Department of the Air Force recognizes National Mentoring Month

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- The Department of the Air Force will promote and cultivate a mentoring culture to show Airmen and Guardians how mentoring can help maximize their full potential in January 2023 following President Biden’s proclamation on Dec 30, 2022. The theme this year is: “Love your mentoring journey.”

The DAF values mentorship as an enterprise imperative and is committed to increasing deliberate mentoring for our Total Force Airmen and Guardians.

“Love your mentoring journey” means to enjoy the process it takes to form a mutually beneficial mentoring relationship and achieve desired goals. Every Airmen and Guardian is unique, and their mentoring journey should be tailored to meet the needs of their specific journey.

Mentoring is a relationship in which knowledge and skills are shared between members in a way where everyone benefits. Often a more senior person is mentoring a junior person, but mentorship can happen between any two individuals. Mentoring will help Airmen and Guardians discover their strengths by achieving their full potential through a structured, trusting mentoring relationship.

As part of National Mentoring Month, the DAF will host a series of virtual, live events focused on educating Airmen and Guardians on key aspects that influence their mentoring journey, the importance of mentoring, and how to register on the myVector Mentoring platform.

Below are the virtual events scheduled for National Mentoring Month:

Jan. 9 at 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. EST: National Mentoring Month Kick-off (Zoom Webinar)
In order to maximize engagement for National Mentoring Month, the Department of the Air Force will host a virtual mentoring month kick-off panel. Hear from key leaders from enlisted, officer, Guardsmen, reserve component members, U.S. Space Force members, and the U.S. Army Soldiers as they share insights on factors that helped shape their mentoring journey. After hearing from each panel member, there will be a short myVector demo that demonstrates the mentor and mentee features within the system. Webinar ID: 160 333 4786 and Passcode: 371908

Jan. 11 at 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. EST: USAFA - Mentoring Month Workshop (Zoom Webinar)
The United States Air Force Academy will host a NMM panel that illustrates the roles and responsibilities of mentors and mentees in a mentoring relationship. See how both parties of a mentoring relationship can benefit from one another and work to reach their fullest potentials. Whether it be job related or personal habits, hobbies, or curiosities, a mentoring relationship can help unlock the burning desire to achieve new things in your mentoring journey. Webinar ID: 160 845 6220 and Passcode: 319405

Jan. 18 at 6 – 7 p.m. EST: AF Blue Lab – Mentoring in a Digital Era (Facebook)
Air Force Blue labs and key Air Force tech leaders will be discussing the impact that digitization and technology has had on mentoring. Technology has changed the world forever and, with that, comes a new era of how we see mentoring. Leveraging technology to enhance the mentoring experience will allow the Air Force to connect more than ever and open the door to more effective mentoring relationships across generations. With things such as social media, virtual collaborations applications, and digital tools that enhance our learning capabilities, we must understand how to leverage this digital environment to enhance our mentoring relationships and journey.

Jan. 23 at 7 -9 p.m. EST: Crucial Conversation – Mentoring impact on Diversity and Inclusion (Facebook)
Crucial Conversation is a private social media page that often addresses tough conversation topics from a leadership perspective. They are hosting a virtual panel to discuss the impact that mentoring has on diversity and inclusion. As mentors, we must understand how to connect with and develop diverse Airmen and Guardians to help them reach their highest potential. As mentees, we must help our mentors understand our uniqueness so we can form a stronger mentoring relationship. Our force’s diversity is one of our most powerful weapons and mentoring is a key part of unlocking the potential of each Airman and Guardian from all walks of life as they embark on their mentoring journey.

Jan. 31 at 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. EST Civilian Leadership Development School – Mentoring in Action (Zoom)
The Civilian Leadership Development School will host a Mentoring Workshop to help build a solid foundation of supervisory skills. Supervisors are often the first level of mentorship, and it is crucial for them to be equipped with the skills needed to help develop the mentoring relationship. Experience a Live Virtual Mentoring Workshop to improve employee performance planning, goals, and outcomes. Meeting ID: 161 366 9742 and Passcode: 690808

Feb. 1 at 6 – 7 p.m., Us-Mentoring-Us (UMU) – “We Got Next” the Mentee Perspective (Facebook)
UMU is a private Facebook page that has been influential in promoting the message of mentoring across the force. The page will be hosting an event where they dive into the mindset of mentees and find out their views on mentorship. Mentees must understand how to be accountable in their mentoring journey to help shape a mentoring relationship that allows them to achieve their life goals.

Additional information on mentoring can be found here.

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Department of the Air Force recognizes National Mentoring Month