For Parents


My parents
are not in science-related careers, and so my mentor has helped me move into the unknown with confidence and excitement.

- Mentee

Shown below are some of the questions that are asked most often. If your question isn't answered here please send us a message. We'll send you an answer and likely add your question to this list!

What is Cybermentor?

Cybermentor is an online mentorship program that matches women in science and engineering with girls between the ages of 11 and 18.  Mentoring is a one-to-one relationship between a more experienced mentor and a less experienced mentee, based on encouragement, constructive comments, openness, mutual trust, respect, and a willingness to learn and share.  As members of the program, individuals are given access to our online social community where they access blogs, discussion forums and their own personal dashboard, which allows them to connect with their match partners and to participate in the Cybermentor community.

Program Security

The most important component, from the administration side, is the security measures we have implemented in order to keep our participants safe.  All mentors go through a rigorous screening process that involves interviews to confirm identity and reference checks to determine if the candidates meet ours eligibility requirements.

When a participant joins the program she is not given full access to the program until her information and reference checking has been completed.  As a full member of the program a participant can access our discussion forums, blogs and communicate with her mentoring partner. All of these functions are only accessible when a user is logged into the system.

A user can only communicate with the program administrator and her match while in the dashboard. Only approved members of the Cybermentor community can participate in the secure discussion forums and blogs, and users must be logged in using their user name and password.

We have adopted a stringent password creation system that forces the participant to choose difficult passwords, which is an administrative challenge, but we feel this is important.

All personal information we collect is secured using some of the latest encryption technology so the information is transmitted to the server in a safe manner. All of the data is stored in a secure sever and to which only the program administrator and system developers have access.

We do not give, rent or sell this personal information to any third parties.

Why should my daughter participate?

Having a mentor can be an amazing opportunity for any young woman. Often a mentor is a person of like mind, and even though your daughter will probably change her mind about what she will do in her career, she will be able to keep in touch with her mentor even after she has graduated from the program.

There are many ways your daughter can benefit from mentoring, including:
•    Obtaining career advice and planning assistance.
•    Learning more about herself and developing her skills.
•    Gaining assistance solving problems and changing her perspective.
•    Building her self-confidence.
•    Having a “safe” person with whom to share ideas and brainstorm.
•    Increasing her energy and interest in a future career.
•    Developing a lasting relationship with someone who can assist with university reference letters and many other valuable opportunities external to your family circle.

How can parents get involved?

Even though the mentoring relationship is primarily between mentor and mentee, your role is important if not vital to the success of the relationship. Studies have shown that a child's decision to enter the fields of science or engineering is heavily dependent on parental influence. Influencing girls early on about the exciting potential in the sciences, and providing opportunities for them to get up to date information, increases knowledge of career choices and opportunities that exist for women in these fields.

Your daughter will benefit more from her mentoring experience with your positive encouragement. Talk to her about how things are going, remind her to check her email and be supportive - it can make all the difference to her experience! We take reasonable precautions to ensure the mentors are who they say they are, but no background checks are performed. It remains your responsibility as a parent to ensure the safety of your child throughout this program.

You know your daughter best. Does she need a little encouragement to keep her motivated or is she extremely independent, needing only a reliable Internet connection?  As a parent you may wish to inquire about how the relationship is progressing. Does she get along with her mentor? Is she learning valuable information? Does she find mentor’s career is interesting?

There are units of study that make up the formal component of the mentoring program. These units are completed by mentor and mentee and will often require reflection and planning. It is possible that your daughter may have questions or concerns about how best to fill these out and having you involved will assist greatly in her growth and exploration.

 

Will my daughter ever meet her mentor face-to-face?

Every year the program office organizes mingles, or year-end celebration events, where the mentors and mentees can gather (and potentially even meet their mentoring partners for the first time). Note that there are many circumstances such as schedules, and location of residence, which may preclude your daughter from meeting her mentor, but nonetheless there are events scheduled to celebrate the successful completion of a program year and provide an opportunity for mentees to meet each other,  as well as other mentors.  We encourage you to attend these events and to encourage your daughter to attend as well, even if her mentor is unable to attend.

In addition, situations may arise during the year, such as science fairs, or special job-shadowing opportunities, where your daughter and her mentor would like to meet, but these meeting can ONLY be arranged through the program office and you must give your permission before anything such as this is arranged, so that you know what is going on, and can attend the meeting along with your daughter.

Make sure you discuss with your daughter the importance of keeping you informed about her progress, and if at any time you have questions or concerns please contact the Program Administrator.