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u c a l g a r y . c a / l e a d e r s h i p

L E A DE R SH I P & S T U DE N T E N G AG E M E N T OF F I C E

Sophomore Leadership

Program

Participant Handbook

2015 - 2016

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The Sophomore Leadership Program (SLP) is a leadership program designed to support the success and development of University of Calgary students beyond their first year. Coordinated through the Leadership and Student Engagement Office, this program guides students in career development, leadership development and civic engagement.

As a participant you are required to complete a number of components throughout both semesters. Requirements encourage you to engage in the campus community in a way that helps to develop your skills. Some of the requirements include finding and meeting with a mentor, organizing an informational interview in the community, attending specific Leadership on Demand workshops, attending SLP community building events and completing a reflection on the year.

The SLP experience is all about determining what you are able to take from the information you receive and the experiences that you have. Consider the ways in which you are looking to develop your personal leadership and life skills and then determine the ways in which you can use this program to help you get there.

As you go through this program, you will have the support of your Peer Helpers and Leadership Ambassador. Do not hesitate to come to us if you have any questions or concerns.

We are thrilled to be a part of your student experience and we are looking forward to a wonderful year with you in SLP!

Xander Harris | Sophomore Leadership Program, Leadership Ambassadorlead@ucalgary.ca

Madeleine Hardy | Coordinator, Leadership & Training Programshardym@ucalgary.ca | 403.210.9638

Welcome!

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Program ComponentsCore Requirements:• Attend the meet and greet• Attend the overnight fall retreat• Attend the winter retreat on January 16th, 2016• Attend the Leadership Gala on April 3, 2016• Complete a reflection for the year & submit to your

peer helpers April 1 - 10, 2016

You will need to send an entire list of completed requirements and your reflect to your peer helpers so please keep track of dates!

Senior Leadership Pillar:The requirements under this pillar hone the leadership abilities participants have previously begun to develop.• Hold a senior leadership role

on campus (e.g., Orientation Leader, Peer Helper, club executive, etc.)

• Attend at least two of the required program-wide social events scheduled throughout the year (these events will be determined and announced in advance)

• Attend two workshops per semester; at least one Leadership on Demand workshop per semester

• Attend one Peer Helper organized social per term

Career Exploration Pillar:The requirements under this pillar develop skills that will set you up for professional success. • Meet with mentor four times throughout the year• Conduct one 15 minute informational interview through Career

LIVEbrary (October 28, 2015 or February 3, 2016) or conduct your own informational interview

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Participants will be asked to find and approach their own mentor, as this is an important skill throughout one’s professional career. Participants will be educated on how to approach a possible mentor and how to develop win-win relationships with mentors. Peer Helpers are

experienced in this area and will be available to assist with this process.

Civic Engagement Pillar:The requirements under this pillar contribute to the

community beyond the campus and emphasizes teamwork skills such as communication, trust,

and the appreciation of diversity.

• Organize a ‘Service on Demand’ Experience with your group;

ucalgary.ca/ccel to organize

• Participate in a self-directed volunteer opportunity. You are welcome to participate in any of these to complete this requirement - visit ucalgary.ca/ccel to learn more:

Day of Service - multiple dates & deadlines

Reading break programs - deadline October 12, 2015

Spring/summer programs - deadline October 12, 2015

Students’ Union Volunteer Services

Participants who successfully complete the Sophomore Leadership Program will have their participation recognized on their

Co-Curricular Record

If any of these requirements are unclear please reach out to your Peer Helpers or check D2L for further resources!

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Important DatesMentor workshops: September 23 & October 6Winter Retreat: January 17Leadership Exchange: February 6Leadership Gala: April 3Reflections & points due: April 1 – 10

Check-in Dates (with Peer Helpers) • Check-in #1: December 1• Check-in #2: March 1• Check-in #3: April 1

SLP Wide Socials (fall semester) • Terry’s CAUSE on Campus: September 29• Outrun the Stigma: October 18• Trick-or-Eat: October 31• Calgary Dance Marathon: November 14

Last Lecture Talks• October 7• November 18• February 10• March 9

MentorshipPrinciples of MentoringMentors lead by example in everything they do. Mentees learn both directly and indirectly from their mentors, by asking questions, listening and even watching. Mentors know that even if they’re not speaking directly with their Mentee, they are still sending messages and providing opportunities for learning. This means that there is plenty of information that you are able to gather from your mentor throughout the year!

Many of the potential mentors that you will be contacting will have already experienced enormous success in their area and achieved many personal and professional goals. As the mentee, you should accept your mentor’s input and advice in the spirit in which it is offered and regularly thank your mentor for their generosity. Your mentor will be volunteering

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Mentorship

their time and talents to you and in return they enjoy many intangible benefits.

Mentoring relationships are built on honesty and trust. Confidentiality is the cornerstone of the mentoring relationship. Your relationship with your mentor will build a sense of commitment and trust when you and your mentor keep the information and ideas you share just between you! Both you and your mentor will appreciate working with someone

with personal integrity and who does what they say they will do – someone they can trust.

The mentoring relationship requires regular communication to be successful. This means that you

will want to keep frequent and consistent face to face meetings, telephone conversations and/or email exchanges. Through regular conversation, mentors and mentees from a strong relationship and are more likely to achieve the goals that they have set together.

Roles and Responsibilities

of MentorsYour mentor/buddy will support you by:

• Being a sounding board• Sharing their experiences, knowledge and skills• Challenging your ideas to encourage growth• Being a source of accountability• Giving feedback• Supporting you in your first year and empowering you to find your

own answers • Encouraging and inspiring you• Assisting you in finding resources, information or solutions • If asked, provide advice

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• Make sure that you have an agenda for your meetings.• Come to the meeting organized• Complete background research on your career path• Let your mentor know what you wish to accomplish• Be specific about your request for information• Be an active listener• Create a list of questions that you want to ask your mentor • Be professional in your communications with your mentor

Your mentor is there to talk to you about your university experience and your career path but they are not there to talk about your personal or academic problems.

The best mentoring relationship is one that benefits both the mentor and the mentee so share the information and connections that you have that may help your mentor.

Your mentor is a very busy person so make sure that you express your gratitude to them throughout the year. If you are comfortable with the mentoring relationship that you have developed, consider extending the relationship beyond this year!

Your Role as the Mentee

Remember: It is important to realize that you need to make your own decisions for your own growth!

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Your Role as the MenteeMentorship is: voluntary; trust-based; mutually productive and beneficial; active in communication; growth- and discovery-oriented; and focused on clearly defining and achieving the mentee’s personal and/or professional goals. In short, mentors provide support and empowerment for mentees to achieve something important to them.

Keep in mind the following four principles of mentoring:

A mentor/A buddy is a role modelMentors/buddies lead by example. Students learn both

directly and indirectly from their mentors by asking questions, listening, and oftentimes simply watching.

Mentors/buddies know that even when they’re not speaking, they are sending a message and

providing opportunities for learning.

Mentoring is freely given and freely receivedMentors/buddies volunteer their time and talents and in return enjoy intangible benefits. The most effective mentors have achieved many personal and professional successes and are willing to share their experiences with someone else. Students should express gratitude and regularly thank their mentors/buddies for their contribution of time and expertise.

Mentoring relationships are built on honesty and trust.

Confidentiality is crucial to this relationship. When there is mutual respect they build a sense

of trust in each other and commitment to their relationship. Both parties in this relationship should

appreciate working with someone they can trust.

Mentoring requires constant communicationA successful mentoring relationship is characterized by frequent and consistent face-to-face meetings, telephone conversations, and/or the exchange of emails. Through dedicated and uninterrupted discussion, everyone forms a strong relationship and have an increased chance of achieving the goals they set together.

What Defines Mentorship?

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Mentor/Buddy AgreementUse these guiding questions to develop a mentoring agreement, which is the easiest and most effective way of setting the ground rules for your mentoring relationship:

• Who will arrange our meetings?• How often and where will we meet?• How long will our meetings last?• What happens if one of us can’t attend a scheduled meeting?• How and when will we communicate between meetings?• What limitations, if any, do we want to put in place for our

communications?• What level of confidentiality do we need? • How will we keep our discussions confidential?• What are individual and joint goals for this relationship? • How will we reach our relationship goals? • How will we measure our progress towards our goals?• What happens if we get off track?

SMART Goals are a tool to help you achieve all that you are striving for in their first year of university. They are used to set objectives and design outcomes. Setting SMART goals with your mentor/buddy is one of your core points.

Specific: It is important when you are setting goals to make them as specific as possible, as a specific goal has a much higher chance of accomplishment than a general one. A specific goal is a goal that will answer the Five “W” questions. It will tell you WHAT is expected, WHY it is important, WHO is involved, WHERE is it going to happen and WHICH attributes are important.

Measurable: In order for a goal to be SMART, it is important that you have some sort of criteria or way of measuring your progress while pursuing your goal. This helps with motivation and staying on track.

Goal Setting

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Wheel of Life Goal setting activity:Another way to check-in and see where you’re are at with your goals and development is to use the ‘Wheel of Life’ exercise.

The eight sections (these are suggestions and can be changed) in the Wheel of Life represents different aspects of life. Seeing the center of the wheel as 1 and the outer edges as 10, rank your level of satisfaction with each life area by drawing a straight or curved line to create a new outer edge. The new perimeter represents the wheel of your life. If this were a real wheel, how bumpy would the ride be? Where do you want to smooth things out?

Attainable: When setting a goal, it should be something that you feel is achievable. The goal should be challenging, but also realistic. Relavent: When picking goals, make sure that they matter to you. You will be more likely to try and accomplish the goal if it is significant for you. Often, relevant goals will be in support or alignment of other goals. Time-bound: Give your goals a time frame. This will motivate you and help you focus your efforts on completing the goal before the deadline.

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An informational interview is a discussion with a professional who is in a career that you are interested in pursuing in the future. The best way to complete this requirement is to attend Career LIVEbrary.

Career LIVEbraryCheck out a ‘best-seller’ (industry professional) and have a 15 minute career conversation to gain information and insight into different industries associated with your degree.• Wednesday, October 28, 2015• Wednesday, February 3, 2016• There is a tip sheet online! • Register early – should open 1 week prior to

the event• Register at: careerlink.ucalgary.ca/

Visit Career Services and book an appointment with a Career Specialist if you need more support and advice. Visitucalgary.ca/careers to learn more

What are the benefits of Information Interviews?• Access up-to-date career informa-

tion• Build confidence for interviews• Discover exciting job opportunities• Expand your professional network• Explore careers and clarify your career

goals• Identify your professional strengths and

areas needing improvement• See the organization from the inside

Informational Interviews

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Ways to PrepareCreate a LinkedIn Profile & attend a Career Services’ workshop on how to use LinkedIn• September 29 | 1:00 p.m.• October 8 | 10:00 a.m.• October 19 | 1:30 p.m.

Register for the Mock Interviews• October 14 | 9:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Register for Networking 101• October 27 | 4:30 p.m.

• November 4 | 4:30 p.m.• February 23 | 4:30 p.m.

• March 2 | 4:30 p.m.

Attend a Job Search & Networking Workshop• September 17 | 10:00 a.m.• October 5 | 12:00 p.m.• October 27 | 4:00 p.m.

Review resources online Career Services LibGuide libguides.ucalgary.ca/career-

services

Talk to people you look up to (ex. Senior level students, parents,

guardians, older siblings etc.) to hear about their experiences with mentors.

Reflect on what you want to get out of a mentorship relationship

Register for all above mentioned resources at careerlink.ucalgary.ca/

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The civic engagement activity is an opportunity for you and your SLP dinosaur group to work together to create an unique learning experience. This is where you are able to come together and find a common social issue that you are all passionate about. The goal is then to engage in the issue to better understand it and mobilize to volunteer.

Being a leader in our modern world requires that you have an awareness of social issues and this activity will help you to understand approaching these issues. Additionally, it will help you to change your perspective on leadership to look at how you, as a leader, can influence people around you. You will learn to consider the

Civic Engagement

Additional ResourcesProfessional Email Etiquette

• Keep your emails concise but thorough • Long emails can be difficult to

read however write as much as is necessary to get the point across

• Break up long emails into sections of different ideas

• Read and re-read your emails before sending them• Make sure you read the emails you are sent very well

• You do not want to ask a question that has already been answered in a previous email

• Reply to emails promptly (24 -48 hours)• Make sure that you save important emails in your inbox• Complete action items required in emails promptly

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Professional Dress

Mostly, you will need to dress business casual. When in doubt as to the appropriateness of your dress, err on the side of caution and consult

others for their opinions.

Your Online Image

As a leader, it is important to maintain a professional presence online.

Review your accounts on social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.)

to make sure that it’s an appropriate image. Be aware that what you put on the Internet is in public domain, regardless of your privacy settings, and that while nobody expects you to be completely professional 24/7, there can be future consequences in promoting an image of yourself that is inappropriate. We encourage you to

consider how your social media impacts your personal brand.

SLP Facebook Group Rules

• Use the Facebook group’s walls as a place for relevant discussions and pieces of

interest.• Keep all posts related to requirements, leadership, and

involvement opportunities• Keep language appropriate, respectful, and inclusive• Try to refrain from posting personal comments and questions that

would be better sent to your Peer Helpers• Please refrain from posting any advertisements• The Leadership Ambassador and Peer Helpers reserve the right to

delete any post they deem irrelevant or inappropriate

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Leadership & Student Engagement OfficeMSC 293

ucalgar y.ca/leadership

lead@ucalgar y.ca

Leadership & Student Engagement OfficeMSC 293

ucalgary.ca/leadership | lead@ucalgary.ca

If you have any questions, concerns or don’t know how to find an answer or just want to talk to someone about the program please don’t hesitate to connect with us!

Xander is the SLP Leadership Ambassador and can be contacted at lead@ucalgary.ca