89 Connect was created so you can find other young public policy professionals and easily engage with them. We believe that young professionals connected together may have the chance to influence key debates.
Here is a guideline for you to take the best from the platform and be an active part of our community.
N.B.: This is a professional social media. We expect lot from our users, please note that strong language, discrimination and misbehaviour will not be tolerated.
Create your profile. Go to:
Fill in the form with all the information you want other users to see.
Changed your mind? Just click on:
If you would like to change your Account Settings, go to:
Last but not least, you have the possibility to Request Verification for your account. How does it work?
It is very simple, just click on Request Verification and wait for us to contact you. We will need to see a copy of an identification document. Do not worry: after checking the identity, we will delete email and attachments.
Go to My Profile and discovery all the opportunities.
Activity
This is your wall, you can use it to post text or photos.
You can also like or comment others’ posts on their wall, just click on a profile and then Activity.
Activity panel
Once you log in to the platform, your homepage will be a feed of your following most recent activities, including your own.
Furthermore, in the activity panel you find trending hashtags, latest debates, upcoming events, your positioning in the raking and a short portion of it, a shortcut to the main features.
Messages
Here you find your Chats History. This section is private, and you can block the user, delete the conversation or download the history.
To message other users, just go to their profile, click on Message, and start your conversation!
Photos
The place where you can upload your photos.
In the Album section you find the albums you have created, while in Photos you find all the uploaded photos, regardless of the album division.
You can look at other users’ photos by going to their profile and clicking on Photos.
Forums
This section sums up your activities on Debates, to help you follow up with the discussions you are most interested in. Your actions are labeled in terms of:
Take a look at the following point to learn about the debates opportunities.
Badges
We believe in action. This is why your profile visibility on the platform is linked to your activity on it.
You may improve your position in the database by interacting with other user and organisations, earning points that allow you collect different ranks and badges.
We have three different ranks, based on the number of interactions you make:
You may gain several typologies of badges (most of them from level 1 to 3, that are bronze, silver, gold) based on different kind of actions:
Please note that our Staff can intervene on points, either as reward or penalty.
On Your Badges you can see the badges you already have, while on All Badges you can discover how to obtain others.
Groups
Here you can find all the groups you are part of.
Create or join a thematic group and start working with your colleagues.
To found a new group, use the shortcut explained above, then click on:
To search for an existing group, use the filter at the top of the page or scroll down the list of All Groups.
WARNING!! Organisations has a slightly different profile section.
On the organisation profile you can find a Review section, in which you can give them a mark (from 1 to 5 stars) and a comment, based on your experience.
Go to:
Confront with peers and organisations in your sector around relevant policy issues.
We have selected some macro categories to start with:
To start a topic, click on the related category and fill the form at the bottom of the page.
To join a discussion, click on the related category and then on the desired topic.
You can save the topic between your favourites by clicking on Favourite at the top right corner of the discussion. In this way, you will find the favourite topic in your Forums section as explained before.
N.B.: You can tag other users in the discussion by using @ + their username
You can use the # to search all the comments linked to that #.
Issues
Here you can find featured articles written by users and organisations on issues they care about.
Each article is linked to the debates to ease the discussion on it. You can find the latest issues at the top of the debates page too
You can send us your article by filling in the online form at the bottom of the page.
Please note that articles have to pass a selection by the 89 Connect staff and edits may occur before their publishing.
Find your peers
Go to:
Find an Organisation
Click on:
Find an Event
Go to:
or
Get your event featured: fill in the form at the bottom of the page and wait for us to upload the map!
Mentees
What is a mentorship?
A mentorship involves a mutually beneficial relationship between an experienced professional, teacher, or person, and a younger (less experienced) one, or mentee. An 89 Connect mentor is a senior figure who imparts knowledge and guides the younger professional in a friendly and supportive environment. 89 Connect mentors come from the public policy sector and related sectors. They are chosen for their career success to date, and their interest in connecting with younger professionals. A good mentor has the mentee’s best interests at heart and should tailor their mentorship style and content based on the unique characteristics of the mentee.
What is the difference between mentorship and coaching?
These terms are often conflated. While 89 Connect principally offers a mentorship service, some elements of coaching are included within this. A mentorship is usually a mutually beneficial relationship designed to inspire, motivate, and arm a mentee with specific insights from a seasoned professional allowing them to progress in their career. A mentorship relationship is mentee-led, meaning that questions and talking points are designed by the mentee to fit their specific objectives. It is designed to be a long-term relationship, which mentees make use of following the initial period of six months. A mentor is usually as specialist in the same field as the mentee.
A coaching refers to structured guidance received from a professional coach or career development expert. Goals are to help a coachee achieve a specific goal, or support an area of development. This is typically a short term relationship of several weeks or perhaps a few months. It is structured towards a specific outcome. The coach will usually lead the session.
Why should you consider working with a mentor?
A mentor can be a valuable career asset for any aspiring policy maker, civil servant, consultant, or business executive. The importance of having the right mentor is no secret. Generally the most successful people will point to a relationship early in their professional life which was critical on their path. Learning from someone wiser and more experienced is an invaluable opportunity whether you are just starting out, a mid-career professional, or even a senior executive.
Among other things, working with a mentor can:
How does 89 Connect pair me with a mentor?
89 Connect will pair you with a selection of available mentors, from whom you are able to choose. Pairing takes into account common interests (sector, expertise), professional values, and mentorship objectives. This information will be acquired from mentors and mentees through a website survey.
How do I choose a mentor?
You should choose your mentor based on compatibility of interests, what style of mentorship you feel would be most suitable for you at the time, and your reasons for having mentorship. You must choose your mentor wisely. Your mentor should be someone you look up to and aspire to be like.
When will the sessions take place?
Formal 89 Connect sessions will take place once every two months, though mentees and mentors may communicate informally in-between, if they choose. Precise dates and times for meetings will be decided between mentors and mentees.
What will each session involve?
The 89 Connect mentorship scheme involves an initial three consultations over six months with core action points to complete in-between. The three sessions are divided according to the following themes: getting to know one another; discussing career plans; upgrading your career plan.
What will I have to prepare?
It is important to get to know as much as possible about your mentor, both before selecting them, and in advance of your first meeting. Subsequently, you will be asked to complete action points agreed with your mentor before later meetings.
Can I contact my mentor in between mentoring sessions?
If your mentor agrees, it is possible to establish contact in between sessions. It is important that any further conversations alongside the official mentorship must be directional and aimed at achieving an objective of the mentorship.
Can I connect with my mentor after the programme ends?
We strongly encourage mentors and mentees to remain in touch following the completion of the official mentorship course. The relationship you establish with your mentor will ideally be a long-lasting one, of mutual benefit.
What do I have to do in between sessions?
Depending on what is agreed with your mentor, there may be action points to address related to the previous or next session.
What will my certificate contain?
This will certify that you have completed an 89 Connect mentorship course and that you are subsequently regarded as an 89 Mentee. If the mentor is affiliated with a specific organisational partner, the certificate will be co-awarded.
Does the mentorship certificate count as a qualification?
The certificate is not a form of qualification. Nevertheless, the experience is something you may promote. Your structured mentorship with a well-known professional will be attractive to employers.
How can I present my mentorship experience to future employers?
You may write in your CV that you are an 89 Mentee, naming the individual under whom you received mentorship. This may be included in the ‘Education’ section of your CV. We trust this will be beneficial for job seekers.
Can I pay in instalments?
Not for now. We are working to install an automatic payment procedure which will allow you to do so.
How to add value to a mentor-mentee relationship as a mentee?
As a mentee, it can be easy to fall into a pattern of asking a lot of your mentor without giving anything in return. While your mentor might be happy to provide you with advice regardless, it’s still important to think of some ways to show your appreciation and make yourself available for your mentor.
As a mentee, you must not feel there is nothing you can offer your mentor in return. Your mentor is likely to be happy to help regardless, but there are things you can do to add value:
What kind of skills can I expect to learn?
This depends on who you are, where you are on your career path, and the objectives of your mentorship. Generally you can expect to gain a clearer idea of what it is you would like to achieve, how to achieve it, and receive practical tips from your experienced mentor.
Mentors
Why should I consider becoming a mentor?
Everyone has the potential to mentor another individual, bringing to the discussion insights and advices gained through personal experience. Mentoring young or emerging professionals is an investment in the future of the industry and in the success of the future workforce, a way to influence its future development to fit your values. Furthermore, contributing as a mentor can deliver personal benefits as well, including: improving educational and supervisory skills, enlarge personale connections and network, promoting self-reflection.
At 89 Connect, we deeply believe in shaping a better future for the public policy sector, addressing its current challenges in a practical way. Moreover, we are glad to reward our mentors with visibility and networking opportunities in a community of thousands of emerging professionals, willing to make the difference.
Last but not least, our reward is also material, as we will pay you for your commitment in the programme.
How to be sure I would be a good mentor?
A good mentor will be someone with experience and success in their specific field. They are usually authentic, creative, honest, and empathetic. However, the qualities of a mentor are subjective. A good mentor for one person may not be right for another. That is why 89 Connect attempts to pair mentors and mentees based on common values, interests, and reasons for seeking mentorship.
If you still have doubts, do a self-assessment and know what you are offering to your mentee and what you expect of yourself:
How will 89 Connect pair a mentee with me?
89 Connect will offer to aspiring mentees a selection of available mentors, from whom they are able to choose. Pairing takes into account common interests (sector, expertise), professional values, and mentorship objectives. This information will be acquired from mentors and mentees through a website survey.
We deeply encourage mentees to choose their mentor based on compatibility of interests, what style of mentorship they feel would be most suitable for them at the time, and their reasons for having mentorship.
What will be my commitment?
Join the platform and be featured in our exclusive mentors’ database. Let us know how many young professionals are you willing to mentor for the defined period. Please note that you may or may not being called for the job, it depends on the users choice and our joint efforts in promoting you as a mentor. When paired with a mentee, you will be asked to agree on a series of times to meet throughout the mentorship period. Mentees will indicate in advance what they seek to gain out of their scheme. Nevertheless, each programme should involve mentor guidance on career goals, professional networking, and feedback on one’s CV & Cover Letters. The sessions should also provide mentees with knowledge of your own experience and trajectory. We aim to inspire them!
What will I have to prepare for the sessions?
Prepare an action plan to meet the objectives of each mentoring scheme. This will help you address the specificity of each mentee and to develop a programme that works best for them.
The action plan will also help you ensure that the mentee is performing their take home tasks in a good and timely manner. If things are not working, do not be afraid to change your strategy accordingly!
When will the sessions take place?
Formal 89 Connect sessions will take place once every two months, though mentees and mentors may communicate informally in-between, if they choose. Precise dates and times for meetings will be decided between mentors and mentees.
What kind of relationship should I establish with my mentees?
One of our first aims as 89 Connect is to create a hub for public policy professionals and stakeholders, thus facilitating networking opportunities and collaboration among them. For this reason, our wish is to provider you with the opportunity to establish a strong professional relationship with your mentees, beneficial from both sides and on a long term basis.
89 Connect is a community, so your opinion matter. If you have suggestions or complains, just write to us and we will be happy to help!
Fill in the dedicated form here
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