means of supporting this growth, the Mentorship Program will serve to foster and develop practitioner skills and experience in B.C.’s growing Alternate Dispute Resolution industry.

The Mentorship Program will be offered under two streams – General Mentorship Program and Workplace Mediation Mentorship Program.

1. The General Mentorship Program offers flexibility to the Mentor and the Mentee to decide, in coordination with ADRBC, which activities will be included in the program. For instance, the program can consist of activities such as “best practices interviews”, “practical assistance”, “note-taker and debrief” etc.
2. The Workplace Mediation Mentorship Program will pair mentees with mentors who are working exclusively in workplace mediation disputes. Learners who wish to pursue this stream will gain skills in resolving workplace disputes and related processes.

Note: Currently, the experience from the Workplace Mediation Mentorship Program will not count towards satisfying the WorkSafeBC Roster eligibility.

Benefits

This program offers great benefits in terms of opportunities for new practitioners/mentees to tap into the knowledge, skills, and experience of senior and more experienced practitioners/mentors. At the same time, it offers meaningful professional development hours (CEE or Continuing Education and Engagement points) to the more experienced practitioners/mentors. Overall, all participants benefit from the mentorship experience, which in turn will foster a stronger and more connected ADR community.

The Process

• To apply for the Mentorship program, complete and submit your application form (click here to download) to mentorship@adrbc.com
• After receiving the applications, ADRBC will try to match a suitable mentor with a mentee. If a suitable match is found, the mentee will be notified to submit the fees within 7 days.
• Submission of Mentorship Agreement: On receiving the fees, ADRBC will draft a Mentorship Agreement outlining the obligations of both parties, to be signed by both the mentor and mentee and submitted to ADRBC.
• Submission of Mentorship Activity Plan (MAP): After execution of the Mentorship Agreement, the participants will submit to ADRBC their joint Mentorship Activity Plan consisting of areas and activities expected to be focused upon during the term of the mentorship.
• At the end of the Mentorship Program, the mentor and mentee will submit a final report to ADRBC certifying completion of their obligations under the Mentorship Agreement and the MAP.

Desired qualifications and skills of Mentors

• Be at least a C-Med or C-Arb with minimum 5 years of experience
• Be a member in good standing with ADRBC
• Previous mentorship experience is preferable
• Be approachable and accessible
• Ability to listen actively and build trust
• Ability to provide honest and corrective feedback

Desired qualifications and skills of Mentees

• Be a full member in good standing with ADRBC
• Currently working on obtaining or upgrading ADR designation
• Possess the drive to strengthen capabilities and advance their career
• Willingness to participate
• Ability to listen actively and build trust
• Ability to show initiative and follow-through

For further queries, please contact ADRBC at mentorship@adrbc.com.