At In2science we love to support our hard-working volunteers by offering professional development and upskilling sessions that can be applied to their school-student mentoring and beyond. We hosted our second professional development workshop for the year on Wednesday September 20 at the stunning Deakin Downtown in Melbourne’s CBD. “The Inclusive Mentor” was presented by Alicea Yu, Coordinator of Training and Capacity Building at Deakin University, and was enjoyed by both in-class mentors and eMentors from our partner universities.
Alicea began the session by welcoming us all to a safe and respectful space, offering us the chance to learn and ask questions without judgement. While the topics of inclusivity and the LGBTQIA+ community can be serious, Alicea presented with such warmth and humour that attendees felt comfortable opening up and sharing their experiences and thoughts. An activity centred around each of us choosing one privilege to keep was particularly eye-opening, and helped us realise that we may have privileges that we take for granted. Alicea taught us ways to embed inclusivity in our daily lives by being more aware of our behaviour and language. Small changes can have a huge impact on making others feel more included and valued, and is something that we can all continuously improve upon.
In2science is proud to be an inclusive program and we embrace the fact that there is always something new to learn. We would like to thank Alicea for sharing her knowledge with us and our mentors. We are certain that everyone left the workshop feeling more confident with inclusive practice and ready to take these skills to their mentoring sessions. If you are interested in becoming a mentor for In2science, apply today or email us to find out more!
