Events

For grantees

Peer mentoring programme 2023: Kick-off workshop

Do you need sparring partners with whom you could discuss various work-related issues? Have you ever considered how best to plan your work? Where do you get support when you are low on motivation? How do you combine work and leisure time, and how do you know what is sufficient? 

In the peer mentoring programme organised by Kone Foundation for grant recipients, participants work in groups on jointly agreed topics within a jointly established schedule. The new mentoring season will be kicked off on Wednesday, 1 March from 1:00–4:00 p.m. at the Foundation’s head office, Lauttasaari manor (Otavantie 10, Helsinki).  

Previous groups have received support for project management, self-management, promotion of practical work, balancing work and leisure time, and coping with the sense of uncertainty typical to the early stages of a person’s career. Peer mentoring provides you encouragement and support for your work, and a possibility to share your experiences and insights with others – with a low threshold, as an equal discussion partner. Please note that the primary focus of the mentoring is not to assess questions directly related to the content of your research, but broader pre-selected themes. 

About the mentoring process in 2023

The peer mentoring programme is primarily aimed at grantees in the early stages of their careers, but those further along in their careers are also welcome. Mentoring takes place in groups of 3–5 people, and the aim is to form the groups in such a way that the members share similar questions and hopes. You do not need to know anything about peer mentoring in advance – it’s enough that you are a Kone Foundation grant recipient who is interested in the topic and wants to achieve meaningful development in your work. 

The mentoring process will continue until mid-June. Shared meetings consist of a kick-off meeting, a voluntary intermediate meeting and a final meeting. Between the shared meetings, the groups work independently and meet about once a month. Please mark the dates of the shared meetings in your calendar already at this stage!  

The themed mentoring groups are formed according to previously discussed themes and the registered interests of the participants. Every attendee can choose which group they want to take part in at the kick-off meeting. Please note that the groups are thus not formed by fields of research or art. 

Programme schedule:

  • Kick-off workshop on 1 March, from 1 to 4 PM (all together, attendance mandatory)  
  • Intermediate meetings 26-27 April from 1 to 4 PM (a voluntary Zoom meeting according to the groups’ needs) 
  • Final meeting on 14 June, from 1 to 4 PM (all together)  

We strongly recommend that every person partaking in the programme attends the kick-off workshop. 

Between the shared meetings, the groups work independently and agree on their schedules.  

The language of the joint meetings is English. The language to be used in the groups is determined by the wishes of the participants as well as the themes (English or Finnish; Finnish can be used, if everyone in the group speaks Finnish).

Kick-off workshop programme

The goal for the workshop is to get to know your own mentor group and learn some mentoring know-how. We will discuss what kind of support each member needs in their own work, encouraging and supporting your group members’ development, and how to create a trusting atmosphere within the group. 

You can prepare for the kick-off workshop by thinking about what kind of support in your work you are most in need of at the moment, and in which topics. Tell us about your wishes on the registration form!  

The peer mentoring programme is led by coach and trainer Minna-Rosa Kanniainen, who has several years of experience in mentoring programmes and training new mentors.  
   
The programme can take 60 participants. 

SIGN UP FOR PEER MENTORING HERE

Please sign up by 14 February!

Our events are discrimination-free, with zero tolerance for racism, sexism, discrimination based on disability or health status (ableism), transphobia and homophobia in their broader meaning.