Mentoring is a great opportunity to contribute and grow through helping others.  However, mentoring can create an impact and legacy that shapes lives and attitudes far beyond your present reality.  There is an expression, “each one, teach one.”  If we viewed all people as a whole, linked together for the purpose of enriching all of our lives and experiences, and acted upon that by nurturing and sharing ourselves, we would certainly create healthier communities and a better world.  Behold the fact that your protégé will move on and “pay forward” the guidance he or she received from you.  And their recipients will pay forward the gift of mentoring, and so on and so on.  The message?  When you mentor someone, you are not just mentoring that person, you are mentoring future generations as well! 

Mentoring Magic

Even legendary novelists needed mentors.  American author Sherwood Anderson, author of the famous “Winnesburg Ohio,” mentored many budding writers.  He spent countless hours reading, writing and critiquing the work of one particular writer, providing constructive feedback for a new novel the writer was creating entitled “The Sun Also Rises.”  The budding author?  It was none other than Ernest Hemingway.  Anderson also mentored William Faulkner and John Steinbeck, two of the most influential novelists of the twentieth century.  What motivated Sherwood Anderson to generously share his time and expertise?  He too was mentored when he was starting his career.  He credited the great Theodore Dreiser and Carl Sandburg with having a positive influence on his successful writing career.  So, as these literary giants illustrate, mentoring is a continuous cycle of giving and receiving, leaving an indelible impression on the future. 

CanadaInfoNet Mentors Really Make A Difference!

We received a letter of thanks from a very pleased protégé, touting the excellent services provided by e-mentoring.  Our satisfied protégé identified the following benefits derived from the CanadaInfoNet experience:

·         Selfless, dedicated and professional service

·         Moral support

·         Extensive information and support

With the help of her e-mentor, our protégé was able to make an informed decision about what graduate school to attend in Canada.  Cheers to another successful mentoring relationship!  To view the full story, visit:  http://www.canadainfonet.org/success%20stories/education/

CanadaInfoNet—Finalist for Showcase Ontario Voluntary Sector IT Awards

August 12, 2003—JVS Toronto’s CanadaInfoNet program has been selected as 1 of 4 programs in this year’s Showcase Ontario Voluntary Sector IT Awards (a partnership between Showcase Ontario and Making IT Work for Volunteers) to receive a Merit Award of Excellence. 

“It really is a great honour to receive this award.” says Amanda Harris, Program Manager of CanadaInfoNet.  “We’ve received so much support from our colleagues, our Board of Directors, the Government of Ontario’s Volunteer@ction program, which provided the initial funding to build CanadaInfoNet and, of course, our volunteers who make such a difference in the lives of our clients.

The Showcase Ontario Voluntary Sector It Awards will be held on September 9, 2003.    

Pathways – Creating Engineering Opportunities

Pathways is a unique program designed to help bridge the employment gap for internationally educated engineers, with English as a second language and who are pursuing their professional engineers license in Ontario, helping them to become viable, competitive candidates for employment in the engineering field. Pathways offers a combination of in-class training and employment search assistance to help participants meet the Canadian work experience requirements for licensure as a professional engineer in Ontario.  The program may be receiving applications for the fall 2003 program.  Check the website in September at www.pathways.ospec.on.ca for more information.

Are You “Boss” Material?

You may think it’s a natural desire to move up the ranks thorough one’s career to a boss or managerial role.  However, according to a study by Boston’s Northeastern University, 55 percent of subjects in a recent psychological experiment said they preferred being the subordinate instead of the boss.  Despite the desire to remain in the “lower ranks,” lack of desire did not render the subjects incapable of leading others.  When put to the test, those who preferred not to be boss were able to perform effectively in the position when the researchers set up a mock leadership situation.  The point?  Just because you don’t want to be boss, doesn’t mean that you don’t have the skills to be!  However, when it comes to good leadership, the most successful leaders are those who have the passion and interest, along with the technical competencies!

Famous Last Words

“The price of greatness is responsibility.”

– Winston Churchill