MENTOR-VIP
MENTOR-VIP is a global injury and violence prevention mentoring programme. It has been developed through the efforts of WHO and a network of global injury prevention experts. Mentoring allows for skills development through exchange of experience between a more skilled or experienced person and a person seeking to develop those skills. Whereas the TEACH-VIP training curriculum provides a strong basis for transferring knowledge to a wide variety of training audiences, MENTOR-VIP offers an opportunity for individuals committed to the injury area to further develop key skills. TEACH-VIP and MENTOR-VIP therefore have different objectives and potential target audiences while providing complementary approaches to capacity building.
MENTOR-VIP is designed to match mentees wishing to develop certain skills with mentors who have agreed to devote their time and effort to assist mentees develop those skills. Matching of individuals is made on the basis of the profiles of mentee and mentor and the overall principles and objectives of MENTOR-VIP. Once a mentorship is awarded the mentee and mentor jointly plan the activities that will be undertaken during the mentorship. A principle of the programme is that it provide a low cost model for mentoring. Accordingly, mentoring is expected to take place primarily through electronic and telephonic forms of communication and interaction. Mentorships are for a 12 month period and begin in September of each year.
Principles
WHO has undertaken a wide consultative process that has led to the formation of the MENTOR-VIP programme. Through this process a number of key principles were established which have implications for the programme structure and objectives. These principles are:
- Structuring MENTOR-VIP around an individual to individual form of mentoring
- Twelve month mentoring arrangements and pilot testing over two years
- Targeting more junior injury practitioners from low- and middle-income settings
- Structuring mentoring arrangements on low cost forms of interaction
- Clarity and a common understanding among programme participants
Objectives
The general objective of MENTOR-VIP is to improve human resource capacity to effectively prevent and control injury and violence through the enhanced development of relevant skills.
This is a long-term result to which MENTOR-VIP will have contributed. Specific objectives are:
- Matching and ensuring at least 100 mentor and mentee pairs complete mentorships over the first 5 years of the programme.
- Maintaining the proportion of mentoring pairs who do not conclude the mentoring arrangement at less than 5% during any given year.
- Ensure within the first 5 years of the programme that selected mentees come from all 6 of WHO's regions and that mentors come from at least 4 of these regions.
- Complete an evaluation of the pilot phase of the programme within the first 3 years.
- Ascertain on the basis of objective criteria that at least 20 mentees have made substantive contributions to injury and violence prevention within the first 5 years of the programme.
Further elaboration on the principles and objectives of MENTOR-VIP may be found in the MENTOR-VIP programme document.
Skill categories
The central purpose of MENTOR-VIP is to facilitate the development of key skills among mentees. A categorization of the skills for injury prevention and control has been developed in order to provide a common terminology and understanding of the relevant skills categories. Candidates who make application for a mentorship should refer to this categorization and use it to reflect on their skill building needs and capabilities. The categorization provides a common understanding of how these categories are considered within the context of MENTOR-VIP and will assist with appropriate matching of mentees and mentors.