MIND DATES
MIND DATES is a mentoring programme that provides year-long guidance and career orientation enrichment to 12th grade students enrolled in Oeiras public high schools.
MIND DATES brings together 12th grade students and (research and/or clinical) mentors - CBR, Católica Medical School (FM-UCP) and Hospital da Luz researchers and clinical practicioners - for a series of sessions in which students learn a bit more about themselves, learn what the future of jobs and the work market may have in store, gather information on different careers in the STEAM and HEALTH fields, are exposed to the distinct educational and training paths that may lead into those careers, and get to know individuals who actually hold those jobs.
During a series of monthly sessions, MIND DATES mentees gather useful knowledge about the education and the skill set that goes into different professions, and the daily tasks and challenges associated with doing a certain job. Rather than vocational advice, the CBR´s MIND DATES programme wants to offer knowledge, so that students can make better informed decisions in the process leading up to applying to a given school and/or college degree that may direct their access to one or more desired career path(s). The MIND DATES sessions also touch on issues like the life style that may accompany a given career, the competences needed to go into different professional paths, the life-long learning that goes into staying ahead, the different (and often little known) facets of the actual work that a given professional does, and the more or less obvious traits and characteristics of those who typically perform those duties.
The mentorship takes place monthly throughout the school year, and comprises 3 to 4 group sessions - one "general" mentor / several mentees - as well as 1 or 2 one-on-one session(s) - one mentor who is a professional of the area(s) in which the student is interested / one mentee. In each group session the general mentor focuses on getting to know each student´s interests, likes and dislikes, academic and non-academic strengths and weakness, as well as hopes, expectations and doubts surrounding their future education, university degrees and/or careers. Once able to sketch the student´s profile and list of interests, the general mentor matches the student with 1 or more specific mentor(s) - a researcher, a health professional or otherwise - of the area or areas of interest of said student, so the student can enjoy a one-on-one mentorship session with someone whose career/functions/area the student is interested in. A final group session is subsequently held with the general mentor to assess whether or not the mentorship has been helpful for the student and/or may need to be extended.
All MIND DATES mentors are professionals who excel at their line of work and whom we at the CBR train and encourage to learn more about best practices in mentoring. All mentoring sessions are provided by and/or supervised by the CBR team.
Prospective MIND DATES Mentees may click here (in portuguese only) to sign up for the newest edition of CBR´s Lit Up programme MIND DATES, as we have reopened the call for MIND DATES 2024.
Prospective MIND DATES Mentors - professionals who work in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) areas as well as in Health-related jobs - may find programme materials and other useful information by directly emailing Lit Up programme director joloureiro@ucp.pt.