Mentor's handbook by EastKentFreemasons

PROVINCE OF EAST KENT

MASONIC MENTORING

W.Bro. David Heley Provincial Grand Mentor June 2017

Contents GENERAL INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 2 HOW DOES A MENTEE FEEL? ................................................................................................. 14 MENTORING IN FREEMASONRY................................................................................................. 3 ORGANISATIONAL PATHWAY …………………………………………………………………………… 5 THE CENTRE MENTOR COORDINATOR………………………………………………..….……5, 6, 18 THE GROUP MENTOR COORDINATOR ........................................................................... 5, 6,16 THE LODGE MENTOR ....................................................................................................... 5, 6, 7 THE PERSONAL MENTOR .............................................................................................. 5, 6, 12 THE PROVINCIAL GRAND MENTOR ..................................................................................... 5, 6 THE PROVINCIAL SUPPORT GROUP .................................................................................... 5, 6

MENTORING IN THE PROVINCE OF EAST KENT SECTION 1

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

MENTORING IN THE PROVINCE OF EAST KENT SECTION 1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION

mentor |ˈmenˌtôr, -tər| noun an experienced and trusted adviser: he was her friend and mentor until his death in 1915. • an experienced person in a company, college, or school who trains and counsels new employees or students. verb [ with obj. ] advise or train (someone, esp. a younger colleague). DERIVATIVES mentorship |-ˌSHip|noun ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: via French and Latin from Greek Mentōr, the name of the adviser of the young Telemachus in Homer's Odyssey . From the above definition, mentoring can be considered to be in two parts. In Freemasonry the primary objective of mentoring must be to support and advise the brethren with a secondary objective of education and training for the brethren. Mentoring in Freemasonry is not new, it is a long established practice whereby proposer and seconder have, or should have, always supported candidates. Senior lodge members, Preceptors and those attending Lodge of Instruction or Lodge of Rehearsal have always supported officers as they progress through the Lodge. Historically this was an “unofficial” process, which, in many instances, was hugely successful. However, there have also been instances when things have not been as successful as would be hoped, resulting, at its worst, in dissatisfaction and resignations. Whilst accepting that Lodges are Private and as such are free to operate as they wish within the bounds of the Constitutions, the aim within the Province of East Kent is to have a slightly more formal Mentoring system, in the persons of the Lodge Mentor and Personal Mentors. The role of the Lodge Mentor is to be the coordinator of the lodge mentoring process and to help overcome any difficulties and gaps in provision if and when they do occur. The Personal Mentor will support his individual Mentee. It is hoped the Lodge Mentor and Personal Mentor will work closely with the Lodge

Almoner, the Lodge Membership Officer and possible the Lodge Secretary to develop a wider “Support Service” for the brethren as and when it is needed. Good measures of success for a lodge are a happy, well-attended lodge with a healthy membership and a good supply of new members. The converse of that could indicate a lodge with potential problems and formal mentoring is one of many things that might help the situation. What is the purpose of mentoring? The simple answer is “To increase enjoyment in Masonry” and thereby increase both retention in the lodge and recruitment for the lodge. In any organisation, be it business or leisure, in its broadest terms mentoring is the process by which the experienced assist the less experienced to get the most out of and for the organisation. Masonry is no different; we want our members to have the best possible experience of Freemasonry and to do their best for it. This will help brethren to enjoy Masonry, they are then likely to stay as members and to bring friends and acquaintances as new members – in short Retention and Recruitment will be improved as well as enjoyment. However, it must be said that mentoring should be for “the masonic life” of the brethren, not just for new members. That said, the new member, Initiate or Joining Member, particularly if coming via the independent route of not knowing anyone in the lodge, needs special care and attention.

Provincial Mentoring Organisational Pathway

PGM

Management Group and Provincial Executive

Support Sub-Group Chairman APGM David Alexander

Provincial Grand Mentor David Heley

Provincial Mentoring Team Prov. Grand Mentor Group Mentor Coordinators Centre Mentor Coordinators

Lodge Mentors

Personal Mentors

Mentees

The Provincial Support Group is a group led by an APGM and is tasked with the objective of providing support to lodges and centres. The group consists of a number of experienced brethren of the Province together with the Provincial Grand Almoner, the Provincial Grand Royal Arch Almoner and the Provincial Grand Mentor. The Provincial Grand Mentor is ultimately responsible for the overall operation of a successful Province-wide mentoring scheme. The Province of East Kent is divided into 8 Organisational Groups, each Group with a responsible APGM and a Chairman. Each Group has a Group Mentor Coordinator as well as a Group Coordinator for Almoner, Chapter, Charity Steward and Media. The Provincial Mentoring Team consists of:  The Provincial Grand Mentor  Group Mentor Coordinators (8)  Centre Mentor Coordinators  Seminar Organisers  Others as necessary Group Mentor Coordinators will be the focus for mentoring within his Group and in particular will support Centre and Lodge Mentors and be able to provide support and local knowledge for the Provincial Grand Mentor. Centre Mentor Coordinators will form a local focus for support of Lodge Mentors within his Masonic Centre and be able to provide support and local knowledge for the Group Mentor Coordinator. The Lodge Mentor is the coordinator of the mentoring system within his lodge and possibly a more descriptive, but less elegant, title would be that of The Lodge Mentoring Coordinator. A Personal Mentor is the brother who will look after, mentor, another brother (his Mentee) or even a number of brethren in the lodge.

Communications As a general rule, all communications relating to Mentoring within the Province of East Kent will be electronic, almost exclusively by email. As such it is highly desirable that all Lodge, Group, Centre and Personal Mentors have access to email.

MENTORING IN THE PROVINCE OF EAST KENT SECTION 2

THE LODGE MENTOR

SECTION 2 THE LODGE MENTOR Role of the Lodge Mentor As indicated in the introduction, the Lodge Mentor can be considered to have two objectives, support and education. The primary role of the Lodge Mentor must always be as the coordinator of the mentoring system within the lodge and as such he will need to work closely with the Lodge Membership Officer to ensure a smooth transition into the lodge of all new brethren. As the Coordinator of Lodge Mentoring it is unlikely the Lodge Mentor will be Personal Mentor for many individuals. With over 180 lodges in the Province of East Kent there are likely to be in excess of 180 different ways of organising mentoring within a lodge. However, as the lodge coordinator of mentoring, the Lodge Mentor should have as a prime aim the need to ensure that all members of the lodge have a Personal Mentor. However, priority should be given to new members and although it is ideal for all lodge members to have a Personal Mentor some, particularly the more senior and experienced brethren, may feel it unnecessary. However, there are very strong arguments ensuring that mentoring is for “Masonic Life” and as such for having Personal Mentors throughout the masonic spectrum. There are known “pinch points” when statistically brethren may, for a variety of reasons, lose interest in the lodge and masonry. These are typically after Initiation, after becoming a Master Mason and after his year as IPM. A Personal Mentor who is doing a good job will help overcome problems and even mentors need mentors! By default, a Personal Mentor is likely to be the proposer or seconder of the individual, although there are clearly times when this is not practical. For example if the proposer is an inexperienced mason himself or is unable to attend the lodge on a regular basis due to work or other commitments or even feels that mentoring is not for him. Also, Independent entrants via website contacts, Open Days or fetes will not have an obvious Personal Mentor and there is the occasional time when an existing Mentor leaves the lodge. In such circumstances it would be expected that the Lodge Mentor work with other lodge members to find a good and acceptable Personal Mentor. There are a number of very useful exercises the Lodge Mentor should undertake and others he may wish to consider:

First and foremost:  Understand that mentoring is “For Life”, not just for the Initiate and not just Lodge of Instruction.  To ensure that every Initiate, Joining Member and (ultimately) all members, have a Personal Mentor who will support him throughout his masonic career.  Arrange for an initiate to be introduced to his Personal Mentor in the lodge immediately after the delivery of the Charge and for the Personal Mentor to present the Initiates Guide.  To ensure no brother is ever “left alone”; in the Lodge, when asked to leave the Lodge because it is opened in a higher degree or at the Festive Board. Promoting ideas:  To promote mentoring within the lodge, to include regular reports to the Lodge Committee and in Open Lodge.  Organise visits to other Lodges Managing:  Establish an internal lodge Mentoring Team to support the brethren of the lodge. This team may consist of some or all of the following: o Mentors o Almoner o Secretary o DC o Chapter Liaison Officer  Ensure “everyone” has a Personal Mentor.  Ensure Personal Mentors are doing what is required, a function that will vary from Mentee to Mentee. Liaise with the Provincial Grand Mentor, Group and Centre Coordinators as and when required. Planning:  In conjunction with the Secretary and DC or others, pursue the idea of Progression Planning for all members, this, especially if coupled with an anonymous Satisfaction Survey, can be a great help in mentoring and managing expectations in general. See Support Documentation  Promote training for brethren in the lodge, e.g. Preparation for the Master’s Chair. Helping:  To assist brethren who may be moving area to find a new lodge so they are not “lost” to Freemasonry 1  General Support of the brethren.

The Provincial Grand Mentor, who has contact details for other Provinces/Districts, can provide help and there is an initiative from UGLE called Masonic Migration designed to help and soon to have a designated Officer within the Province. 1

There are various reasons, rarely anyone’s specific fault, for resignations from the lodge. In today’s economic and social climate financial pressures and the demands of work, often including mobility requirements, can lead to members losing regular contact with lodges. The Lodge Mentor and Personal Mentors will need to work closely with the Lodge Almoner and others in the lodge Mentoring Team in order to provide a full “support service” to lodge members. For example, if a brother does not attend the lodge for an unexplained number of times or seems otherwise disinterested then it would seem prudent he be discreetly contacted to ascertain if there is a problem and if help is needed. Some Mentors/Almoners operate a “traffic light” system of tracking the “need” for action: regular attendance, green; spasmodic attendance, yellow; three consecutive unexplained absences, red. Red and even possibly yellow might indicate the need to contact the brother concerned. Initially, contact is a “task” for the Personal Mentor and/or Almoner but with a good overview the Lodge Mentor should be able to prompt the Personal Mentor if necessary. It must be emphasised the “traffic lights” are for tracking and is NOT in any way a judgemental system. It may be that the lodge Secretary is ideally placed to record details of attendance at lodge meetings as he receives apologies from the brethren. Various ways of recording attendance can be devised - one possible example is attached. See Support Documentation The secondary Role of the Lodge Mentor is to coordinate the notion of “a daily advancement in Masonic Knowledge”. To achieve this the Lodge Mentor may wish to work with key members of the Lodge and Lodge of Instruction. On the Provincial Portal there are many useful pieces of information that vary from small “nuggets” of information to fuller explanations and “walk throughs” of the various parts of the ritual. The five-minute “nuggets” are designed to stimulate interest and further discussion on a range of lodge topics. These could be delivered at L of I or during the Lodge Mentor’s Report as part of a formal lodge meeting. The “walk throughs” and longer explanations are intended for delivery at a lodge meeting when no ceremony is being performed – they form an excellent alternative to a degree rehearsal. There is no rigid “skill set” for a Lodge Mentor although there are a number of qualities that will certainly help in the role.  

Interested in Mentoring Flexible and open to new ideas 10

       

Empathy Organisational skills Delegation skills People skills Communication skills Outgoing and friendly Masonic knowledge A desire to cooperate with others

Support for work as Lodge Mentor can be obtained from the Provincial Grand Mentor, W.Bro. David Heley and the Group Mentoring Coordinators. As a Lodge Mentor, please ensure the Group and Centre Mentor Coordinator have your up to date contact details. Contact details for the Group Mentoring Coordinators and the Provincial Grand Mentor can be found in the Support Documentation to this document. The Province of East Kent website has much information, under the SUPPORT section: http://eastkentfremasons.org The United Grand Lodge of England has a large website related to mentoring and its support. It is well worth looking at the site to gain ideas that can be used as they stand or, more likely, adapted to suit your own circumstances. The site can be found at: http://www.masonicmentoring.org.uk

MENTORING IN THE PROVINCE OF EAST KENT SECTION 3

THE PERSONAL MENTOR

SECTION 3 THE PERSONAL MENTOR Mentoring is a long-term, for Life, commitment; it need not be particularly formal although some form of record keeping is always advisable as circumstances could develop whereby the knowledge of the mentoring history could be useful, if a Mentor changes for example. Role of the Personal Mentor To support his Mentee in whatever manner is needed:  Help a new brother integrate in the lodge  Contact him if he has unexplained absences or seems “uninterested”  Help to understand Masonry  Help to understand how the lodge “functions” o Offices and colours of aprons  Support in learning the ritual  To address any concerns he may have,  Help with Progression planning  Encourage family and friends to be included in Social Events  Record the progress of the Mentee in his masonic career. See Support Documentation Some important points that are worth considering: At the Festive Board of his Initiation meeting, try to have the Personal Mentor sit with the Initiate on the top table to give guidance and support. If a new brother is required to retire from the lodge room, for example when it is to be opened in a higher degree than he has attained, the Personal Mentor should accompany (or arrange for someone else to accompany) the Mentee so he is not left alone. This time can usefully be spent in instruction and support, including practising signs and learning responses and even the fire for the Festive Board! Arrange for your mentee to have company in the lodge meeting and at the Festive Board, particularly if you, the Personal Mentor, have other duties. Help the Mentee to understand the workings of the lodge with a little understanding of how these workings may vary with different lodges. This may include the etiquette of visiting other lodges within and outside the Province (e.g. no provincial ties and charity jewels outside the Province) and arranging visits if needed. Protect the Mentee from undue pressure: for example to undertake office or ritual if he is not yet ready. The converse also applies, if the Mentee is ready to progress in some

way this should be assisted and promoted. Always encourage attendance at the Lodge of Instruction. Work with the lodge Chapter Liaison Officer, and others, to ensure the Mentee is aware of the Holy Royal Arch Chapter (and other side Orders) but to ensure he is not pushed into joining other orders too quickly! It is not uncommon for inexperienced brethren to find themselves overloaded too early in their masonic careers. As a Mentee progresses to the floor officer roles, give help and support in learning the ritual. Work with the Lodge Mentor and Lodge Almoner for the benefit of the Mentee as and when necessary. Check the Mentee has no special needs that may require extra support, e.g. deafness or dyslexia Other possible areas of support can be found in the documentation adapted from the UGLE website and included in the Support Documentation of this document. Skills Needed As with the Lodge Mentor, there is no specific or rigid “skill set” for a Personal Mentor, although there are a number of qualities that will certainly help and they are in many ways the same as those for a Lodge Mentor. e.g.

      

Interested in Mentoring Empathy Flexible and open to new ideas People skills Communication skills Outgoing and friendly Masonic knowledge

How does a Mentee feel? It may help in the mentoring process to think about what may be a “normal” progression for someone new to Masonry. This will obviously vary considerably with the individual, but there are possibly 4 stages through which most people pass. Stage 1 On joining masonry, however much advance information has been given, most initiates are confused and don’t understand much of what has gone on. This feeling can persist until well after being raised to the degree of a Master Mason. This stage can be crucial in the mentoring process and is one where statistically there is a considerable drop out.

Stage 2 A feeling of understanding and confidence builds. He will begin to understand what is expected of him and may well want to look for challenges, opportunities and ways to progress in the lodge. Some brethren may never want to progress and this should be respected, it is not a sign a Mentor is not needed and he may change his mind in the future. Stage 3 The Mentee possibly starts on the floor officers’ roles and progresses to WM. He will need support, not the least in learning the ritual, but he may also start to be a major player in the lodge. Stage 4 After passing through the Chair and the role of IPM it is possible for the Mentee to feel somewhat “unwanted”. This is another key point for the Personal Mentor’s involvement. Support for work as a Personal Mentor can be obtained from the Lodge Mentor, Group and Centre Mentor Coordinators and/or the Provincial Grand Mentor. The Province of East Kent administrative website http://www.yourprovince.org/ has much information, in the Lodge Officers menu under Lodge Mentor Information. The United Grand Lodge of England has a large website related to mentoring and its support. It is well worth looking at the site to gain ideas that can be used as they stand or, more likely, adapted to suit your own circumstances. The site can be found at: http://www.masonicmentoring.org.uk

MENTORING IN THE PROVINCE OF EAST KENT SECTION 4

THE GROUP MENTOR COORDINATOR

SECTION 4 THE GROUP MENTOR COORDINATOR The Group Mentor Coordinator is likely to be an experienced Lodge Mentor or someone who has experience of mentoring with those same skills that will help him to act as a local focus for Centre and Lodge Mentors. In this role it is hoped the Group Mentor Coordinator will:      

 

Be the first point of contact for Mentoring information relating to his particular Group. Actively promote mentoring and organise mentoring initiatives in Centres and Lodges in his Group. Be the first point of call for giving Centre and Lodge Mentors support and guidance when needed. Keep an accurate updated list of Lodge Mentors in his area. Give the Provincial Grand Mentor local information and support when needed. Assist in identifying suitable lodges for “independent” enquiries. o For new enquiries via the Provincial or Grand Lodge websites. o For an existing brother who is moving to a new area where he does not know the lodges or another mason. Be a conduit for information to and from the Centres and Lodges. Hold regular, at least annual, meetings with the Lodge Mentors in their Group.

The role of Group Mentor Coordinator will obviously require meeting with the Lodge Mentors and The Provincial Grand Mentor as and when necessary, not just at formal meetings.

MENTORING IN THE PROVINCE OF EAST KENT SECTION 5

THE CENTRE MENTOR COORDINATOR

SECTION 5 THE CENTRE MENTOR COORDINATOR The Centre Mentor Coordinator is likely to be an experienced Lodge Mentor or someone who has experience of mentoring with those same skills that will help him to act as a local focus for Lodge Mentors within his Masonic Centre. In this role it is hoped the Centre Mentor Coordinator will:  

  



Be the first point of contact for Mentoring information relating to his particular Masonic Centre. Actively promote mentoring and organise mentoring initiatives in his Masonic Centre. o Diary of events, e.g. degrees at other lodges o Group visits to other lodges Be the first point of call for giving support to Lodge Mentors in his Masonic Centre. Keep an accurate updated list of Lodge Mentors in his Centre and their contact details. Give the Provincial Grand Mentor local information and support when needed. o Assist in identifying suitable lodges for “independent” enquiries.  For new enquiries via the Provincial or Grand Lodge websites.  For an existing brother who is moving to a new area where he does not know the lodges or another mason. Be a conduit for information to and from the Centre and Lodges.

The role of Centre Mentor Coordinator will likely require meeting with the Lodge Mentors as and when necessary.